Vegan Food Alternatives – A Rising Trend in the Tech Industry
In recent years more and more companies have invested into the development and production of vegan food alternatives, as the consciousness of consumers (especially in the Western world) in this area has grown and the consumption of non-dairy and meatless products has spiked. According to Oberst (2018), there has been an increase of 600% for people identifying as vegan in the United States from 2014 – 2017. This dynamic can be felt in other countries, with an increase in the number of vegetarians, as well as flexitarians, which comprise those people that only consume meat during specific time periods (Oberst, 2018).
Have you already tried the Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods burger? I personally have and they taste frighteningly like the real thing. Developments in plant-based alternatives, as well as cruelty-free meat substitutes have increased in recent years. Beyond Meat is one of many companies that is already in the midst of developing these alternatives. For example, the company managed to produce a meat-alternative from a mixture of “pea protein isolates, rice protein, mung bean protein, canola oil and coconut oil” that can even ‘blead’ like real meat does (Lettinger, 2019).The firm is currently making an effort to get costs down so that is plant-based products can be priced similar to animal products, in order to gain a higher market share (Daniel, 2019). The company is backed by tech giant Bill Gates, which has attracted further media attention and given it a greater credibility. The change in meat consumption to plant-based alternatives could furthermore have a great impact on the environment, as the emission of greenhouse gases could significantly be reduced.
So, what is the role of technology? As many firms being to, or continue to focus on the development of plant-based alternatives, this could significantly reduce the associated production costs in developing countries. There is a rising interest in the tech start up scene in this field and increasing investments, as well as more friendly regulatory environments will continue to drive innovation.
What is your opinion? Could you imagine eating only plant-based alternatives in the future? Do you see any potential downsides?
Daniel, E. (2019). World Vegan Day: five ways tech is benefiting vegans. [online] Verdict. Available at: https://www.verdict.co.uk/world-vegan-day-technology/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2019].
Lettinger, J. (2019). Vegan Meat is Now the Biggest Trend in the Tech Industry. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@jillettinger/vegan-meat-is-now-the-biggest-trend-in-the-tech-industry-d6b604f88b5c [Accessed 17 Oct. 2019].
Oberst, L. (2019). Why the Global Rise in Vegan and Plant-Based Eating Isn’t A Fad (600% Increase in U.S. Vegans + Other Astounding Stats). [online] Food Revolution Network. Available at: https://foodrevolution.org/blog/vegan-statistics-global/ [Accessed 17 Oct. 2019].
Nice piece Noelle! I agree that plant-based is a trend up and coming in the foods industry. Hopefully this trend will continue not only for the reduced emissions, but also for the diversification of the diet and bringing forgotten greens back to life! I personally feel however that the role of technology here, applies more to making operations more efficient so prices of plant-based food can be set equal to those of animal products, giving all consumers the choice to make more conscious decisions.
Nice article! It is always nice to know that there are (good) plant-based alternatives in for meat, and I agree that this is a nice area for (upcoming) tech. Personally, I hope that the alternatives will be used more commonly in the future. However, the technology for plant-based alternatives are not that far yet. The need of labor in these developing countries will still be needed, and hopefully they will be able to hold up to the large demand. It would be nice if there are some upcoming technologies that will help the local farmers to grow these products and increase their wealth.
Next to that, the new trend will also cause a shift in demand. For example, the new ‘vegan generation’ increases the demand for Avocado. It is very hard to grow avocado in most underdeveloped countries and it will take around 380 liters of water to grow one avocado. Therefore, some of these plant-based alternatives are not even that good for the environment. Personally I think it is still better than eating meat, but this is something to keep in mind!
Avocado link: https://old.danwatch.dk/en/undersogelseskapitel/how-much-water-does-it-take-to-grow-an-avocado/