Keeping it Real by CCA Communications Director Jenna Chandler
The names and buzz are everywhere: Impossible Burger, Memphis Meats, Beyond Burger and for those in the beef cattle industry, it’s hard to ignore. But meat analogues (or substitutes for meat) are not new. Boca Burgers, veggie burgers, imitation crab, tofu and the like have been around for decades. Made from things like wheat gluten, rice, mushrooms and legumes and sometimes even other animal proteins, up until recently, their reach as products appealing to the general public as a whole has been somewhat limited. And while those specific products aren’t new, some recently-developed ones that just hit the market have brought meat substitutes to the forefront of the news again. Products like Beyond Beef and the Impossible Burger claim to have brought meat substitutes to a new level. Instead of a product that very loosely resembles the original animal based product, these new “fake meat” companies have lauded their creation as a plant-based “burger” that looks, smells, feels, tastes and even “bleeds” like the real thing. And because of advancements in food science, proponents say that they have succeeded. The companies producing the products themselves tout the inability of the average person to visually discern their imitation burger patty from the real thing, and that, says the beef industry, is of major concern. According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and cattle producers across the nation, the beef industry isn’t worried that their product won’t stack up to this new and improved imitation meat, it’s worried that without more truthful labeling, consumers will end up misled, with fake meat in their shopping basket when they didn’t want it in the first place. So a push for better regulated labeling has become the area of focus for many in the beef industry. Plant-based alternative companies though, argue that consumers already know the difference. Opponents of more restrictive labeling legislation claim that no consumers confuse almond milk with the “lacteal secretions” of a tree nut, but meat industry representatives and proponents point out that there is a difference with these new products versus the vegetarian “meats” of old, and the difference is the lack of discernable difference. And that potential for confusion that has sparked the fake meat debate has not been isolated just to the United States, but has been taken up across the pond as well, with other countries tackling the issue head on. Recently, France’s politicians banned use of the words “meat” and “dairy” on vegan and vegetarian foods. “It is important to combat false claims. Our products must be designated correctly: the terms of #cheese or #steak will be reserved for products of animal origin,” tweeted French farmer and member of parliament Jean Baptiste Moreau, a member of French President Marcon’s political party, La Republiqe Marche. Australia is getting in on the discussion, as well, and the U.S. isn’t far behind, with states like North Carolina considering provisions such as one included in their state 2018 Farm Bill that would prohibit plant based products from being labeled as “milk.” The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has brought the issue to the national level, urging the federal government to address both plant based meat substitutes as well as lab cultured animal tissue for human consumption. In official comments to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), NCBA asserted that the term “beef ” should only be applied to products derived from actual livestock raised by farmers and ranchers. As for the “frankenmeat” grown in a lab, NCBA encouraged the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to oversee the product and ensure that it is held to the safe, stringent safety 46 California Cattleman July • August 2018