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Today, plant-based meats cost an average of 77% more than their conventional counterparts. There are myriad reasons for this, many of which are inherent in any nascent industry that is building an infrastructure from the ground up. Conventional meats are commodities that have been sold at a vast scale for more than a century through a well-established and robust supply chain, with the benefit of government subsidies. All of that keeps costs down. “Right now, plant-based meat products are not commodities, so that means that plant-based brands tend to sell lower volumes,” says GFI business analyst Daniel Gertner. A large-scale shift toward plant-based proteins would have major climate benefits, but prices need to come down if these products are going to reach mainstream markets. This is where public funding can help. “There’s no surprise that it’s not at price parity, when you certainly don’t have a level playing field on the government support,” says Andy Jarvis, director of Bezos Earth Fund. Around the world, more leaders have begun to recognize the potential for alt proteins to support their climate, economic, and food security goals — but far more investment is needed to unlock the full extent of these benefits. Check out our latest State of Global Policy report for more on the investment, support, and regulation enacted across the globe: https://bit.ly/3rqzuGD

🌱The Plant-Based Meat Backlash🌱 Remember when plant-based meats took the world by storm in 2020? We were all looking for healthier, sustainable options, and Beyond Meat seemed to be the answer with its pea-protein patty that even bled beet juice. Fast forward to late 2022, early 2023, and the narrative had shifted. Media headlines questioned the viability of plant-based meats, even labeling them a fad. But how did this backlash occur? 🔍 Digging Deeper: The process behind the shift unveiled a complex interplay of factors. Some consumers discovered the extensive processing involved in creating these products, leading them to question their healthiness. Media messaging played a significant role, highlighting the so-called "scary" components and pushing the narrative that these alternatives were as processed as the junk foods they aimed to replace. 💡 The Manipulation Factor: The meat industry didn't stand still either. With strategic marketing campaigns and lobby groups, it effectively sowed seeds of doubt about plant-based meats. The focus shifted from their positive environmental impact to accusations of excessive processing. 🛑 Unpacking the Real Motives: Behind the scenes, lobby groups like The North American Meat Institute and US Cattlemen’s Association have actively influenced public policy to hinder the plant-based movement's growth. Major meat companies even backed politicians supporting these efforts. 🚀 Beyond the Hype: Despite the shifts, the journey of plant-based alternatives is far from over. Recognizing the multiple layers at play in shaping public perceptions is crucial. So, the next time you ponder the popularity of plant-based meats, remember that the story is more complex than it seems. There are forces at work, steering the narrative and challenging our perceptions. #plantbasedmeats #cleanlabel #foodtech #sustainability #consumerchoice #foodtechstartups

🕵️♂️ The backlash to plant-based meat has a sneaky explanation In the early 2020s, plant-based meat products like Beyond Burger gained popularity due to health, environmental, and ethical concerns. Sales surged, plant-based brands flourished, and the media declared them mainstream. By late 2022-early 2023, the narrative changed. Plant-based meat faced criticism, being labelled a fad and a failure. Beyond Meat's stock dipped, and concerns about health and processing arose. A well-funded effort led by meat industry lobby groups used tactics to undermine plant-based meat's reputation. They highlighted processing and used cultural narratives, framing plant-based as a threat to masculinity and traditional diets, fueling a culture war. Sentient Media, Jessica Scott-Reid ✉️ Hungry for a weekly feast of news and updates on the future of food? Devour our free subscription! https://lnkd.in/ge-yxeer #bioeconomy #foodtech #altprotein #futureoffood #food #sustainability #plantbased

𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 & 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🇺🇸🌱🥩 CEO and co-founder of Californian hybrid meat company SCiFi Foods Joshua March on alt meat price parity, why he's all in on combining plant proteins with cultivated meat instead of conventional, and consumers' disregard for industry terms. "SCiFi Foods is not the future we fear. It’s the future we dream of." 💬🌿 That’s the message on the homepage of SCiFi Foods, an alt-protein company from California. The future it’s referring to is cultivated meat, but just not in the way you've imagined it. SCiFi Foods is taking the best of two worlds – the superior taste credentials of cultured proteins and the cost-effectiveness and scalability of plant-based ingredients – to create a hybrid beef product. UPSIDE Foods Eat Just, Inc. McKinsey & Company 📖 Uncover the innovation behind SCiFi Foods. Tap below for the story. 👇 #GreenQueen #altprotein #foodtech #sustainability #climateaction #innovation

❓ The Big Story: Cultivated Meat Regulation - Where Are We? - that and more inside Green Queen Media's #FutureFoodWeekly 🧫 Cultivated Meat Regulation: Where Are We? UK, Israel & Australia Forge Ahead, US & EU Fall Behind 📚 Not All UPFs are Equal: Green Queen Unveils FAQ Guide for Plant-Based Meat & Ultra-Processed Foods 📝 Unstuck: 5 New Year’s Resolutions For Alt Protein Marketers 💭 Opinion: Why Blended Meat is Not a BIG Idea 🇮🇱 Cultured Unagi: Forsea Foods Unveils ‘World First’ Cultivated Eel with Tokyo Eatery SAIDO 🧀 Startup Pureture Partners with South Korean Dairy Giant NAMYANG to Launch Vegan Casein Products Ahead of $12M in Seed Funding 🍫 A Snack Bar Made From Air: Fazer Unveils Limited-Edition Chocolate Bar Using Solein ☕ Yet Another Acquisition: CPG Investor PearlRock Partners Purchases Vegan Coffee Creamer Leader nutpods 🌱 VBites: Heather Mills Rescues Her Alt-Meat Brand a Month After Entering Administration 🇦🇺 Aussie Vegan Meat Maker v2food Acquires Ready Meal Brands Soulara and MACROS as Plant Based Sector Undergoes Consolidation 🏭 Imagindairy Unveils Industrial-Scale Facility to Produce Animal-Free Dairy Proteins at Price Parity ✈ Vegan Vault: Demand for Plant-Based Meals Grows by 40% for Emirates Airlines 🇧🇪 Plant-Based Meat Labelling Faces Respite in Belgium, But Alt-Milk Taxes Hurt Local Brand 🇺🇸 Scientists to USDA: Tackle America’s Meat Consumption, or the Climate Crisis Will Force You To Read the full version here: https://lnkd.in/dHwzXnjQ Or listen to our EIC Sonalie Figueiras and Clear Current Capital's Steve Molino talk about it live here: https://lnkd.in/dHMQGdAT #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefoods #cultivatedmeat #innovation #sustainability #climatechange -------- Want to see more posts like this? Hit the 🔔 button on our profile so you don't miss any updates. Or subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest in alt protein and sustainability: https://lnkd.in/eMJ7WwXC

Journey through the fascinating trajectory of the #plantbasedmeat market, witnessing its rapid ascend and the unexpected backlash it faced. One striking instance: a $5 million commercial during the 2020 Super Bowl implied 'fake meats' were chemically laden. This comprehensive article sheds light on the role played by the meat industry, media narratives, and more in shaping public opinion. Jessica Scott-Reid reports. ✍️ #foodtech #greeninnovation #consumertrends #foodsystems #climate #health #finance #plantpower #meatalternatives #ecofriendlyfood #futureoffood #cleaneating #meatlessmovement #sustainablediet #foodpolitics #eatgreen #fakemeatrealdebate #foodcontroversies #eatplantbased

This interesting article is about the opposing forces in the US retail meat section. Whether pro or con, most of what we read and hear seems part of a carefully orchestrated conversation. Traditional and alternative meat in the US both rely on intensive farming, cheap labor, and chemicals. Not so different after all. The heavily industrialized and centralized food supply chains often come with high profits for few and high costs for many. Perhaps we should focus less on promoting or demonizing one single ingredient and, instead, demand more transparency and traceability in the food supply chain so that we can make our own decisions about what's good and bad for us. After all, we pay for our food, which directly impacts our health and happiness. We deserve to know who made it, how, and where it comes from. #futureoffood #futureofretail

While some traditional meat farmers see cultivated meat as a threat to their livelihoods, this opposition might hinder innovation in a sustainable food system. Cultivated meat offers a promising solution for reducing the environmental impact of meat production, a concern shared by many consumers. Instead of viewing cultivated meat as competition, collaboration could create a more diverse and sustainable food landscape, potentially benefiting both farmers and consumers in the long run. For an interesting perspective on this topic, see this link below. Keep in mind that Fox News are lenient towards meat producers, as they are consistent with sticking to their traditional tendencies. This is another example for the ongoing culture war associated with cultivated meat. Thanks for following! https://lnkd.in/dWaePdWh #cultivatedmeat #foodtech #foodsecurity #foodcrisis

Reading through piles of notes on things I’ve seen and people I’ve met this year - it really strikes me that being in the business of ‘real food’ is increasingly hard. Vegetable growers, horticultural growers, grain farmers, meat and milk producers - we all know how much scrutiny our food comes under. We hear that people are interested in chemical residues, growing methods, environmental credentials, whether the food has good/bad or indifferent health implications. Contrast this with how consumers behave with regards to ‘non-foods’ (things you get little nutrition from). Eg. Potato consumption (as an actual potato) is falling according to producers of these vegetables - but the trajectory of potato sales as packet chips or fries is only going up. Fruits come in for a lot of scrutiny with regard to fungicides and sprays etc, and yet in the same supermarket trolley we will have lollies of unknown ingredients, a suite of packet products, half of whose components are represented by mysterious codes and numbers. We don’t think twice. Takeaway drive-throughs are perpetually stuffed with cars awaiting the heart attack inducing qualities of fat/sugar and salt combo’s that never grow old - while these franchises avoid the scrutiny of activists claiming they’re ruining the planet. Activists know we’ve already switched off our conscience mode when we turn into the drive through - we’ve suspended our judgement and aren’t interested in much beyond being fed. We’re unlikely to care about the ingredients, the level of processing, the preservatives, the free-range-ness of the chicken, because let’s face it - we know it’s bad already. It strikes me that sales of ‘non-food’ food do not face the barriers that real food faces. People judge real food by a standard that they suspend for non-foods, as though somehow having ‘pure’ real food can compensate for everything else. And now there’s climate change - which again - we are told our food systems must change to address. And I wonder if once again - only real food will be caught in the crosshairs - because for everything else, we’ve suspended our conscience already. At the Hershey’s chocolate factory, they gave up selling healthier chocolate because it didn’t sell. We all know the tragic trajectory of the plant based meat industry. People tend to get excited about what they think should happen in the future - but people are needed to bring that to fruition with collective purchasing power, and sometimes what we say we want - we perhaps don’t actually want at all. A quote from someone more qualified than me “if people won’t change their diets to save their own lives - why do we think they’ll change their diets to save the planet?” I’m as guilty as the next person - but our split personalities as consumers maybe needs to be called out.

😨 Food tech neophobia (fear of new food tech) strongly affects consumer acceptance of cultivated meat Participants with higher levels of neophobia are less likely to regularly buy and eat cultivated meat, but acceptance level plays a more significant role in actual consumption than in behavioural intentions. Different images depicting cultivated meat in lab settings, familiar contexts, or without photos do not significantly influence people's intentions or attitudes towards consuming or purchasing cell-based alternatives. Those favouring intuitive thinking are more likely to accept cultivated meat, while those preferring deliberative thinking are more likely to reject it. Frequent meat eaters and consumers of meat substitutes are more inclined to embrace cultivated alternatives. ✉️ Hungry for a weekly feast of news and updates on the future of food? Devour our free subscription! https://lnkd.in/ge-yxeer #bioeconomy #foodtech #altprotein #futureoffood #food #sustainability #cultivatedmeat