A letter to animal ag: Back off of fake meat and milk

Dr. Kevin Folta

A conversation overheard inside a Mississippi correctional facility:
Prisoner 1: “Whatcha in for?”
Prisoner 2: “Some guy looked at me funny so I broke a beer bottle and shoved it into his stupid face. What about you?”
Prisoner 1: “I referred to a plant-based meat patty as a burger. “
Thanks to the recently passed law in the USA’s most last place state, referring to a food item that is not meat as a meatoid form can land you in prison, ironically a place where mystery meat is common fare. That’s hard time for a vegetarian, a painful price to pay for making reference to extruded soy solids as a hotdog. Later, the promise of getting a salad tossed didn’t match expectations either.
The law follows on the heels of similar legislation in Missouri, fostered by the meat industry’s powerful lobby groups. With all the buzz about Impossible and Beyond Burgers, folks in the meat sector are taking a little umbrage at Big Macsimilies, casting them as inferior plant-flesh knockoffs of meat-based food. Plant-based “milk” beverages are also under legislative scrutiny, as almonds and soybeans don’t lactate. Yet.

Stop being weenies

Meat and dairy industries, I love ya, so knock it off. I’m like the friend who cares enough to tell you, “You’re not really going to wear that out in public, are you?” Yes, that’s me, and what you are doing is quite unbecoming for an industry that works hard, makes an outstanding product, and does it with an ever-improving interest in animal care and sustainability.
Promoting laws to protect a market share makes you look weak...MORE

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