That’s something that’s been on my mind for the past few weeks, for some reason. At the recent MIT Tech Review’s ClimateTech Events, my colleague James Temple interviewed Pat Brown, CEO of Impossible Foods. The company makes plant-based meat alternatives that are designed to look like the real thing – most famously its “bleeding” burgers. When asked what he thinks of “cell-based” meat, Brown replied: “I certainly don’t consider them a competitor.”
I’m reading too a series of articles published in scientific journals Natural food A few weeks ago, this study explored the arguments for and against farmed meat, as is known, in more detail.
The other reason I’m thinking about meat alternatives is that winter break is approaching, and as a non-meat-eater it’s my job to think of an alternative that works for everyone, including Both my picky kids and my meat-loving dad. , will participate. Talk about impossible foods.
But back to farmed meat. On paper, there are plenty of reasons why bioreactor-raised meat is a great idea. For starters, we can cut back on intensive farming, which can be brutal and inhumane. Keeping animals in cramped conditions can create the perfect conditions for disease to spread, possibly even to humans.
And the use of antibiotics to avoid such outbreaks also very problematic. It is estimated that about 70% of the antibiotics we use to treat human infections are also used on farm animals. And any microorganism that becomes resistant to antibiotics as a result of its use can survive in crops, soil, rivers and people, potentially causing incurable and potentially fatal diseases. dead. At least 1.2 million people died from antibiotic-resistant infections in 2019For example.
Meat production is also terrible for the environment. Livestock agriculture is responsible for a significant portion of our greenhouse gas emissions. We use more than a third of the habitable land on our planet for animal agriculture – land that can be forest or carbon consuming forest. Deforestation for agriculture can leave many species, including endangered, without homes. This can reduce biodiversity.
