Plant-Based Meats and Your Safety?

I am a lover of chicken. Everyone who knows me can attest to this. Like most Jamaicans I grew up eating meat; whether it was roasted beef around Christmas time, some curried mutton or stewed chicken, meat had to be on our plates at dinner time.  Chicken is rather versatile and can be prepared in so many ways; my favourite way of having chicken is roasted, baked chicken is a close second. Having said that there are many persons who are vegetarians and their diet consists mainly of plant based foods, nuts, peas and beans. There is a growing trend in some parts of the world, especially in Europe, Canada and the USA where people are consuming more plant-based meats. However, the jury is still out regarding how safe plant-based meats are for humans given some of the questionable ingredients which go into the final product. Recently, I heard in a radio interview that some of the ingredients used in the production of meatless meats are also used in the production of fire extinguishers, hence my doubts regarding the safety for humans. There are those who argue that the trend towards plant-based meat is more of saving the environment than the safety of humans. There are some dominant companies which control the market share of the meatless meat market industry.  One is the Los Angeles based Beyond Meats and the other is Impossible Burger. A report on National File.com stated that Impossible Burger whopper has 18 million times as much estrogen as a regular whopper. The same article stated that eating four of the vegetable burgers daily would result in a human male growing breasts. This is scary guys! A report published in VegNews states that Allied Market Research predicts that by 2020 the meat alternative market will reach $5.2 billion. The research profiled meatless meat producers such as Amy’s Kitchen, Beyond Meat, Garden Protein International, Inc. (Gardein), Quorn, and Morningstar Farms to reveal that meat alternatives such as tofu and soy products, but increasingly vegetable-based proteins, are slated to experience a compound annual growth of 8.4 percent overall. According to the report, “increasing health awareness coupled with increasing consciousness towards environmental sustainability and animal welfare have been the major factors driving the growth of meat substitute market.” The report also revealed that while Europe and North America are the largest consumers of meat alternatives, Asia-Pacific is the largest-growing market. While consumers are focused on frozen meatless products, the dry snack market is expected to grow the fastest. I do not see the meatless meat market growing exponentially in Jamaica anytime soon. Jamaica and indeed the wider Caribbean have had and continue to have a cultural history of eating meat. Habits take a long time to change. The Impossible Burger contains, water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, 2% or less of: Potato Protein, Methylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Cultured Dextrose, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Salt, Soy Protein Isolate, Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12. Other than water, the main ingredient is soy protein concentrate. Soybeans are perfectly healthy, but soy protein concentrate is heavily processed which means many of the benefits of the raw food are lost. The Beyond Burger has a long list of ingredients. The burger of course contains: water, Pea Protein Isolate, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Refined Coconut Oil, Contains 2% or less of the following: Cellulose from Bamboo, Methylcellulose, Potato Starch, Natural Flavor, Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Salt, Sunflower Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Dried Yeast, Gum Arabic, Citrus Extract (to protect quality), Ascorbic Acid (to maintain color), Beet Juice Extract (for color), Acetic Acid, Succinic Acid, Modified Food Starch, Annatto (for color). In terms of ingredients, the two burgers are pretty similar, the exception being the main protein source. Beyond Meat uses pea protein instead of soy protein, and there is no soy leghemoglobin which is Impossible's key ingredient that makes the burger "bleed."  Additionally, Beyond Burger's red color comes from beet extract, rather than heme from the leghemoglobin like in the Impossible patty.

The Food and Drug Administration

In 2019 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Impossible Burgers to be sold in stores. The issue at the time had to deal with heme, the compound in animal meat which gives the meat that bloody look and iron-rich flavor. Heme occurs naturally in beef and is released in the cocking process. However, Impossible Foods sources it from Soy Leghemoglobin, which is found naturally in soybean roots. The FDA ruling that heme is “generally recognized as safe” leaves me somewhat uncomfortable as a consumer.  I am not a nutritionist or have the expertise to comment on the makeup of these meatless meats. The reader has to do his or her research. I am trying to raise awareness of what is on the market. Interestingly, on a recent visit to Canada a college batch mate Karen invited me to Yorkdale Shopping Centre to have a bite and chat. Yorkdale, prides itself as Canada’s premier shopping experience.  I was glad to go and my most generous cousin Jean and her friend Cassandra drove me to Bramalea Civic Center where I took the number 36 bus.  This little adventure provided me with some sense of independence instead of being driven everywhere. Karen encouraged me to try a Mexican Burrito chicken wrap and I did. It came along with rice and lettuce. I was very selective and did not select some of the other side orders. It was rather filling. I had a Root Beer to wash it down. Karen and I then went to A&W where she bought some plant based chicken nuggets. I had one, just one. It tasted like real chicken, it had the texture that real chicken nuggets have but I had my doubts and still do. At the end of the day we all want to be healthy. Possibly, the producers of meatless meats are feeding off the fear to be healthy. Some fast food players are already serving meatless burgers.  Perhaps, these meatless meats are healthy for us and will revolutionize how we eat. It’s possible that we will see more mushroom burgers in the future.  However, I do believe more research is required on alternative meats to establish without any doubt that they are indeed healthy for us. At the end of the day to each his own. I prefer real meat. Cheers to a meatless 2020.    

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues.
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo