Beyond Meat Just Did Something that Has Scientists Skeptical

Meatless meat company Beyond Meat is using climate change to sell products.

The company, as well as its privately held rival Impossible Foods have touted their plant-based burgers that imitate the taste of beef.

A key marketing tool for the company has become climate change and that abstaining from meat could have environmental benefits.

One scientist however isn’t buying it. “Beyond and Impossible go somewhere towards reducing your carbon footprint, but saying it’s the most climate friendly thing to do — that’s a false promise,” remarked Marco Springmann, a senior environmental researcher at the University of Oxford.

According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, animal agriculture makes up 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions.

“It makes sense to develop alternatives to beef, because we have to change our eating habits to more plant-based diets if we want to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius. Impossible and Beyond tap into this market,” said Springmann.

“However, while their processed products have about half the carbon footprint that chicken does, they also have 5 times more of a footprint than a bean patty,” he said. “So Beyond and Impossible go somewhere towards reducing your carbon footprint, but saying it’s the most climate friendly thing to do — that’s a false promise.”

He also added “If Beyond’s products help people switch from normal beef to a replacement, it’s not so bad. But it should not be the end goal,” Springmann said. “The carbon footprint of these processed plant-based products falls in between chicken and beef.”

“On the consumption side, with people in developed countries wanting more cheap meat, and now in developing countries people wanting cheaper meat — it’s pushing the planet in the wrong direction,” said Hans-Otto Portner, a climatologist.

“It’s not sustainable. It’s a warning signal. If the world wants to keep to the UN’s sustainable development goals by 2030, there is something wrong here, there is a mismatch.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in Beyond Meat Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND) and have not been compensated for this article.