It's not, really. I mean, at the margins, sure, I'm sure the "Meat Industry" does some lobbying. But this is 99.42% culture war. Florida republicans aren't trying to do a random favor for a niche industry[1], they're banning their political enemies to excite their base.
This would be like trying to get woke votes by putting "Pronoun Choice" as a field on your government tax forms or whatever. Except of course that this is actually happening.
[1] A quick google says that the USA meat market revenue is about half of Apple's or a quarter of what Amazon pulls in. This is a real industry, but not a big one.
Florida only supplies about 3% of beef to the industry, so I doubt it. It's more culture war than anything. "They're coming for your steaks!" Whoever the fuck "they" are.
I don't think you meant it seriously, but I was surprised how few vegetarians/vegans there are in the US. Even among self-described liberals, it's only 9%.[0] Although it does seem that more people are reducing their meat consumption.
I would’ve thought the number to be higher, too. I will say I’ve tried the current batch of veggie-based fake meat and it’s only good in certain applications. I suspect the vatjob meat coming out will be much the same for some time to come.
It's really more culture war than industrial lobbying. Sure, the industry is perfectly happy to have it, but it's popular far beyond people directly involved. Florida's government has defined itself as "anti-woke", and anything they can present as opposition to the left is politically good for them.
That's not the issue. Nowadays if you refer to "alternative meat", that means plant based meat substitutes 99% of the time.
So if they are banning and criminalizing "alternative meat", then the first assumption is that that they are banning the entire category, and therefore banning what is basically a bunch of common plant based foodstuffs mixed together in a particular way.
I've never seen these called straight "alternative meat". I've read/heard "alternatives to meat", or "plant-based meat", or "meat substitutes", but "alternative meat" seems like an odd label for these.
Seems kinda pointless, probably culture war crap. Absent a pretty remarkable breakthrough lab meat isn’t going to be competitive with real meat anytime soon, no need to try and ban it.
Could it ever actually be competitive? Meat isn’t just the cell structure of a protein. It’s the connective tissues and fats and other parts. It’s also the land and the feed and so much more. And the cut matters. How was the muscle used to create flavor and texture?
In theory, lab meat could have textures and tastes that are hard to cultivate with traditonal methods that consumers might want. Also it could have environment and health benefits that people find desirable. I saw a review of lab-grown salmon that was very positive. The question is if it will get to a price people are willing to pay and that is more questionable.
Meat substitutes aren't steaks, they're burgers. All that subtlety kinda disappears when you grind it up. In point of fact an Impossible Burger is rather closer to a fast food burger than a brisket is to a ribeye already.
Some people's willingness to eat any shit the food instrustry puts out, proudly even, and their inability to appreciate wholesome foods to save their lives. You know, the kind of things that make the average Italian think of the US as a dietary backwater.
I can understand laughing at the face of cancer by doing something enjoyable like smoking and drinking (even approve it).
But replacing real food with bland synthetic BS just to increase food industry profits? Since you forego of arugments and any personal opinion and went for pop psychology, let me have a jab at it too: I guess a lot of people are more afraid not to look modern enough, that they will be called out as Luddites if they eat a real steak instead of Soylent Green?
It doesn't appeal to, it is an attempt to use pop psychology (the notion of resistance to X owing to fear). Hardly better than the "who hurt you?" bro retort.
I love how these are the people who always worship and adore the free market and freedom don't worship and adore the free market and freedom when it means people doing something they don't want them to do. Fascism and hypocrisy at their finest.
40 comments
[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 89.9 ms ] threadPeople merely need to be protected from the evils of anything that might threaten the profits of the meat industry!
This would be like trying to get woke votes by putting "Pronoun Choice" as a field on your government tax forms or whatever. Except of course that this is actually happening.
[1] A quick google says that the USA meat market revenue is about half of Apple's or a quarter of what Amazon pulls in. This is a real industry, but not a big one.
[0] https://news.gallup.com/poll/510038/identify-vegetarian-vega...
So if they are banning and criminalizing "alternative meat", then the first assumption is that that they are banning the entire category, and therefore banning what is basically a bunch of common plant based foodstuffs mixed together in a particular way.
in what context? I'm betting this would necessitate not mentioning cell-cultured or lab-grown meat at all.
A brisket is a lot different than a ribeye.
I can understand laughing at the face of cancer by doing something enjoyable like smoking and drinking (even approve it).
But replacing real food with bland synthetic BS just to increase food industry profits? Since you forego of arugments and any personal opinion and went for pop psychology, let me have a jab at it too: I guess a lot of people are more afraid not to look modern enough, that they will be called out as Luddites if they eat a real steak instead of Soylent Green?
It doesn't appeal to, it is an attempt to use pop psychology (the notion of resistance to X owing to fear). Hardly better than the "who hurt you?" bro retort.
States Are Lining Up to Outlaw Lab-Grown Meat
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39712071
Sell lab-grown meat in Tennessee, pay a $1M fine
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39682755