Over the past two years, national chains and local restaurants alike have quickly embraced plant-based meat brands Impossible Foods , Beyond Meat and others. Many of the chains that have led the charge include Umami, Burger King, TGI Friday’s, White Castle, Carl’s Jr., KFC, and most recently Starbucks has rolled out an Impossible breakfast sandwich.
But something happened this past year in Boston that has my head spinning. Dunkin’ (formerly “Dunkin Donuts”) rolled out Beyond breakfast sausage patties. If you’re from Boston, the original home of Dunkin’, then you know why this is a big deal. Dunkin’ is the working man’s coffee, the “give me the lahhge extra cream extra shug with a turbo shaht” man’s coffee. It is a true Boston brand.
Love us or hate us, Bostonians always seem to be the last of the major cities to adopt new trends. We like to do things our way. “What the fahhk is this fake meat gahbage?” The odds of someone having just said this in the South Boston Dunkin’ drive-through line today are quite high. You get the point… If Dunkin’ is embracing plant-based meat, it has officially arrived.
With such an arrival has come widespread criticism of the “fake meats.” Bloggers and influencers in the health space have labeled them “unhealthy” and even “dangerous.” The Chipotle CEO, Brian Niccol, has called them “too processed” for Chipotle’s menu. Arby’s President, Rob Lynch, also spoke out about offering plant-based meats saying “It won’t happen on my watch.” Is he from Boston?
Perhaps I can provide a different perspective.
It’s a burger, not a banana.
I’ll repeat that. It’s a burger. Or, in the case of KFC, it’s fried chicken. In the case of Dunkin’ it’s a sausage patty. Hamburgers, fried chicken, and sausage patty’s are not health promoting foods to begin with. For those that have been following along, we know that processed meats were added to the World Health Organization’s list of Class 1 carcinogens in 2015, meaning there is overwhelming evidence that processed meats cause cancer. They sit on the same list as cigarettes. All of the above foods would fall under the category of processed meats.
The point is, plant-based meats are replacing already extremely unhealthy foods. So, why does everyone expect them to be healthy? The whole concept of plant-based meats is to give the average consumer the exact same taste and experience that they’re used to, while delivering a product that is vastly more sustainable. They’re not trying to replace kale or bananas. It’s still a burger. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re not going to find health via burgers. If you want a banana, eat a banana.
It’s “processed.” So what?
Whether it’s the Chipotle CEO or the weightlifting bro on Instagram, this seems to be the most common pushback: it’s “highly processed.” Forgive me, it’s “super processed bro.”
Let’s talk about the process. Again, we’re not talking about bananas. We’re talking about an alternative to an animal derived burger. So, let’s talk about the process of getting your “grass-fed,” “non-GMO,” “organic,” burger to your plate.
Have you ever watched that process? Have you ever watched the cow get a bolt gun to the head? How about hung upside down and slit at the throat? Have you seen the blood-soaked floors of the facilities where meat is “harvested?” Why not? Make no mistake about it, animal-based meats of all kinds are “processed.” You don’t just pick it from a tree or pull it from the ground. It is a lengthy and horrific process.
Brian, why aren’t we able to see the process behind Chipotle’s meats?
Meanwhile, the doors to the facilities at Beyond and Impossible are wide open. If you want to go see how that meat is made, you’re welcome to. You won’t be arrested for trying to enter. You’ll hear no screams or guns. You’ll see no pools of blood. You won’t reek of death and corpses when you leave. The “process” is not much different than making some homemade pasta. It’s actually quite pleasant. So, when we hear the term “processed,” perhaps we should judge the actual process?
It is healthy-er.
In a first of it’s kind study done by the Stanford School of Medicine and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition as of August 2020, authors found that substituting animal meat for plant-based meat led to statistically significant lower cholesterol and weight. It also found that those substituting with plant-based meats had significantly lower TMAO levels. TMAO is linked to a higher risk for both cardiovascular disease and early death from any cause.
While nutritionists and pseudo health influencers can sit and compare saturated fat and sodium content all they want, it doesn’t change the fact that animal-based burgers are carcinogenic to the human body. I don’t know why people are shocked that you can concoct a burger made from plants that is healthier than a known Class 1 carcinogen.
Are plant-based meats a health food? No. Are they better than the alternative? Yes.
It’s better for the world.
Lastly, and the reason Impossible and Beyond were created in the first place, plant-based meats are better for the world. Ethics aside, the argument is often made that locally raised and purchased meat is more sustainable than buying plant-based meat products that were transported across the country to your local grocery store. This is not true.
While, on the surface, it does make sense to purchase food that does not involve transportation emissions, the carbon footprint of the food itself is what counts most.
As described by scientist Hannah Ritchie in a January 2020 research paper, “Eating locally would only have a significant impact if transport was responsible for a large share of food’s final carbon footprint. For most foods, this is not the case. Emissions from transportation make up a very small amount of the emissions from food and what you eat is far more important than where your food traveled from.”
The below data comes from the largest meta-analysis of world food systems to date. The full study can be found here. As shown, the carbon footprint from transport is only a tiny portion of the food’s total carbon footprint.
Conclusion
Plant-based meat products are not intended to be superfoods. Rather, they are meant to provide us with alternatives to products that are damaging to our health and damaging to the planet. Once again, they are not replacements for fruit smoothies or kale salads. But, if you’re going to have the occasional indulgence of a burger, sausage, or fried chicken, why not have the one that’s a little better for you and a lot better for the world?
It’s all going to work out — Pat
