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The plant-based food space, or really the food space in general, has seen a massive transformation in recent years. It seems like every day we are learning about a new plant-based company (for example, we just found out about a new kelp jerky brand supported by business tycoon Richard Branson!), not to mention the succession of meat and dairy companies investing in plant-based companies. Oh, and the lab-cultured, “clean” meat technology arena? It’s not slowing down anytime soon! Memphis Meats recently received investment from Cargill, the world’s largest meat processor, as well as Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and even Tyson.
With the whirlwind news about companies — both plant-based and clean meat food technology companies — investments from both venture capitalists and individuals, it’s easy to get lost. Thankfully, two graphics shared on Twitter by the Future of Food Technology Conference help break it all down!
In the first graphic, plant-based dairy is divided into the different types of dairy-free milk, and below, there are yogurt, cheese, frozen desserts, and cream cheese/sour cream categories. With the dairy-free cheese industry set to be worth billions in just 2023, there is definitely room for more expansion in the plant-based dairy arena!
The second graphic shows the explosion of companies creating plant-based meat, next to the smaller category of companies creating lab-cultured or “clean” meat, such as Mosa Meat, Memphis Meat, and Super Meat. You can also see the dozens of non-profits, individuals, venture capitalists and more who are supporting and/or funding “new meat.”
Seeing the graphic representation of the growing plant-based food sector is particularly encouraging considering the damage industrialized animal agriculture is causing the planet.
The global livestock system already covers over 45 percent of the world’s land mass, uses a majority of finite freshwater resources, and is responsible for rampant air and water pollution. Oh, and did we mention the animal agriculture system is the largest singular source of global greenhouse gas emissions? Yep, it is. And even with all the resources that this industry uses, nearly one billion people still go hungry.
As we see consumers shift away from diets heavy on meat and dairy (the overall demand for plant-based foods is up 140 percent!), we are seeing a shift away from our broken food system to instead a more sustainable one. Be sure to SHARE this article with your friends and family so they too can see just how massive the plant-based food space is becoming!
Interested in hearing from food industry leaders, health, and sustainability experts, as well as entrepreneurs in the space? Check out our podcast #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias to hear how the future of food is being redefined!
Image Source: Impossible Foods
Impossible Foods tested on animals. Why is this being forgotten? Are rats not cute enough? And the other "clean" meat producers have to use the blood from an unborn but still alive calf. Doesn\’t sound very clean to me. Call it like it is: laboratory-grown meat or frankenmeat.