Plant-based meat and animal based meat hamburgers debate has been topical for some time. The underlying question for many is tell them apart in 10 years time?
For this post I have taken the humble hamburger as the base for comparison. It is easy to place a animal meat or a plant based patties between buns and see the result without much complications. Why hamburger? Well if they can’t do it with basic hamburgers, then plant based meat is unlikely to gain ground in replacing other meat based dishes especially steaks.
The humble hamburger and why we adore it
For a start let’s look at the decent and humble hamburger that you can get anywhere from fast-food outlets, cafes to home made ones. All that is required are sesame topped bun, a beef patty, seasoned with salt and pepper, some lettuce, onions, dill pickle, mustard and a small dollop of ketchup.
There is no other comparable meal with meat in it that is affordable, appeals across all age groups and is readily available everywhere.It is arguably a complete meal compared to even sandwiches and other savoury snacks. And more importantly delicious in terms of taste and texture which are its biggest draw.
In view of its wide appeal it is no surprise that franchise chains like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s and the like are commonplace and do very well commercially.
From basic to gourmet
The basic hamburger can go a couple levels of up to a Gourmet hamburger. The meat is of a higher grade quality, often lean ground meat. Not just trimming fat of lower cut or off cut meat.
The usual gourmet burger blend is 100% lean meat mixed with fat from chuck meat using 80:20 ratio. It’s the fat that contributes to the taste if you are wondering. Reduce the fat ratio and the taste will slide. You would be better off buying an ordinary hamburger from a street vendor whose fat ratio is always higher and it is cheaper. For the health conscious, they don’t mind the slide in taste but still enjoy the texture of the meat and all the condiments in it.
Gourmet burgers are also made fresh as opposed to frozen patties and the patties are not packed tightly and thicker.
The magic of hotel hamburgers
One strain of animal based meat hamburgers are those cooked on higher starred hotel premises. These require special mention as they stand out. Cafe and fast food burgers do not even come close.
I picked up enjoying hotel made burgers as better version of the hamburger when I began travelling for work years ago. It was more out of necessity as it convenient to munch having ordered as room service when you have to do work back in the hotel.
They fall within the gourmet classification with fresh and good quality meat. The grilling tends to be right and the patties are large. They are also prepared by trained culinary cooks and chefs and not by short order cooks. The higher starred hotels do protect their reputation.
From convenience, I turned to sampling good quality burgers as I travelled for work. I began to appreciate the meat quality, preparation and the actual cooking. It is different. You could see the focus of hotel chefs on the patty preparation, grilling and the toasting of buns.
It is also no surprise that there are now food establishments that serve gourmet burgers that are at least two to three times more expensive.
I wrote about ordinary and gourmet animal based meat burgers to highlight that despite the simple preparation, the barrier to replace animal meat based hamburgers would be high.
As you can tell, I love my meat and my hamburgers. So this battle for a substitute is going to be tough.
The need for a substitute
Livestock production particularly cattle have a plentitude of issues and I do not use the word “plentitude” lightly. Articles in the media to scholarly work in academia point to these issues that Governments have begun introducing regulations.
Environmental issues alone are not the only major concern. Rising health risk associated with over consumption of meat cannot be ignored. How often one hears of a relative, friend or a work colleague who have been asked to reduce meat consumption for medical reasons. So something has to give and it will be meat.
Greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, valuable farmlands and scarce waters resources converted to support livestock production are serious.
Here is something that I picked up. 25 kilograms of feed and 15,000 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of beef seems astonishing high. Australia for instance in 2017 had 72% of cereals grown that went to animal feed. I genuinely wonder which body monitors the planet to ensure valuable and limited resources are used for the right reasons.
Do we wait?
I love my meat and my burgers but I can moderate my meat intake and find alternatives that works. And the alternatives need not be mock meat or plant based-meat. I do realise though that it has to be a conscious decision based on what I know now. However it might not work for others.
Ignoring the environment and health impact leaves the planet in a state that the future generation will have to struggle with.
Now for plant-based meat
Plant based meat substitute is nothing new. Mock meat made up of soy beans have been meat substitute for centuries in the Far East. It also used in pure vegetarian dishes by those practising Buddhism who want to abstain from meat for religious reasons. This too in the Far East. It is also used as cheap substitute for meat. It is actually quite common as you travel through the Far East and South East Asia. You can also purchase these mock meat in Asian grocery stores in the West and Australia.
So why the focus and interest on plant based meat particularly in the West. And it typically involves start-up and ventures funds done in laboratory like manufacturing plants. California led the way and no surprise as there is where high tech and venture capitalists are in numbers.
This new strain of mock meat is aimed at emulating all the sensory attributes of animal based meat. That includes taste, texture and the appearance which also covers colour prior to cooking and after cooking. It must be done with natural based substitute ingredients. Current mock soy based meat does not come close. Only the texture does come close. Flavouring and the use of food dyes can only do so much.
The notion of meat from laboratory like plant does not sound appealing let along appetising. The bigger hurdle is cost.
Target market
Importantly the target market are the knowledgeable, young and the health conscious lot. People who are concerned about GMOs, hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol and synthetic additives. These means that much of work has deliver something as natural as possible. And this where the cost will go. Food science, biotechnology, research into natural food substances such as soy protein, pea protein, wheat gluten including natural flavours and colours are all in this costly mix.
There however has been material and perceptible progress. Literature and reviews suggest that Impossible Food is in the lead followed by Beyond Meat in the plant based meat category. Fast food chains, cafes and restaurants have them in their menu now and mainly hamburgers. They are more expensive but as an alternative or option for customers who prefer not to consume animal meat for ethical, religious reasons and even health reasons but hamburgers appeals to them.
One noticeable observation is that the range of plant based meat has not grown. It remains as the odd hamburger item in menus. What is interesting though is the number of supermarket aisles that have increased for vegan food. The rise in demand of vegan food is obvious.
It shows more and more people are going vegan or consume vegan meals on some days of the week by cutting down on animal based meat dishes. Which tells me they do not need mock or plant based meat. Cost could be a consideration.
One great example of plant based food which is protein rich, very affordable, with a range of texture is Tofu. Which can be turned into a variety of dishes. So the need for animal meat substitute may not have similar demand. I covered the humble and affordable tofu in this post.
Foreseeable future
Plant-based meat and hamburgers for the foreseeable future will see both plant-based and actual meat co-exist. My guess is that plant-based meat will continue to fall in price as they become more available with new entrants, new varieties and larger manufacturing capacity. But it will competing not just with animal based meat but with vegan based product such as the protein rich tofu.
I do however expect cost of animal based meat rising as restrictions and environment related tariffs and regulations start to kick in. Meat consumption will eventually become a weekly proposition rather than a daily fare for some.
The younger generation and health conscious will make the biggest change by either reducing meat consumption or avoiding it altogether. My guess is we are not yet at the crossroads and plant-based meat will take time to make its presence felt and not a novelty as it is now.