Fake Meat is Worse for the Environment than Real Meat
I used to be a vegan.
Like, a hardcore one. I had “vegan” tattooed on my arm (now covered up) and followed a strictly “plant based” diet for over 6 years. It was my entire identity.
I thought it was logical that veggie burgers and meat-less meatballs were a million times better for animals and the environment.
Of course meat is horrible for the planet. I mean, factory farms are basically the devil incarnated, right?
But then I got into agriculture.
Suddenly, some complicated realities shattered my black-and-white thinking…
Not all meat is raised in factory farms
Meat (especially “red meat”) has been villainized in our culture long before the vegan-craze.
There’s lots of other types of meat worth mentioning, but here we’ll focus on beef since most of the fake meat subs are beef substitutes.
Beef has been under attack for decades for contributing to climate change, water pollution, and a myriad of health issues.
Given the predominant paradigm of animal agriculture in America (industrial-scale confined feedlot operations), the meat-hating masses have some good points up their sleeves.
Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs- better known as “factory farms”) are amongst the most polluting, inhumane, and energy-intensive agricultural systems known to man.
They depend on massive amounts of inputs (GMO, pesticide-drenched grains) and excrete horrific levels of waste that pollute air and waterways, not to mention all the animal rights issues associated with CAFOs.
The only issue is: not all meat is raised in factory farms. Not even close.
Maybe that’s obvious, but it was a real brain-buster for my young vegan mind.
Anyone who cares about soil, water, ecology, or animal rights agrees that factory farms are complete garbage. At least vegans and regenerative grass-based ranchers can stand in the…
