Hello fellow space traveller,
I’m fighting off the urge to have a little siesta this afternoon as we bask in a barmy 27 degrees on a lazy afternoon in May. It’s glorious 🙂
This week we’re zooming in on contradictory reporting around the plant-based meat industry, the despair setting in among climate scientists and the best vegan pub in Europe (it’s in Wales!)
Plus the rest of the week’s vegan round up … enjoy!
Please help us grow and share this with your friends – it makes a huge difference. Just let them know they can sign up here for a unique take on the latest vegan news.
Do you have a story? Ping us over your news – We read all your emails!
… so let’s not delay any longer.
Thank you for being with us!
– Rohan 🙂
This Week’s Top Story
How can the plant-based meat industry be dying and growing at the same time?
Trawling the vegan news every week as I do, you get a feel for how the media is manipulated by seemingly innocuous reporting on various issues.
Contradictions often surface as I read the headlines and absorb a small sample of the relentless onslaught of consumable news media, in its many guises.
Over the past 7 days I’ve noticed this phenomenon around the plant-based meat industry with somewhat equal amounts of positive vs negative reporting.
It gets you thinking about agendas and who is really seeding the minds of the general populace.
… I’ll try to keep my tin-foil hat well away from my head for this piece 🙂
So let me give you the example I’ve found this week …
I like to try and read industry specific publications because they’re often the rags which are closest to the truth and the article that triggered it for me was this one from Invezz.com, a self-proclaimed source of unbiased information about finance and investing.
… and on the face of it, that article does come across as factual reporting of Beyond Meat’s plunging stock price and revenue shrinkage revealed by performance figures published recently.
Information which is all true.
Then you look at the headline, “BYND stock price and the dying plant-based meat industry“, and a little red flag popped up for me because I know, doing what I do, that the plant-based protein market is truly exploding with new innovation weekly, it seems.
Certainly, there is evidence indicating a decline in the plant-based meat industry, particularly for the major players in the space, like Beyond Meat.
Yes, consumer engagement does seem to be waning in the short-term (long-term it’s a different picture), the taste is not quite there for many and the ultra-processed card has also been played … but to claim the sector is dying?
I immediately question whether the shady figures directing the tentacles of the animal agriculture media machine have been up to their old manipulative tricks again, planting subconscious seeds of doubt.
They are past-masters at it, after all.
So I wondered if I could find some alternative headlines painting the story in a more positive light.
… and of course, they were abundant, as evidenced below …
While the initial rush of interest in the US for products like the Beyond Burger has died back to a more realistic level, the overall trajectory is upwards for both whole-food plant-based like tofu as well as the meat-replacement market.
In fact, some quite explosive growth is predicted in the meat replacements sector in particular. It’ll be worth US$ 67.9 billion in only 9 years.
There are some real fundamental forces at play here as people slowly arrive at the realisation we’re all going to have to do our bit for the good of the species.
Eating less meat is an inevitable part of the process and the sooner we accept that, the sooner we can get on with adapting to the next phase of human evolution.
But we’re a stubborn bunch.
… and here’s yet another industry publication forecasting even bigger growth in plant-based meat and the more traditional whole-foods along with it.
So Invezz.com … The death of plant-based meat? I think not.
Consumers are becoming more health conscious and more environmentally conscious. Many are now looking to plant-based as a way to mitigate their individual impact.
Many more are becoming aware of how veganism can be a force for change amid the grim realities of mass animal farming and its profoundly damaging effect on the world around us.
Not to mention the cruel disregard for sentient life on an unbelievably massive scale.
But Impossible Foods have been convinced the only way to hook billions of meat-eaters is to make their burgers ‘bleed‘ … just like animal flesh.
Reading that lawsuit in the previous link and I’m glad the really meaty plant-based burgers have never really appealed to me … what the hell is soy leghemoglobin when it’s at home anyway?
Keep it simple and just eat more veggies I say!
Thank you for reading 🙂
Have a great week from all at Vegan Slate …
– Rohan McAvee
Recommend us to your friends …
Quick Links:
- The Queen Inn Cwmbran is awarded the accolade of best vegan restaurant in Europe.
- How Not To Die – Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease.
( paid link ) - Lidl Belgium Boosts their plant-based offering with price parity for vegan alternatives.
- Impossible Foods commissions Erich and Kallman for new aggressively meaty ad campaign.
- THIS Is The Future – new plant-based chicken thighs launching in Tesco 13th May.
- Free Course – Vegan nutrition essentials.
- 10% Off Code for Vedge Nutrition Store-wide (use: VEGANSLATE)
( paid link )
(To help with running costs, Vegan Slate is a member of the Amazon Associates Program and as an Amazon Associate, earns from qualifying purchases.There’s no extra cost to you if you use a paid link)
Around The Vegan Web This Week Ending 12th May 24
Climate scientists’ despair: a plant-based wake-up call
In a world battered by climate chaos, top scientists are terrified. Ruth Cerezo-Mota, a climate expert, admits, “Sometimes it is almost impossible not to feel hopeless and broken.” After witnessing floods, fires, and droughts linked to climate change, she hoped governments would heed the science. But we’re on track for a catastrophic 3°C rise this century, abandoning billions to their fate. Cerezo-Mota’s depression hit during a Singapore meeting where experts connected rising temperatures to today’s heatwaves, storms, and floods. In her words, “There is no safe place for anyone.”
Europe’s protein revolution: plant-based diets take root
The excellent Vegconomist magazine reports this week on a new study revealing that a significant percentage of Europeans are now choosing plant-based options over animal products. This accelerating trend is driven by a growing awareness of the environmental impact of livestock farming and a rising concern for animal welfare. The article quotes an industry expert who states, “The surge in plant-based diets is not a fad but a reflection of a more conscious consumer.” … there is hope!
A Meati investment into “next generation” mycelium protein …
Hailing from Thornton, Colorado, Meati Foods appears to be bucking the trend by securing yet another hefty investment of $100 million into their mycelium-based alternative meat products. The ultra-processed nature of many plant-based meats has been a big turn-off for consumers so the fact that Meati bills it’s products as a whole food containing 95% mushroom root is partly why the investors have not been frightened off. The Meati facility can now produce a whopping 45 million pounds of their cruelty-free, complete protein meat replacement products annually …
Bird flu spreads to US cows: a clear & present danger …
As we recently reported, the H5N1 avian influenza virus has found a new home: American cows. Scientists now worry that these bovine hosts could become a permanent reservoir for the adaptable virus, increasing the risk of human transmission. The virus, which has killed millions of wild birds, can hop back and forth between cows and birds, spanning wide geographical regions. With infected cows showing mild symptoms, detection remains a challenge. As one expert warns, “Eventually the wrong combination of gene segments and mutations inevitably comes along.” Brace yourselves – the cowpocalypse may be upon us!
Is this the future of sustainable, non-animal leather?
It’s a groundbreaking development with Polybion announcing the global launch of Celium®, a cultivated cellulose material poised to revolutionize the biotechnology industry. This innovative product, derived from bacterial fermentation, offers a sustainable and versatile alternative to traditional materials, with potential applications spanning from fashion to automotive industries. Celium®’s debut marks a significant milestone in Polybion’s mission to harness biotechnology for ecological solutions.
Are you part of the vegan pet treats CULT yet?
I’m not sure if it was a good idea to name the company CULT Food Science, considering the stigma around vegan products in general, but it does draw the eye! Developing pet food made from cultivated meat (hence the name), the firm have raised close to USD $600k as they plan to expand their ‘Noochies!’ range of environmentally friendly pet food. Using cultured yeast protein, independent testing has confirmed these high-protein, vegan dog and cat snacks “surpass industry standards for protein and amino acids”. Yet another nail in the coffin for animal ag.
You can help support Vegan Slate by engaging with our content. Please check out the post below and leave us a comment or share on your favourite socials. It will help us more than you think!
Thank you 🙂
Blog Post: Previously on Vegan Slate …
What Would Happen If We Didn’t Kill Animals?
It’s a somewhat ambiguous question today so let’s zone in and be a bit more specific. When people ask this question of vegans they usually mean what would happen if we didn’t kill animals for food. There will always be collateral damage in the animal kingdom just by dint of humans existing. What Would Happen If We Didn’t Kill Animals? …
Thanks so much for reading Vegan Slate and have a non-violent day 🙂
– Rohan
Vegan Slate