{"id":779533,"date":"2025-10-16T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T12:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=779533"},"modified":"2025-11-10T13:05:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T18:05:28","slug":"a-post-mortem-on-veganism-and-plant-based-meat-is-premature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=779533","title":{"rendered":"JUMPING THE GUN: A post-mortem on veganism and plant-based meat is premature"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPlant-based eating has lost its appeal”, \u201cVegan burgers are losing the culture war over meat”, and \u201cWhy the vegans lost\u201d. These eulogies for veganism tend to downplay this critical point: taking on the meat industry \u2014 a monster machine with unparalleled lobbying and marketing resources \u2014 was never a fair fight. Since the rise in popularity of plant-based meat alternatives, the meat industry has actively campaigned to undermine them, portraying these products as unhealthy and unnatural. This is not the time for a plant-based post-mortem.\u00a0The success or failure of the vegan movement cannot be measured solely by profit, market power or the popularity of a diet trend… \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0This story was originally published by Sentient Media\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

It was 2020, and documentaries like What the Health and The Game Changers \u2014 released a couple of years earlier \u2014 were opening eyes to the benefits of eating a plant-based diet. Beyond Meat had just gone public to major fanfare, and oat milk was the trendy new option at corner coffee shops. The cultural message was clear: Being vegan was cool.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, headlines suggest the opposite. In March, The Atlantic reported that \u201cPlant-based eating has lost its appeal.\u201d Earlier this month, The Guardian reported that \u201cVegan burgers are losing the culture war over meat.\u201d And in an August Financial Times opinion piece, \u201cWhy the vegans lost,\u201d Henry Mance wrote that \u201cmeat-free advocates were relying on mass conversion \u2026 that isn\u2019t happening,\u201d adding that vegans could never win because they \u201cwere trying to upturn thousands of years of human cuisine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

There are definitely data points to support this conclusion. Beyond Meat is rebranding in the wake of a major financial bailout, vegan restaurants are closing or adding meat to their menus, and meat consumption \u2014 namely chicken \u2014 is higher in the U.S. than ever before.<\/em><\/p>\n

However, these eulogies for veganism tend to downplay this critical point: taking on the meat industry \u2014 a monster machine with unparalleled lobbying and marketing resources \u2014 was never a fair fight… Since the rise in popularity of plant-based meat alternatives, the meat industry has actively campaigned to undermine them, portraying these products as unhealthy and unnatural. Through targeted advertisements and websites \u2014 such as Clean Food Facts, created by the Center for Consumer Freedom \u2014 meat-backed efforts have painted plant-based meats as synthetic and ultra-processed…<\/em><\/p>\n

In stark contrast to the U.S., Denmark offers a compelling example of how government support can guide cultural acceptance of plant-based diets through integration rather than replacement. In 2023, the country launched the world\u2019s first national action plan for plant-based foods, investing \u20ac170 million ($200.4 million USD) to strengthen the industry, from farming and innovation to public procurement and culinary education.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rather than framing it as a threat to meat, the plan sidesteps polarizing labels like \u201cvegan\u201d or \u201cvegetarian\u201d and avoids setting targets to cut meat consumption. Plant-based options are presented as a business opportunity and climate-smart choice. This positions the plant-based sector as complementary, rather than disruptive to the meat industry…<\/em><\/p>\n

This is not the time for a plant-based post-mortem. The health of the plant-based food market \u2014 or of Beyond Meat alone \u2014 does not reflect the broader potential of plant-forward diets to shift culture… Success is not measured by short-term sales spikes or viral trends. It comes from steady integration, with plant-based foods becoming normalized, accessible and appealing. <\/em>JESSICA SCOTT-REID<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

RELATED VIDEOS:<\/strong><\/p>\n