Hi, Everyone,

Yesterday I released a video challenging claims by plant-based diet advocates that fake meat is more nutritious than real meat. 

tl;dr: it’s not. But do watch the video to get the details.

Another claim about fake meat that you often see in the media is that it’s more environmentally friendly than real meat. But is this true?

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority just forced Tesco, a manufacturer of fake meat products, to pull a series of ads suggesting “positive environmental differences to the planet compared to their meat equivalents.”

According to an article about the episode in Food Ingredients:

While Tesco relied on general evidence that plant-based diets have lower emissions, ASA resolves that they did not hold any evidence “in relation to the full lifecycle [emissions] of any of the products in the Plant Chef range.”

“We also recognized that specific plant-based products, particularly processed products which could contain a number of different ingredients sourced from around the world, could nevertheless contain ingredients or be produced and transported by methods that had a high carbon or negative environmental impact,” explains the watchdog. [Emphasis added]

This is 100% on target. In fact, a third-party, full life cycle analysis conducted at White Oak Pastures, a Savory Institute hub in Georgia that uses holistic land management practices, found that their beef operation was a net carbon sink—and significantly more environmentally friendly than Impossible Burger (a fake meat product). 

If you’re interested in more on this topic, check out the podcast episodes and articles below:

RHR: How Sustainably Raised Cattle Help the Environment, with Will Harris

In this podcast, I discuss:

• Why White Oak Pastures practices sustainable agriculture
• How sustainable land management impacts carbon emissions
• What holistic, sustainable land management looks like
• Feeding the world with sustainable farming
• And more!

Click here to listen or read the transcript.

RHR: The Impacts and Ethics of Eating Meat — with Diana Rodgers

In this podcast, I discuss:

• The true environmental impact of meat production
• Carbon emissions and water usage
• The ethical and moral considerations of eating meat
• Should parents be allowed to feed their kids a vegan diet?
• And more!

Click here to listen or read the transcript.

The Real Environmental Impact of Red Meat: Part 1

We’ve all heard the claims that red meat production is harmful to the environment, so, in this two-part series, I address some of those concerns. In many ways, the environment is as complex as the human body, so measuring the impact of meat production isn’t clear-cut. But at the very least, I hope to shed some light on the topic, dispel some common myths, and put the issue in perspective. Click here to continue reading.

The Real Environmental Impact of Red Meat: Part 2

In my part 1 article, I explained how grazing livestock can be an environmentally friendly farming technique, helping to remove carbon from the atmosphere and consume less water resources than has been estimated. The major claim I address in part 2 is the claim that grazing livestock leads to soil erosion and desertification, which is far from the truth. In fact, grazing cattle could even be a factor that restores the environment if used intelligently and responsibly. Click here to continue reading.

In health,

Chris