Faux Meat

Investors like it.  Conservationists like it.  Even some vegans appear to like it.  The “it” is alternative meat made from plant protein. Various faux meat producers such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are beginning to penetrate the market with products that mimic the texture and taste of real meat.  There is no doubt that widespread acceptance of faux meat products would put a dent in the 15% of greenhouse gas emissions generated by livestock farming. 

Faux meat doesn’t assemble itself.  It requires processing and that processing is energy intensive.  The carbon footprint of faux meat is far less than real meat, but there is still a carbon price to be paid.

,,,such meat alternatives emit around five times more greenhouse gases than unprocessed sources of plant protein according to Marco Springmann, a senior environmental researcher at Oxford University. "They're somewhere between unprocessed legumes, and chicken," he says of the climate impact of highly engineered, meaty vegan products. "If you look at it purely from an environmental perspective, they would still make a big contribution to mitigating climate change," Springmann told DW, "just not as big a contribution as moving to an arguably more healthy diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, some nuts and seeds, whole grains, minimally processed beans and lentils." 

So, maybe skipping the laboratory processing and adopting a healthier diet would be even better for the planet.  Takes a lot more will power.