The Future of Vegan Meat

The vegan movement has gained traction in recent years. With it, so has grown the demand for meat and dairy substitutes. Long gone are the days where the only alternative to a beef burger was a black bean patty and a garden salad.

Today, organizations like Beyond Meat, Field Roast and Impossible Foods put the tired notion of a tough-and-tasteless black bean patty to rest. Now, vegan meat feels, tastes and “bleeds” like its animal-harvested counterpart.

If you are looking for products that taste similar to meat without any of the byproducts from actual animals, these are great substitutes. Beyond and Impossible both produce excellent and widely distributed burgers, among other products. Field Roast also produces burgers, but the sausages, frankfurters and cheeses are not to be forgotten.

Veering into the muddy waters of the future, nothing is certain when it comes to vegan meat. Scientists have worked to refine processes to grow authentic meat in laboratories without killing animals to actually harvest it. This is muddy water for vegans, however. Even though no animals will be directly harmed to create the meat, the base cells do need to come from a live animal. In addition, the health risks of red meat still exist, no matter how that meat grew.

As science continues to progress, there might be ways to create truly authentic meat without harming live animals, but that future is still ways away.