By late February, the Smokehouse Creek wildfire in the Texas Panhandle had become the state’s first ever “gigafire,” a label saved for blazes that tear through more than a million acres. From a region that’s home to more cows than anywhere in the United States, images of cattle running from the “monster” blaze went viral, reminding us, yet again, that bad weather keeps getting worse.
Scientists have been sounding the alarm that we need to do more and quickly to help curtail global warming’s catastrophic impacts, pointing out that coal, cars and cattle are top greenhouse gas emitters. The good news is that growth in clean energy was twice that of fossil fuels from 2019 to 2023, and global sales of electric cars surged 31% in 2023 from the year prior. But the world keeps eating more meat, with forecasts estimating that we’ll be consuming 50% more by 2050.
And that’s a problem that wealthy nations in particular need to get a handle on, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. A 2020 study conducted by the University of Michigan found that if Americans cut their meat consumption in half by 2030 and shifted to more plant-based alternatives, the country would cut the equivalent annual emissions to taking 47.5 million cars off the road.
But even climate-concerned politicians tend to stay away from the issue with a 10-foot pole. It’s a touchy topic. People get defensive when it’s suggested that we change the way we eat – especially when meat industry groups are stoking the flames with disinformation campaigns. Australian academics surveyed 150 news articles in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand and found that “industry frequently framed [red meat] reduction as part of a ‘Vegan Agenda’” and “an infringement on personal choice and traditional values.” The researchers concluded that all that polarization “may diminish the extent to which political leaders will prioritise this in policy agendas.”
The meat and dairy industries are clearly sweating bullets. They’re lobbying for bans on the use of terms such as “milk” and “steak” on plant-based products (even cauliflower steaks are off the table in Italy, along with lab-grown prosciutto). They’re also funding ads that portray plant-based foods as unhealthy, unnatural and ultra-processed, as a new report from Freedom Food Alliance chronicles. And it’s working. In Europe, a 17-country survey released in February found that more than half of respondents are avoiding plant-based meat because it’s “ultra-processed.”
The media has been quick to announce that the plant-based bubble has burst, that plant-based meat has “lost its sizzle.” Of course, the media loves to declare things “dead.” And yes, Silicon Valley equally loves a good overhyped product, perhaps overestimating just how much people would spend for two plant-based burgers (hint: $8 for two Beyond Meat patties proved to be too much for many consumers).
Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, both of which have taken a hit on the nose with investors over the last couple of years, have been taking notes. In February, Beyond Meat unveiled a new and improved burger now made with avocado oil, 20% less sodium and protein from brown rice and red lentils. “The new products . . . were designed to meet the standard of the national health organizations [including the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check program] to create a product that delivers the taste satisfaction and utility of 80/20 beef – yet is demonstrably healthier,” said Beyond Meat’s founder and CEO, Ethan Brown.
Some governments are taking notice. Last year, Denmark launched the world’s first national plant-based action plan that will include subsidy schemes and advice for plant-based start-ups. Germany announced US$41 million in funding for alternative proteins. Twenty-six cities, including Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Edinburgh, have endorsed a Plant Based Treaty. And over the last five years, the Government of Canada has invested more than $300 million into Protein Industries Canada, an industry-led, not-for-profit “innovation cluster” focused on growing Canada into a plant-based protein powerhouse while reducing our greenhouse gas emissions associated with food.
As a recent UN report on alternatives to conventional meat noted, livestock production is fuelling Earth’s triple environmental crisis: the climate emergency, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. But there is an enormous economic opportunity underfoot. Already, plant-based foods, including legumes and tofu, provide 57% of protein that humans consume globally, according to the UN. Sales of alternative meat, seafood and dairy products reached US$28 billion globally in 2022. Entrepreneurs and researchers around the world are using technology – from AI to 3D-printed plant-based salmon fillets – to innovate the future of food.
Canada is a world leader in growing some of the legumes used to make plant-based proteins and is home to the world’s largest pea protein plant, in Manitoba, with new facilities in the works. And we’re adding that protein to bread, pasta – you name it. A 2024 report by the Smart Prosperity Institute says that the plant-based meat sector could contribute $25 billion to the country’s gross domestic product over the next decade.
If you prefer to keep things simple, Canada is a leading grower of lentils and chickpeas, too.
While the plant-based sector faces challenges, industry observers at Euromonitor say that “the current slowdown in growth does not signify the death of this category.” Instead, they describe this moment as the “end of the beginning” as market expectations recalibrate to match reality.
As the number of meat reducers, or “reducatarians,” continues to grow globally, will we finally eat our veggies to save the planet?
This story is part of our Spring 2024 Plant Power package.
