10 minute read
Alternatives?
Author: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Editor: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Learn More: FoodAccounts.com
What are Meat Alternatives?
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Kevin Mogollon Cabellos
What are meat alternatives? Can it really replace real meat as a “health-
ier” alternative? These are two out of many questions I have constantly heard about alternative meat. In all honesty, anything that is used to replace meat can be considered an alternative meat option. However, not all meat alternatives are healthy for overall health or for an stable budget. Spending six dollars for two Impossible patties or for only one dollar less get two of Gardien’s ultimate eight-ounce patties is cost-ineffective. On the other hand, I also could spend around 10 dollars for a five-pound bag of rice along with a few bags of dried beans and still get the same nutritional value as meat. While this discussion has been around for years among lifelong vegetarians or vegans, newcomers to this trend, usually due to the continuously rising price of meat, often have many questions about how to be able to feed themselves without meat.
Benefits of Meat
So why is meat so important to the body? Meat, including fish, provides a complete source of protein that gives all the essential amino acids. It also naturally provides all B vitamins specifically B6 and B12, as well as iron, zinc, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin. Unfortunately, at the end of the day meat will always have a superior quantity of protein for the number of ounces and calories it has, however, that does not mean all hope to switch is lost. For starters, I am going to lay down the guidelines for what a good alternative meat source needs to have. First, any alternative meat source that you pick needs to be able to be a complete protein source in other words it needs to provide all nine essential amino acids. This can be quite tricky since no one has the time to memorize which foods contain what amino acids. However, there are a few foods that are simple to remember such as rice and beans or tofu and white rice. To get a complete protein you need to just match a legume of your choice with a grain, a seed, or a nut. For the B vitamins lots of nuts and cereals can provide vitamin B6 with cheese or yogurt being able to provide vitamin B12. Green vegetables being able to provide anything that would be missing.
Turning a New Leaf
Switching from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet does not need to be a long, tedious, and expensive process. While a lot of the food that is shown as “alternative” such as veggie meat, patties, or fake ground beef can also provide the same benefits. They can also become as expensive as meat making it harder to manage a stable budget. Overall it will always be more economical to opt-out of pre-packaged alternative meat sources. Instead, by matching complete alternative meat sources yourself you will be able to have stronger control over how much money gets spent on the food you eat. Keep in mind that even while having good meat alternatives, a balanced diet will ultimately be the best thing for your health and your wallet.
Author: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Editor: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Learn More: FoodAccounts.com
Can Lab-Grown Meat Save our Planet and Wallet?
Picture taken by Field
photographer: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos
It’s alive, it’s alive! I first heard that iconic line in 2012 when I watched the classic black and white film of the original Frankenstein from 1931. Through the lens of a rusty, yet somewhat reliable, projector I saw all of the cheesy special effects that a film of that time used. I especially remember how it brought a feeling of awe to my 11-year-old self. Filled with wonder, I questioned if modern science could ever achieve such a feat.
It only took 10 years for me to see modern science achieve so many different feats with technology I could have never ever imagined. While we don’t have things such as lightsabers, flying cars, or stable governments. We have witnessed things large-scale things pictures of a massive black hole and the smallest intricate parts of DNA. New technology is always being made and needed, especially now with the threat of global warming and a global pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the worst and most global pandemics of the modern world. This has pushed scientists to create some of the biggest modern wonders such as the covid vaccine but also a new strive for sustainable resources. Leading many researchers and scientists to start investigating previous ideas that were thought unscalable. One of these ideas is Lab-grown meat which hopes to create a form of sustainable meat.
The idea of Lab-grown meat has been around from
Author: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Editor: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Learn More: FoodAccounts.com
25 Gallons = 200 Pounds
925,000 Gallons = 3,500 Tons
the time scientists discovered that all living things were composed of cells. However, not just any type of cell would be able to create a hamburger patty. Only stem cells contain the materials to become any type of cell. The first time this was accomplished was back in 2013. Dutch scientist Mark Post used individual cow muscle stem cells to create the world’s first lab-grown burger patty. Noting that this new harvesting method could revolutionize how the meat industry could function in the future.
Water Waste
Moving forward by nine years Labgrown meat still holds the potential to be able to solve three of the big problems that the modern-day meat industry faces. The first problem of the modern-day meat industry is that it is very environmentally taxing and wasteful. On a global average, it takes around 1,850 gallons of water to produce only one pound of beef according to the Water Footprint organization. To better understand, suppose that of meat obtained at the end results in a terrible return of 0.006 percent. On the other hand, Lab-grown meat on average takes around 25 gallons of water for a pound of beef. Using the same conversions as before 25 gallons ends up weighing 200 pounds, which is around the average weight of a refrigerator. With a weight return being around 4 percent, lab-grown meat seems to be a more sustainable option for the planet.
the average weight of a cow is around 1,200-pounds. After killing the cow and removing its fur, head, and other organs there are only around 730 pounds left. Next comes trimming the fat and getting rid of bones, leaving around 500 pounds of edible beef. Using the proportion given by the Water Footprint Organization of 1,850 gallons per pound of meat means that for 500 pounds of meat the amount of water used comes at 925,000 gallons of water. For comparison, the average Olympic pool holds around 660,000 gallons. But how much is 925,000 pounds? Converting gallons to pounds gives a better perspective to visualize. The conversion metric for a gallon to a pound is equal to one gallon weighing around 8.35 pounds. Using that proportion 925,000 gallons end up weighing a total of 7,723,750 pounds or around 3, 850 tons. For comparison, the average weight of one full submarine is 3,500 tons. The traditional method of harvesting meat is extremely unsustainable. Dividing the weight of water used by the weight
Cruelty Free
The second point that has been constantly debated in the modern-day meat industry is the ethics and methodology of killing an animal. Unless specifically looking for halal or kosher meat, which is expensive and not always available, it is impossible to guarantee that any meat bought at the average grocery store is being sourced from "humanely" killed animals. The process of getting lab-grown meat is not completely painless for an animal. Unlike the traditional method though, it does not result in death for an animal. The pain is roughly about the same as donating bone marrow
or getting a few shots on the same arm. Currently holding a 100 percent survival rate for animals, it seems that labgrown meat could potential solve a big ethical dilemma in the current consumption of meat.
Healthier Habits
The third problem is consumers’ health standards. Many products have been banned or faced losses due to being put in the spotlight for being unhealthy. Meat has recently been in the spotlight due to its high fat and cholesterol content. On the other hand, Lab-grown meat can overcome this problem. In a normal animal, the amount of fat is dependent on how an animal is treated and fed. However, because Lab-grown meat uses stem cells it can produce muscle cells without the amount of fat or cholesterol that the traditional method does. Allowing consumers to eat healthier without having to worry about how their meat is sourced and negative impacts on the environment.
A New Potential?
Lab-grown meat has the potential to drastically change the current meat industry. However, there it is not always easy to implement things into a commercial market. The creation of a new product can lead to destabilizing competition. In the past, the online movie subscription service model took over DVD stores like Blockbuster ended up going bankrupt. Even in today’s world, we see this playing again in how the online market is led to many retail stores like JcPenny ending up bankrupt. There are three main possibilities that could happen if lab-grown meat is introduced into the market as a way to compete against the current method of harvesting meat.
The Good Ending
The best possible outcome is for lab-grown meat to steadily grow and eventually take over the current methodology once it is introduced into the market. Multiple companies would begin to switch over to lab-grown meat allowing them to supply more with fewer resources needed. Allowing for the planet to begin to recover from years of ecological damage. For the grocery store meat buyer this means that lab-grown meat would become widely available and have a reduced cost compared to normally harvested meat due to supply and demand.
The Average Ending
The most likely outcome is that lab-grown meat would not be able to totally replace the current methods of meat production. The planet would still be able to heal but not to the full extent of what it could. While lab-grown meat would
Picture taken by Field
photographer: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos
Author: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Editor: Kevin Mogollon Cabellos Starts: Page 8
be able to be found in large stores like Walmart or Costco it would not widely available. The price of lab-grown meat would shift from slightly higher than normal meat to then less expensive to incentivize people to buy. With no drastic changes to outside markets.
The Bad Ending
The worst-case scenario for labgrown meat would be the failure to take hold of the market. Companies would opt out of using lab-grown meat and keep on ravaging the rest of the earth’s resources until they run out. Lab-grown meat would be hard to find and have drastic price changes that no one would tolerate buying. Different Meat industries that already use lab-grown meat would have to raise their prices which ends up costing the consumer more, and could potentially destabilize many small supermarkets as their products become redundant. Based on these three scenarios it is clear that much discussion still needs to be had about lab-grown meat before it reaches a full-scale market for both consumers and businesses.
The Upcoming Generation
The world is constantly growing a larger population. Based on our current resource efficiency it is unlikely that the current method of meat harvesting will be able to meet that demand without destroying the planet in the process. Lab-grown meat is already being used by various companies such as Just in California, Meatable in the Netherlands, and Cubiq foods in Spain. The global push for sustainable food production is at an all-time high, we can not rob future generations of a stable planet because of our want of meat. Lab-grown meat can create a new eco-friendly future as long as we are there to support it.
Lab-grown Meat Companies
Just
California, USA Just mainly focuses on creating eggs from plants in order to reduce the 51 billions of gallons of water spent on producing eggs.
Meatable
Netherlands
Meatable is a leading pioneer of labgrown meat in order to produce meat without the industrial harm to the planet and animals.
Cubiq Foods
Spain
Qubiq Foods uses natural ingredients into fat solutions as well as cell-based Omega-3 using similar proccess to lab-grown meat.
