What will be diet of the future means not only the care of human health. According to economists, meat consumption in the world could double by 2050. But livestock cannot meet this challenge. Economically, meat production is the most unprofitable in agriculture. Yet it is still considered one of the main sources of protein.
What are the alternatives diet of the future
Scientists are now actively working to create meat products of non-animal origin or obtained by bioengineering, rather than from a live animal. Researchers have already developed meat in a test tube, from yeast, vegetarian meat. The first steak, grown in a laboratory from single cells of monocytes. Derived from stem cells of animal origin, has already been fried by Dutch scientists. The only, but very significant disadvantage is that it costs 300 thousand dollars.
But the tireless Dutch have already created the first company in 2020 that intends to produce molecular meat on an industrial scale. Experiments are underway to create meat from vegetable proteins – and so that it is identical in structure, taste and appearance. Perfect for vegetarian recipes and vegan specialties.
The Dutch conducted several studies on this issue in 2016 they want to achieve that the new meat is fibrous and spongy. And in the mouth to have the same sensations as the current one. Impossible Foods has created a vegetarian burger made from vegetable oil, vegetables and yeast.
Together, these ingredients give the consumer the full feeling that they are eating real meat. It does not contain animal fats, cholesterol, antibiotics and even has more protein than regular meat. At the same time, the production of this vegetable cutlet uses 99% less area, 85% less water and 89% less greenhouse gases.
The Commission is modeling the perceived health effects of changing food patterns. The result is unequivocal: switching to a diet for healthy people will reduce mortality by about 11 million deaths a year, which is equal to 19-24% of the total mortality among the adult population on the planet.
The impact of the new food model on the environment is also impressive. Reducing livestock and increasing the share of crop production will lead to the fact that agriculture will turn from a major source of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere into a net consumer of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.
The transition to a healthy diet of the future will require close international cooperation and the development of national programs. In addition to information campaigns, legislative measures may be required, including a ban on advertising certain types of products, excise duties on sugar-containing products and highly processed products, etc.
One of the areas of the strategy is to fight to reduce food waste and agricultural losses. Mathematical models and calculations have confirmed: with the transition to a new food system, the global food system will be able to provide quality food to 10 billion people by 2050 with minimal environmental costs.
But even a small increase in the consumption of animal products, especially red meat and milk, calls this goal into question. Switching to a healthy menu is not just a recommendation. This is a necessity for humanity if we are to preserve and improve the current quality of life, public health and the state of the environment.