The end of cows?

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bjn
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The end of cows?

Post by bjn » Fri Apr 16, 2021 12:16 pm

While suffering an episode of insomnia last night I read most of this report (warning PDF). It's from the a think tank that have had fairly accurate predictions for the changes we are currently seeing in energy generation (to renewables) and transportation (BEVs and transportation as a service). Their analytic technique is based on looking at the convergence of technologies leading to the significant disruption of a range of markets.

They've applied the same analysis to the raising of livestock and think that by 2035 that the market for livestock of all forms will have massively collapsed, being replaced by range of low cost high tech man-made equivalents to beef and dairy. This will be in the form of proteins created by "precision fermentation" used to make pretty much anything you want in an industrial process, as well as cell culture based actual meat. The cost of this is dropping exponentially. Precision fermentation was initially used to synthesise insulin, at an astronomical cost, but it was cheaper and more consistent than killing 50,000 cows per kilo. Now prices have fallen so that we are in a few tens of dollars per kilo for any protein you can convince yeast to churn out, and prices are continuing to fall.
Executive Summary wrote:We are on the cusp of the deepest, fastest, most consequential disruption in food and agricultural production since the first domestication of plants and animals ten thousand years ago.

This is primarily a protein disruption driven by economics. The cost of proteins will be five times cheaper by 2030 and 10 times cheaper by 2035 than existing animal proteins, before ultimately approaching the cost of sugar. They will also be superior in every key attribute – more nutritious, healthier, better tasting, and more convenient, with almost unimaginable variety. This means that, by 2030, modern food products will be higher quality and cost less than half as much to produce as the animal-derived products they replace.

The impact of this disruption on industrial animal farming will be profound. By 2030, the number of cows in the U.S. will have fallen by 50% and the cattle farming industry will be all but bankrupt. All other livestock industries will suffer a similar fate, while the knockon effects for crop farmers and businesses throughout the value chain will be severe.

that have allowed us to make huge strides in precision fermentation, a process that allows us to program microorganisms to produce almost any complex organic molecule. These advances are now being combined with an entirely new model of production we call Food-as-Software, in which individual molecules engineered by scientists are uploaded to databases – molecular cookbooks that food engineers anywhere in the world can use to design products in the same way that software developers design apps. This model ensures constant iteration so that products improve rapidly, with each version superior and cheaper than the last.
I buy a bunch of it, for example animal proteins are key ingredients for a range of processes and products, and are already starting to be replaced by fermented equivalents (eg: brewed egg white proteins by Clara Foods going into processed foods, and rennet for cheese making). Need some collagen, brew some; some casein, brew some; want a meatier tasting veggie burger, brew some cow proteins and add those to your burger. These industrially created replacements for cow/sheep/fish proteins are only going to get ever cheaper and better. So cheap ground veggie-meat, shredded veggie-shrimp indistinguishable from dead animals will be adopted purely on cost grounds, and if you can make it 'better' by customising the mix going into your product, you get healthier food as well.

If this happens, the environmental benefits will be huge, as will the impact of food security, cheap good quality protein brewed up or grown wherever and whenever it is needed throughout the world.

I'm not sure I accept all of it though. So while the veggies may get a nicer range of foods (I'm typing this as I eat a Quorn sausage), and some folk will happily try a cheap and tasty veggie-steak and possibly flip over, food is deeply cultural, barbecue ribs, saltimbocca, ribeye steaks, roast turkey, bacon sarnies etc... There will be resistance to it in many quarters (eg: the Piers Morgans), and I wonder how far it could penetrate.

Any folk familiar with the technologies or markets have 2p to add?

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Chris Preston » Fri Apr 16, 2021 12:47 pm

This may well be the game changer that transforms animal agriculture. For many people (regardless of how rare or otherwise they like their steak), eating meat is a convenient means to an end - consuming enough protein. Plant proteins that provide the same experience will work fine. If you are ordering a chicken parmy at the pub, does it actually have to be made of chicken?

The trick will be being able to deliver it at a competitive price. If that is successful, then real meat could become a specialty product attracting a premium. There will still be cultures where this is unacceptable, but in downtown Sydney, does anyone really care if there is real meat in the snag on the barbie?
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Re: The end of cows

Post by sTeamTraen » Fri Apr 16, 2021 12:57 pm

Until it's revealed that one person in a million who ate a fake-chicken parmy had a blood clot six weeks later.
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Re: The end of cows

Post by Tessa K » Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:55 pm

There will be massive lobbying against it by cow farmers, especially in the US. A few smart (and wealthy) ones will invest in new tech to produce manufactured meat, the rest will fight tooth and nail.

I'd happily eat something that had the taste, texture and nutritional content of real meat if I could afford to.

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Re: The end of cows

Post by shpalman » Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:57 pm

sTeamTraen wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 12:57 pm
Until it's revealed that one person in a million who ate a fake-chicken parmy had a blood clot six weeks later.
More seriously, we'll probably get "evidence" that people who eat the fake meat have better health outcomes (which will disappear once obesity and socio-economic status are controlled for).

But still, if it's tasty and good value I'll be all for it.
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Re: The end of cows

Post by dyqik » Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:09 pm

As you say, there'll still be a few strong drivers to keeping the more picturesque forms of animal farming around. A few I can think of are:

* Organic meat suppliers for specialist cuts etc. (there's quite a bit of money invested in this, btw)
* Raw milk etc. for specialist cheese and dairy
* Eggs (not so picturesque, but also less problematic in some forms)
* Specialist wool and fiber production
* High end leather
* Hill farming/farming in landscapes suited more to animals than plant farming
* General historical/picturesque cultural reasons

And that's probably fine in the net balance of things if the mass production of cheap meat and dairy goes away. Keeping that around will also help with the acceptance of the new proteins as well - if it's a choice rather than "being forced".

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Re: The end of cows

Post by FlammableFlower » Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:55 pm

Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:55 pm
I'd happily eat something that had the taste, texture and nutritional content of real meat if I could afford to.
Yep - totally agree, would also add the satiety. Very different feeling of "fullness" when eating a meal with meat vs a vegetarian meal, which I've always put down to the different proteins (types and levels).

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Bird on a Fire » Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:06 pm

dyqik wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:09 pm
As you say, there'll still be a few strong drivers to keeping the more picturesque forms of animal farming around. A few I can think of are:

* Organic meat suppliers for specialist cuts etc. (there's quite a bit of money invested in this, btw)
* Raw milk etc. for specialist cheese and dairy
* Eggs (not so picturesque, but also less problematic in some forms)
* Specialist wool and fiber production
* High end leather
* Hill farming/farming in landscapes suited more to animals than plant farming
* General historical/picturesque cultural reasons

And that's probably fine in the net balance of things if the mass production of cheap meat and dairy goes away. Keeping that around will also help with the acceptance of the new proteins as well - if it's a choice rather than "being forced".
Yes, I think the end of cows is going to depend at least as much on socioeconomic factors as on new technology. Animal agriculture is already uneconomic in a lot of regions, but is propped up by government subsidies despite those same governments' commitments to tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. Much like fossil fuels, uptake of more modern technology may well lag behind what the evidence says is necessary, unless there's a rapid change in the political climate. Farmers, like miners, are in need of alternative sources of income, for instance.

On the other hand, as you say and as discussed on the Habitat Restoration thread, there are uses for livestock (at considerably lower densities than is typical in conventional agriculture, and avoiding obvious stupidity like tropical deforestation) that are compatible with other policy goals, rather than undermining them. Reforming the subsidy system would be a sensible way to accelerate the necessary changes. Unfortunately, at least within the EU the CAP for the next 7 years looks set to entrench the existing ability of rural industries to pollute and damage habitats with impunity.

There's also, at least in my personal experience from being a fairly non-confrontational* vegetarian for 20 years, another issue. There are quite a lot of people men for whom the idea of going an entire mealtime without killing a small animal seems to be a big threat to their (presumably tragically fragile) sense of masculinity. This is especially true at things like barbecues, where the use of fire seems to exacerbate their atavistic bloodlust. I'm not sure I see the generations of men who've grown up eating animals making the switch to synthetic meat without something that speaks to that social/cultural aspect, no matter how tasty, nutritious, affordable and indistinguishable such products become - people want to feel like they are hunters by proxy. Like a lot of cultural changes, it may depend on one generation with problematic views dying off. I'd like to be wrong about this, though - hopefully there are some smart social scientists working on the messaging issue already. Otherwise synthetic meat will be portrayed as unpatriotic/Marxist/feminine/do-goody/gay/whatever.

*Ok, I mention the problems with animal agriculture a lot in discussions about environmental issues, but I don't harangue people at mealtimes or post pictures of sad calves on recipe threads. I just quietly order a veggie option and hope nobody notices.
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Re: The end of cows

Post by Woodchopper » Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:45 pm

Probably a good thing overall. People probably won’t notice the difference in most processed foods.
They've applied the same analysis to the raising of livestock and think that by 2035 that the market for livestock of all forms will have massively collapsed, being replaced by range of low cost high tech man-made equivalents to beef and dairy.
I suspect that 2035 maybe a bit optimistic for a collapse in the livestock industries. That’s only 14 years away and replacement of the livestock industry with precision fermentation would take an enormous investment in production and distribution infrastructure.

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Tessa K » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:13 pm

Bird on a Fire wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:06 pm


There's also, at least in my personal experience from being a fairly non-confrontational* vegetarian for 20 years, another issue. There are quite a lot of people men for whom the idea of going an entire mealtime without killing a small animal seems to be a big threat to their (presumably tragically fragile) sense of masculinity. This is especially true at things like barbecues, where the use of fire seems to exacerbate their atavistic bloodlust. I'm not sure I see the generations of men who've grown up eating animals making the switch to synthetic meat without something that speaks to that social/cultural aspect, no matter how tasty, nutritious, affordable and indistinguishable such products become - people want to feel like they are hunters by proxy. Like a lot of cultural changes, it may depend on one generation with problematic views dying off. I'd like to be wrong about this, though - hopefully there are some smart social scientists working on the messaging issue already. Otherwise synthetic meat will be portrayed as unpatriotic/Marxist/feminine/do-goody/gay/whatever.
Expect lots of adverts with products recommended by footballers.

Barbecues would still be possible if there is a synthetic meat product that can be burnt to a crisp on the outside while still raw on the inside.

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Re: The end of cows

Post by bjn » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:28 pm

Woodchopper wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:45 pm
Probably a good thing overall. People probably won’t notice the difference in most processed foods.
They've applied the same analysis to the raising of livestock and think that by 2035 that the market for livestock of all forms will have massively collapsed, being replaced by range of low cost high tech man-made equivalents to beef and dairy.
I suspect that 2035 maybe a bit optimistic for a collapse in the livestock industries. That’s only 14 years away and replacement of the livestock industry with precision fermentation would take an enormous investment in production and distribution infrastructure.
One of thing they emphasise is that a disruption can happen very quickly, and it's generally been about a decade or so for most industries once e^x growth kicks in. Nothing much happens for ages as the tech stacks get sorted and early adopters buy in, then everything happens all at once when the exponential growth kicks in and people start throwing hundreds of billions at the new industry. Which is exactly what we are seeing now with BEVS and renewables. They reckon that precision fermentation is really going to start taking off in the early/mid 20s when costs start converging on costs of animal protein, with cell culture based meat no long after.

However, they acknowledge there is uncertainty in the speed of scaling up....
The paper wrote:The speed of scale-up is one of the biggest unknowns as most of the companies in this sector are startups. The scale-up speed will depend on capital investment, and the ability to repurpose and capture current infrastructure and talent (such as from bioethanol or beer producers). As with most technologies, the cost of marginal production depends largely on the cumulative experience the industry has with producing the relevant technology. This relationship is expressed as the ‘experience curve’. Essentially, every doubling in the cumulative number of units of a given technology reduces the cost of producing one additional unit by a given percentage.

The scale-up of technologies will, therefore, help drive costs lower. Currently, large-scale PF means production on the scale of grams to a few kilograms. This disruption will ultimately require millions of tons of production. Some of the biggest fermentation tanks used today are bigger than 100,000 liters, but those used for PF are in the region of 5,000 liters (the largest are for enzymes). This production is optimized for the current biological standards. However, we expect further improvements in these processes as the technologies improve. For example, Stämm have developed a high throughput continuous process that has improved productivity by 74 times.

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Re: The end of cows

Post by bjn » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:33 pm

dyqik wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:09 pm
As you say, there'll still be a few strong drivers to keeping the more picturesque forms of animal farming around. A few I can think of are:

* Organic meat suppliers for specialist cuts etc. (there's quite a bit of money invested in this, btw)
* Raw milk etc. for specialist cheese and dairy
* Eggs (not so picturesque, but also less problematic in some forms)
* Specialist wool and fiber production
* High end leather
* Hill farming/farming in landscapes suited more to animals than plant farming
* General historical/picturesque cultural reasons

And that's probably fine in the net balance of things if the mass production of cheap meat and dairy goes away. Keeping that around will also help with the acceptance of the new proteins as well - if it's a choice rather than "being forced".
They say that explicitly, mass produced meat will drastically shrink, but 'artisanal' meat and dairy will hang around...
As a result, we anticipate that, by 2035, livestock farming will only operate in artisanal, high-cost, niche areas. Indeed, given the reversing economies of scale in industrial livestock farming as demand falls away, the cost advantages this industry enjoys over artisanal livestock farming will narrow or disappear. Given the inferred quality premium of artisanal producers over industrial producers, remaining meat and milk demand is likely to be met largely through artisanal production

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Tessa K » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:38 pm

bjn wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:33 pm
dyqik wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:09 pm
As you say, there'll still be a few strong drivers to keeping the more picturesque forms of animal farming around. A few I can think of are:

* Organic meat suppliers for specialist cuts etc. (there's quite a bit of money invested in this, btw)
* Raw milk etc. for specialist cheese and dairy
* Eggs (not so picturesque, but also less problematic in some forms)
* Specialist wool and fiber production
* High end leather
* Hill farming/farming in landscapes suited more to animals than plant farming
* General historical/picturesque cultural reasons

And that's probably fine in the net balance of things if the mass production of cheap meat and dairy goes away. Keeping that around will also help with the acceptance of the new proteins as well - if it's a choice rather than "being forced".
They say that explicitly, mass produced meat will drastically shrink, but 'artisanal' meat and dairy will hang around...
As a result, we anticipate that, by 2035, livestock farming will only operate in artisanal, high-cost, niche areas. Indeed, given the reversing economies of scale in industrial livestock farming as demand falls away, the cost advantages this industry enjoys over artisanal livestock farming will narrow or disappear. Given the inferred quality premium of artisanal producers over industrial producers, remaining meat and milk demand is likely to be met largely through artisanal production
So 'artisanal' meat will become a status symbol?

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Re: The end of cows

Post by bjn » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:40 pm

Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:55 pm
There will be massive lobbying against it by cow farmers, especially in the US. A few smart (and wealthy) ones will invest in new tech to produce manufactured meat, the rest will fight tooth and nail.

I'd happily eat something that had the taste, texture and nutritional content of real meat if I could afford to.
Already has been, there has been a push by Big Cow lobbyists in the EU and the USA for what foods are allowed to call themselves meat. This is in response to Impossible Burgers and the like, which has sent the willies up them. This is even before we've gotten to cell cultured meats or purely 'manufactured' meat from fermented animal proteins.

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Re: The end of cows

Post by bjn » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:44 pm

Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:38 pm
bjn wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:33 pm
dyqik wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:09 pm
As you say, there'll still be a few strong drivers to keeping the more picturesque forms of animal farming around. A few I can think of are:

* Organic meat suppliers for specialist cuts etc. (there's quite a bit of money invested in this, btw)
* Raw milk etc. for specialist cheese and dairy
* Eggs (not so picturesque, but also less problematic in some forms)
* Specialist wool and fiber production
* High end leather
* Hill farming/farming in landscapes suited more to animals than plant farming
* General historical/picturesque cultural reasons

And that's probably fine in the net balance of things if the mass production of cheap meat and dairy goes away. Keeping that around will also help with the acceptance of the new proteins as well - if it's a choice rather than "being forced".
They say that explicitly, mass produced meat will drastically shrink, but 'artisanal' meat and dairy will hang around...
As a result, we anticipate that, by 2035, livestock farming will only operate in artisanal, high-cost, niche areas. Indeed, given the reversing economies of scale in industrial livestock farming as demand falls away, the cost advantages this industry enjoys over artisanal livestock farming will narrow or disappear. Given the inferred quality premium of artisanal producers over industrial producers, remaining meat and milk demand is likely to be met largely through artisanal production
So 'artisanal' meat will become a status symbol?
Probably, so not what you'd put in the Wednesday night spaghetti bolognese, but you might splurge on a Turkey for Christmas or a grass fed organic steak on a night out celebrating an anniversary or similar. I wouldn't though (as I am veg).

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Sciolus » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:07 pm

bjn wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:44 pm
Probably, so not what you'd put in the Wednesday night spaghetti bolognese, but you might splurge on a Turkey for Christmas or a grass fed organic steak on a night out celebrating an anniversary or similar. I wouldn't though (as I am veg).
I've pretty much shifted to Quorn for that already, which is perfectly fine (I'm not a veg but trying to cut down).

How come no-one has posted a picture of a cow's end yet?

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Bird on a Fire » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:38 pm

Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:13 pm
Bird on a Fire wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 4:06 pm


There's also, at least in my personal experience from being a fairly non-confrontational* vegetarian for 20 years, another issue. There are quite a lot of people men for whom the idea of going an entire mealtime without killing a small animal seems to be a big threat to their (presumably tragically fragile) sense of masculinity. This is especially true at things like barbecues, where the use of fire seems to exacerbate their atavistic bloodlust. I'm not sure I see the generations of men who've grown up eating animals making the switch to synthetic meat without something that speaks to that social/cultural aspect, no matter how tasty, nutritious, affordable and indistinguishable such products become - people want to feel like they are hunters by proxy. Like a lot of cultural changes, it may depend on one generation with problematic views dying off. I'd like to be wrong about this, though - hopefully there are some smart social scientists working on the messaging issue already. Otherwise synthetic meat will be portrayed as unpatriotic/Marxist/feminine/do-goody/gay/whatever.
Expect lots of adverts with products recommended by footballers.

Barbecues would still be possible if there is a synthetic meat product that can be burnt to a crisp on the outside while still raw on the inside.
Quorn sausages are disappointingly easy to cook.

And yes, athletes would be a great choice for marketing.
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Re: The end of cows

Post by Bird on a Fire » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:39 pm

bjn wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:40 pm
Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:55 pm
There will be massive lobbying against it by cow farmers, especially in the US. A few smart (and wealthy) ones will invest in new tech to produce manufactured meat, the rest will fight tooth and nail.

I'd happily eat something that had the taste, texture and nutritional content of real meat if I could afford to.
Already has been, there has been a push by Big Cow lobbyists in the EU and the USA for what foods are allowed to call themselves meat. This is in response to Impossible Burgers and the like, which has sent the willies up them. This is even before we've gotten to cell cultured meats or purely 'manufactured' meat from fermented animal proteins.
Yes, at least in Europe the dairy industry has already banned terms like milk, cheese and yoghurt from being used to describe non-animal versions.
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Re: The end of cows

Post by Bird on a Fire » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:40 pm

Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:38 pm
bjn wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:33 pm
dyqik wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 3:09 pm
As you say, there'll still be a few strong drivers to keeping the more picturesque forms of animal farming around. A few I can think of are:

* Organic meat suppliers for specialist cuts etc. (there's quite a bit of money invested in this, btw)
* Raw milk etc. for specialist cheese and dairy
* Eggs (not so picturesque, but also less problematic in some forms)
* Specialist wool and fiber production
* High end leather
* Hill farming/farming in landscapes suited more to animals than plant farming
* General historical/picturesque cultural reasons

And that's probably fine in the net balance of things if the mass production of cheap meat and dairy goes away. Keeping that around will also help with the acceptance of the new proteins as well - if it's a choice rather than "being forced".
They say that explicitly, mass produced meat will drastically shrink, but 'artisanal' meat and dairy will hang around...
As a result, we anticipate that, by 2035, livestock farming will only operate in artisanal, high-cost, niche areas. Indeed, given the reversing economies of scale in industrial livestock farming as demand falls away, the cost advantages this industry enjoys over artisanal livestock farming will narrow or disappear. Given the inferred quality premium of artisanal producers over industrial producers, remaining meat and milk demand is likely to be met largely through artisanal production
So 'artisanal' meat will become a status symbol?
Plus ça change, eh. People will look back on the 20-21st centuries as a time of huge animal slaughter.
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Re: The end of cows

Post by dyqik » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:41 pm

Bird on a Fire wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:39 pm
bjn wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:40 pm
Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:55 pm
There will be massive lobbying against it by cow farmers, especially in the US. A few smart (and wealthy) ones will invest in new tech to produce manufactured meat, the rest will fight tooth and nail.

I'd happily eat something that had the taste, texture and nutritional content of real meat if I could afford to.
Already has been, there has been a push by Big Cow lobbyists in the EU and the USA for what foods are allowed to call themselves meat. This is in response to Impossible Burgers and the like, which has sent the willies up them. This is even before we've gotten to cell cultured meats or purely 'manufactured' meat from fermented animal proteins.
Yes, at least in Europe the dairy industry has already banned terms like milk, cheese and yoghurt from being used to describe non-animal versions.
Same in the US with "almond milk" being banned. So now it's called "almondmilk".

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Tessa K » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:50 pm

I tried a vegan burger with 'bacon' and 'cheese' and it was pretty much slop in a bun so the sooner synthetic substitutes are affordable, the better.

I can't eat dairy so any vegan version of very strong cheddar that isn't vaguely cheesy coconut crap would be welcome. Could there be a synthetic cheese that doesn't affect us lacto-wimps?

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Re: The end of cows

Post by dyqik » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:51 pm

Tessa K wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:50 pm
I tried a vegan burger with 'bacon' and 'cheese' and it was pretty much slop in a bun so the sooner synthetic substitutes are affordable, the better.

I can't eat dairy so any vegan version of very strong cheddar that isn't vaguely cheesy coconut crap would be welcome. Could there be a synthetic cheese that doesn't affect us lacto-wimps?
That probably depends on the exact variety of lacto-wimpage. Very strong cheddar should be essentially lactose free naturally, but there are other forms of reaction to milk components.

Texture of veggie burgers is a constant battle for my wife. Impossible and Beyond burger seems to be better than most, but doesn't hold together as well as medium-well ground beef - at all levels of doneness it seems to be about rare to medium rare texture, which isn't necessarily what you want in a burger.

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Re: The end of cows

Post by bjn » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:58 pm

Sciolus wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:07 pm
bjn wrote:
Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:44 pm
Probably, so not what you'd put in the Wednesday night spaghetti bolognese, but you might splurge on a Turkey for Christmas or a grass fed organic steak on a night out celebrating an anniversary or similar. I wouldn't though (as I am veg).
I've pretty much shifted to Quorn for that already, which is perfectly fine (I'm not a veg but trying to cut down).

How come no-one has posted a picture of a cow's end yet?
I'd argue that the transition away from meat in some parts of the West has already started, but using vegetable proteins instead of synthesized animal proteins. If we can get synthesized proteins in on the act, it will just accelerate.

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Re: The end of cows

Post by Grumble » Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:55 am

Single origin, named farm, named breed of lamb chops could definitely be a thing. I mean it pretty much exists already, butchers here advertise Welsh salt marsh lamb sometimes.
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Re: The end of cows

Post by Tessa K » Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:13 am

Grumble wrote:
Sat Apr 17, 2021 6:55 am
Single origin, named farm, named breed of lamb chops could definitely be a thing. I mean it pretty much exists already, butchers here advertise Welsh salt marsh lamb sometimes.
In the fancier craft shops you can buy wool that is sourced with the breed and location of the sheep. It is very expensive.

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