Venture capitalists have begun funding environmentally conscious, animal-friendly food startups in the hopes of saving the planet’s dwindling resources.
An article by Bloomberg Business Week spotlights several ventures that may change the way Americans eat, especially when it comes to meat, dairy, and eggs. “It’s not just fake meat. The goal is to have a no-compromise solution,” says Amol Deshpande, a general partner at Kleiner Perkins.
According to JWT, the world’s best-known marketing communications brand and consulting firm, improvements to faux meat are playing an important role, such as Beyond Meat’s ability to even “fool some experts” and the EU’s Like Meat project, which is aimed at the development of meat analogues with “excellent, well-accepted texture, juiciness, appearance and aroma based on plant proteins.”
Josh Tetrick, CEO of Hampton Creek, the company behind Beyond Eggs, is working with the company’s over 20 employees towards a plant-based product to replace eggs in everything from omelets to cookies. At a recent conference, Tetrick presented former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and billionaire CEO Bill Gates with muffins made with Beyond Eggs and asked them to compare the muffins with ones made from hens’ eggs. Neither could tell the difference.
As meat consumption continues to decline, faux meat and egg substitutes continue to improve, and even in-vitro meat is further explored, factory-farmed meat and eggs might soon become a thing of the past.
Luckily, consumers don’t have to wait for these products to be developed and experiments to be finalized to start saving the environment and helping animals. Going vegetarian has never been easier with so many delicious meat alternatives already on the market, including Gardein, Tofurky, Field Roast, and more. And baking without eggs is a cinch.
For a host of delicious recipes, and for tips on transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle, visit ChooseVeg.com.
