Recently, the Toronto Star published an article called “Ultraprocesed plant-based meat isn’t as bad for you as the meat industry wants you to believe”. The author, Jessica Scott-Reid, blames what she calls “Big Meat” for making shifting marketing claims that have been “well engineered” but are not “well backed by science”.
To her credit, the self-described animal advocate cites several studies that show how plant-based meats have nutritional profiles that may help reduce the risk of heart disease. “May help” is not the same as “will help”, however, and even Scott-Reid admits that “there is substantial variability in the contents of plant-based meats.”
Unfortunately, the Canadian journalist is unwilling to make similar distinctions – or seemingly any distinctions at all – when it comes to meat and the meat industry. “Big Meat”, the term that she uses, is catchy but misleading. By definition, “Big Meat” cannot include small farmers and ranchers, some of whom raise grassfed beef. This meat is leaner and rich in heart-heathy omega-3 fatty acids.
But what do consumers want? According to Canada’s National Post, the sales of plant-based meat have fallen significantly for the second year in a row. Scott-Reid either ignores or is unaware of this fact, which is more about inflation and less about lobbying. Since 2003, plant-based food prices have increased an average of 8% while conventional meat and seafood prices rose just 3%.
“With food inflation and higher prices, shoppers were less likely to pay two or four times more for plant-based alternatives than animal-based options,” writes the National Post. So much for greedy meat barons or, for that matter, Bill Gates’ financial support for Impossible Foods, Inc., which develops plant-based substitutes for meat products.
In the spirit of open discussion, we invite Scott-Reid to read Go Natural Education’s recent article, Is Grassfed Beef Good for Your Health?, and to let us know if she’s considered this product of the meat industry. As for her claim that “even in an ultraprocessed form plants still come out on top,” we invite her to ponder how fake meat is like cigarettes, the subject of our next article.