The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

I&#x27;m excited for meat alternatives, but have 3 thoughts on them that I haven&#x27;t seen mentioned yet (I&#x27;m 42):<p>* Nearly all of the rangeland and high desert in the western US was destroyed by cattle and sheep grazing over the past 150 years. This is a billion dollar industry with the emotional buy-in of millions of people so I&#x27;m skeptical that it will be reformed in our lifetimes.<p>* My digestive system got wrecked trying to be on a mostly vegetarian diet over several years after the housing bubble popped. The gist of it is that the lectins (and other defense mechanisms in the husks) of legumes and nightshades disrupt the mucus lining of the intestines, which leads to leaky gut and stool getting into the body cavity and blood (leaky gut), which may lead to autoimmune diseases like colitis and arthritis. Something about animal protein heals this lining, probably because humans evolved as scavengers eating leftover kills and carrion from top predators.<p>* I have not yet seen studies comparing the healing and regenerative properties of meat compared to plant protein, especially concerning bodybuilding. In my own experience, there is simply no comparison between the two. Beef, eggs, salmon, tuna, turkey and chicken simply dwarf any gains obtained from bean burritos (I wish this wasn&#x27;t the case). I don&#x27;t know a solution to this, although I&#x27;m guessing that a portion of the gains are hormonal. Maybe someone can isolate the animal compounds and make supplements similar to creatine, BCAAs, glutamine, taurine, etc.<p>Not to knock current meat alternatives, but I view them sort of like compact fluorescent light bulbs, as a 10 or 20 year stopgap until we have true test tube meat (LED bulbs).<p>In order for meat alternatives to compete with meat, someone will need to reform the federal food subsidies that keep meat an order of magnitude cheaper than it should be. An impossible burger should cost LESS than beef, not more.

The naysayers in the comment thread are missing the understanding that the fundamental technologies driving this are all moving exponentially. Beyond Meat&#x27;s innovation came from a Stanford professor who is an expert in RNA molecules (he helped them figure out their protein structure&#x2F;selection), impossible foods is a synthetic biology company. Exponential techs always underwhelm in the beginning but soon deliver more powerful products than people imagined. That&#x27;s going to happen with this industry and faster than people expect.

I just learned this bit on the radio the other day and was quite surprised: out of 1.9 billion acres in the US, the #1 and #3 ranked uses are cattle and crops (respectively) [1]. Out of the crops, much of it is used for livestock.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;2019&#x2F;07&#x2F;26&#x2F;745731823&#x2F;the-u-s-has-nearly-1-9-billion-acres-of-land-heres-how-it-is-used" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;2019&#x2F;07&#x2F;26&#x2F;745731823&#x2F;the-u-s-has-nearly-...</a>

&quot;Chipotle, Arby’s and Burger &amp; Lobster are not jumping on the Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods plant-based culinary movement ... We have spoken to those folks and, unfortunately, it wouldn’t fit in our ‘food with integrity’ principals because of the processing, as I understand it, that it takes to make a plant taste like a burger. ... Are they healthier as far as sodium, calories and fat content? Definitely not ... Zarabi says processed foods, whether they’re meatless or meat-containing, are never the healthiest choice.&quot;<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.marketwatch.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;why-some-restaurants-are-turning-up-their-noses-at-beyond-meat-2019-07-29" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.marketwatch.com&#x2F;story&#x2F;why-some-restaurants-are-t...</a>

I think the part that rings clearly in my head is the ethical part. I really cannot believe we eat animals. I know other animals do it all the time -- and I don&#x27;t hold it against tigers and lions -- but its still strange to me that we, humans, do it.<p>If you don&#x27;t feel that strong surprise, then I think the other arguments may or may not work for you. But if you have that sense that it is strange and perhaps off, then this article is heartening.

On the one hand I’m very intrigued by this. It’s absolutely true that meat production, and in particular beef production, has an enormous environmental impact, so if this article is correct it could be huge.<p>But on the other hand I have some questions that I’ve not seen addressed. I’m a small farmer. My wife and I raise sheep. Ruminants can be raised on land that isn’t really productive. Maybe in some cases beef production is taking away land that would be otherwise farmed, but in my experience that’s rare. So, if we transition to plant-based meat, where does the farmland come from? We’re already losing productive farmland at an incredible clip. If we suddenly need to put millions of acres into new soybean or pea production, where does it come from?<p>And second, at least in theory, mixed animal&#x2F;crop production systems can be closed loop. If done properly, with fallow periods and crop rotations, you don’t need external agricultural fertilizer production. Granted, that’s not the way most crops are produced <i>now</i>, but a lot of us are arguing that it should be - we should have local agriculture, with less centralization and more intentional closed loop farming practices. If we really do go mostly to a vegetarian diet, that possibility dries up. Agriculture becomes more and more reliant on external chemical inputs. Small producers are even more marginalized than they are today. Are we sure that’s what we want?

I keep seeing articles like this, but saying something over and over again does not make it true. I feel this could be proven by demand. While I&#x27;m sure people who were already put off by meat are loving the availability of meatless options, I do not see any meat eaters (in my life) who are lured to the plant-based alternatives.<p>These alternative meats taste good with all the stuff you also associate with hamburgers (bun, lettuce, tomato, onion, sauce), but on their own, they do not come close to beef.

I disagree with this piece; it seems like the author doesn&#x27;t like beef in general (which is fine) but I don&#x27;t think most people will give up beef for &quot;alt meat&quot;. I think it will just be another option, not a replacement. And sales still seem strong to me: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.statista.com&#x2F;statistics&#x2F;542890&#x2F;beef-consumption-us&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.statista.com&#x2F;statistics&#x2F;542890&#x2F;beef-consumption-...</a>

I don’t think most people will have a problem switching to plant based burgers as long as they taste good, but I think that’s still the sticking point at the moment. I’ve had an Impossible burger a few times and could always taste a strong difference (I even did a few blind taste tests). I don’t think it’s close to actual meat yet. Supposedly the second version of the burger has improved; I haven’t tried it yet.<p>Cheap meat, like ground beef, will be replaced first, but I think it will be much more difficult to replace specialty meats: Iberian ham or Wagyu for instance. Good luck making something plant-based that tastes like that (not saying it can’t be done though).

Is nobody seriously going to talk about cellular agriculture&#x2F;clean meat? Companies like Memphis Meats, JUST, Finless Foods, etc. creating actual beef&#x2F;meat?

I&#x27;m starting to think more and more that people promoting plant based burgers have either never tasted beef or never tasted a plant based burger.<p>If the main concern is environment I get it and go for it. But if you are claiming that plant based burgers are healthier or tastier you are borderline delusional.<p>Last time I cooked a Beyond Meat burger I noticed it was 30% canola oil. 30% CANOLA OIL, might as well just inject cholesterol and fast forward a heart attack.<p>I still get nightmares when I think of how bad the flavor was, think of the most processed food you possibly can like jolly ranchers and then imagine a salty fatty version of it.<p>I legit don&#x27;t understand how this trend keeps going even though vegetarian burgers made with vegetables are delicious and way healthier and there are alternative cuisines like Indian or Mediterranean that gives you loads of options that aren&#x27;t basically CANOLA OIL.

This whole submarine vegan agenda is annoying. Yes, people will choose to go with the artificial beef. No it&#x27;s not going to replace beef. It&#x27;s a subsitute.<p>A few things:<p>1. Cows are not optimized to make meat: Animals aren&#x27;t a food factory. Animals eat other animals. We are animals and happen to have a wide variety of what we can eat<p>2. There are distinct benefits from eating meat (vitamins), in which it&#x27;s incredibly inefficient from getting them from plants<p>3. The feedlots and environmental problems, that&#x27;s an issue of our economy. Theres a particular expectation on output.<p>4. The impossible burger: The author is incredibly disingenuous about the comparison. He is trying to claim that the burger has so many bad aspects but completely ignores how ultra-processed the beyond burger is.<p>5. The author is completely obsessed on cows. There are MANY more alternatives to cows that you can eat.

&gt; I knew it would keep getting better and beef wouldn’t.<p>&gt; White Castle initially tested its Impossible Slider in just a few locations in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago in April 2018. It was such a hit that the company quickly expanded the program to all 380 outlets. “People are coming back for it again and again,” White Castle’s vice president, Jamie Richardson, said with a touch of astonishment.<p>&gt; Resulting foot traffic was so strong that Burger King decided to serve the Impossible Whopper in all 7,200 restaurants, marking the moment when alt meat stopped being alt.<p>It reminds me of the joke, &quot;I don&#x27;t have to be faster than the <i>bear</i>, just faster than <i>you</i>.&quot;

I’ve got a beef with this article.<p>I can probably only consider the end of the beef industry getting near when:<p>a. There are more people I see opting for the plant based food, instead of beef;<p>b. When there’s really a shortage of cattle that produces or slaughtered as beef.<p>There’s a moral aspect of eating plant based foods, but I cannot see anyone transitioning easily from animal based meat products to select plant-based foods as their main source of sustenance. It will take a lot of discipline, willpower and of course, the availability (and affordability) of plant based food products for someone considering the shift.

I’ve tried these burgers and they are decent. But there are far better veggie burgers out there that don’t try to resemble meat at all. For some reason fast food companies stick with their garbage soy-based ones, so I’m happy to see them at least get some better veggie options.<p>But for reference, quinoa burgers, chickpea burgers, mushroom burgers, black bean burgers, sweet potato burgers, beet burgers - all taste great and are more appealing for most vegetarians&#x2F;vegans.

While I am all for the end of the beef industry, I don&#x27;t think it&#x27;s happening until we get actual synthetic lab-produced animal tissue.<p>It&#x27;s great that we have companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible working on this - this is the work that will eventually lead to the meat industry going away for good, or at least becoming a niche industry - but until we can synthesize <i>actual meat</i> many people will hold out.

Has Nina Teicholz&#x27;s book been debunked? I see comments here that appear to assume that these meat substitutes (Beyond Meat) are more healthy than beef -- is that really true? Animal meat is scientifically reported to be extremely nutritious compared to plants, and dietary fat has been a main part of diets around the world and continues to be so in e.g. French cuisine.

After five years on a ketogenic diet (low carb, higher fat) I now eat mostly fatty meat and eggs, and little else. I have never felt better or been in better health.<p>This is anecdote, but a growing number of people are discovering the same thing. Beef is great food. It will not go away.

I have a middle-aged uncle who <i>just</i> got a cell phone. Beef&#x27;ll be around for a while.

Nope.<p>Last time I checked, not all beef is consumed as hamburgers.<p>The alt meat craze (if there is one) is due to the novelty factor. The interest will decline over time.<p>That said, what does a raw Impossible Burger taste like? A raw hamburger?<p>Imagine wolfing down a raw one in front of a group of unknowing and terrified onlookers.

I keep on reading that as the standard of living increases around the world the amount of beef consumed increases. It&#x27;s too early to call peak beef but it&#x27;s bound to happen if only because the amount of available resources to produce it will decrease. But I suspect that it won&#x27;t happen during any of our lifetimes.

What about milk? The milk industry produces beef as a byproduct. Cows have to calve regularly to produce milk and eventually became beef themselves. In my country McDonalds and other burger producers are the biggest buyers of old milk cows. Their beef might be not good enough for steaks, but still good enough for burgers.

I had a Beyond Meat burger recently. It was pretty good, about as good as a below-average to average burger, but more tender. Overall, if this is all they served at the cafeteria, it would be okay.<p>That said, it wasn&#x27;t nearly good enough for me to buy instead of meat. Maybe the day will come where it will be, but definitely not yet.

I don&#x27;t think Beyond Meat or any of the other beggie burgers will replace a good cut of Fraldinha, Vazio, Picanha, Ribs, T-bone, etc any time soon.<p>In Brazil we eat that - proper beef from real cows grown on grass. Burgers are seen as what they are - fatty fast food. Actual meat is something else entirely.

On one of the podcasts I listen to (The Morning Stream), one of the co-hosts (Brian) has been on Weight Watchers for I think all of this year. One thing he has noted is that, assuming all else is equal (bun, toppings, etc.), an Impossible or Beyond burger costs many more &#x27;points&#x27; than a regular beef burger. (One of the goals being to stay below a particular points limit each day.) That surprised me, until he explained that the plant-based burger is high in carbohydrates, which contributes to its high points value.<p>So I disagree that this is the end of an industry. I think it&#x27;s the beginning of change in an industry, but not its end.

I don&#x27;t know if the statement on price is valid in this article. For me, while shopping in wholefoods, I found the price of beyond meat patties is almost doubled than other, actual meat, brands. I am not sure why it is so expensive, but I sincerely hope it is not the cost of production

I am going to stick with bison, thank you!

Too many carbs.

I eat beef all day every day. It&#x27;s good for you.

I eat beef all day every day. It&#x27;s great for you.

um... &quot;The California-based company said net loss widened to $6.6 million in the three months ended March 30, from $5.7 million a year earlier. First-quarter net revenue came in at $40.2 million, an increase of 215%, the company said. Analysts had expected revenue of $38.9 million.&quot; - reuters.<p>I may be cynic, but that is not sound good. If your net losses outpace your net revenue, no matter how good that meat is, you are not going to make it.<p>And, why did the share prices (BYND) fall since July 26? Someone exiting?<p>There is no such thing as &quot;alt meat&quot;. Is a bicycle alt SUV? Or alt vacation for extra work hours? alt paycheck is a sub sandwich?<p>What is the point of trying to match what you are trying to eradicate?<p>So, where is the beef?

Pea protein isolates, rice protein, mung bean protein, canola oil etc are Not food. I would not feed this to my dog. In fact, lined up against a bag of cheap dog food, you might pick the dog food... In a world awash in heavily-processed food, we now add this to the mix and get excited about it.<p>Statements about how &quot;inefficient&quot; cows are in making meat re calories ingested, usually fail to mention that for most of the cow&#x27;s life they are eating grass on a range, which is not used for anything else. We didn&#x27;t need to make that grass, it&#x27;s sitting there. Statements on the use on land assume we would have condos and coffee shops sitting there, but for the cows on it.