European Poultry Giant Appoints Board Member for Alternative Proteins, Showing Yet Again What’s Really the Future of Food

The ever-strong plant-based movement is rapidly changing the future of food. In fact, a recent study found 43 million American consumers opt for meat-free choices, and 86 percent of them do not even identify as being a vegan or vegetarian. Additionally, nearly half of Americans surveyed said they Support a ban on slaughterhouses and would prefer animal-free meat. Meat giants Tyson and Cargill have caught on to this quickly-growing trend and have invested in plant-based and cultured meat alternatives, and now PHW Group, one of Europe’s biggest poultry producers, has now joined them.

Germany-based PHW Group recently partnered with California-based Beyond Meat in bringing the super-popular Beyond Burger, the burger that “bleeds”, across Europe, and they have also invested in SuperMeat, an Israeli cultured meat company. In alignment with these developments, PHW Group has also appointed its first “board member for alternative proteins”, Marcus Keitzer, who “played a key role” in the investment with SuperMeat and was significantly involved in the partnership with Beyond Meat.

In regards to this new appointment, PHW Group CEO Peter Wesjohann stated: “We have decided to appoint Marcus Keitzer to our board … to give special emphasis to the field of alternative sources of protein both in-house and externally. With the appointment of Marcus Keitzer as board member for alternative protein sources, we consciously take account of our past and future involvement in this area.”

Whether it be for health, animal welfare, or environmental concerns, more people than ever are choosing to leave meat off their plates. Considering industrialized animal agriculture is responsible for gross air and water pollution, contributes more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector combined, and is a leading cause of Climate change, it is no surprise that going plant-based can cut your carbon footprint in half. With investments and developments like these from meat-centric companies, we can all clearly see a growing acknowledgment and acceptance of the fact that the plant-based movement is not a fad and is here to stay. With big corporations taking the cue and making adjustments to meet consumer demand, the future of food (and our planet) begins to shine brighter.

To learn more about how our collective future is directly linked to our food choices, be sure to check out the Eat for the Planet book!

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