On one day alone in early March, the executive vice-president of Nebraska Cattlemen received three emails from members asking him to soldier on in defense of real meat.
“This goes to their livelihood and what they do every day,” he said. “You get tied to the land, you get tied to the animals and it’s just part of who you are.”
His group is among those that helped shape a state bill seeking to outlaw the marketing of meat alternatives as meat.
If alarm bells are ringing in cattle country, it is largely because farmers fear a repeat of what many consider a debacle over milk, said McClymont, a fourth-generation cattle farmer.
While cow milk remains an American home staple, its sales have tumbled by nearly 19 percent since the market peaked four years back, according to research firm Mintel.
More than half of consumers who now buy less dairy milk consume more of the non-dairy kind, including almond, coconut, and soy, a 2018 report by Mintel noted.
The popularity of those beverages has been partly attributed to their labeling as milk.
Similarly, if plant-based and lab-grown meats continue to be loosely identified as “meat,” they could make a dent in the $110-billion U.S. meat market, said Ernest Baskin, an assistant professor of food marketing at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
“If you label something a meat, that means this is a substitute for a dinner or lunch opportunity where I would otherwise eat meat,” said Baskin.
Ultimately an acquired taste for meat alternatives, rather than laws, will likely determine whether consumers call them meat, he added.
Arkansas politician Hillman disagreed. “It’s led by the businesses,” he said.
I think that the cattlemen and the milk industry should take a wider view of the issue. The reduction of meat and milk consumption may effect their families and livelihood, but that is the way with many industries as time moves on. People used to support their families by killing whales and selling their oil, but new and better sources of oil have been developed. Consumers know that alternative meats and milks are not animal products and are making a choice to go plant-based. The use of familiar terms helps make that transition easier for people. I think it should be allowed.
Your starting premise on livestock warming the planet is off. Sorry. Where is the proof of ur subjective statement? I have plenty of studies that counter what ur claiming if u r interested.
Consumers are and will allows be the driver for change in the grocery store. Stating that lab made meat “may” make a dent is pretending that this isn’t happening.
People may or may not chose real steak vs lab made, and that is going to happen regardless of whether or not it’s called meat.
If the ranchers really think that’s how consumers view food, they should get off the ranch and talk to people. People buy what they like. Period.