Richard Branson, along with Bill Gates, Kimball Musk, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, and others, have invested in a cruelty-free, environmentally-friendly, and healthier alternative to today’s meat production.
While we spend our days focusing on our more immediate problems, we tend to forget that we hold a great responsibility for our planet by doing those daily activities that may seem trivial and unimportant. We all are indeed tiny pieces in a vast world, but we should never underestimate the butterfly effect we create.
With every steak we buy, we contribute to the increased need for animal farming. And with the increased number of livestock and pastures, the destruction of rainforests, our atmosphere, and our health, is inevitable.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), almost a third of our planet’s ice-free land is used for livestock grazing, while also another third of the croplands is used for animal feed production.
The increase in demand means an increase of croplands and pastures, because of which the livestock industry contributes to the destruction of 32.1 billion acres of forest per year.
And which is more, an estimate of 51% of the total worldwide greenhouse gasses emission comes from the livestock industry, making it one of the main contributors of GHG in the world.
However, a cleaner, sustainable, and cruelty-free alternative is taking flight and has already gained the favor of supporters such as Bill Gates, Kimball Musk, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, and Richard Branson.
“Realising the folly of the world’s conventional meat consumption, I was compelled to give up beef a few years ago. The main reason for my decision was rainforest degradation, and my eyes were also open to farming and slaughterhouse practices. I quickly found that I did not miss beef at all – there are so many alternatives that it didn’t really affect my meal habits,” explains Richard Branson in his blog post.
The alternative for which he is vouching, and in which he has already invested, is the production of real meat, produced without the need for breeding, feeding, and slaughtering animals.
“I know that giving up beef (or other meats) isn’t the path for everyone, so I have remained supportive of the search to find a sustainable way to feed the world’s population without continued negative impact upon the environment.”
Memphis Meats is a company that produces beef, chicken, and duck meat directly from animal cells. So far, it has received the support of Branson, as well as other investors including Cargill and Gates.
The company believes that although meat cannot be completely eradicated from people’s diets, as it is “core to many of our cultures and traditions,” this does not mean that it cannot be produced in a healthier and more environmentally-friendly way.
And if you feel uncomfortable with the thought that your steak was ‘grown’ from cells, you should be aware that the process of growing this meat is completely safe and even contributes to a better calorie conversion.
Which is more, this process does not require the need for hormone and antibiotic injections, as healthy cells do not these substances which have proven to be toxic to the human health.
Of course, change can be something many would oppose to, but as Richard Branson believes, “one day we will look back and think how archaic our grandparents were in killing animals for food.”
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A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.