Scientific and Social Obstacles for Meat Substitution
Level of Education of Students Involved
Undergraduate
Faculty Sponsor
Matthew Puffer
College
Christ College
ORCID Identifier(s)
0009-0002-9265-6949 ; 0009-0007-3831-6245
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 4-25-2024
Abstract
The meat industry is one of our current leading contributors to environmental degradation through overuse of land, water, and methane production. Due to this, meat substitutes are often in the cultural spotlight as paths to healthier and more sustainable ways of life. They offer a variety of benefits, including contributions to environmental protection, consumer health, and production cost, all of which make plant or cell based meat substitutes worth looking into. While meat substitutes look promising, there are a few key obstacles that these substitutes face that slow their progression into society. The integration of meat substitutes into the public has received relatively negative feedback. This is related to the psychological attachment many people have to meat products, leaving them hesitant to try new things. Another reason is that people are scared of some of the methodology of lab grown meat and the technology used for obtaining the cell cultures for growth. Many people also claim to dislike the tastes and textures of many meat substitutes, feeling they are incomparable to meat. The nutritional value of some of the meat substitutes occasionally comes into question as well; some substitutes use unnecessary amounts of food coloring or salt in order to replicate meat, while others do not contain enough essential nutrients like iron, zinc, and proteins. While many people are aware of the environmental harms of overconsumption of meat, meat substitutes have several social and scientific obstacles to overcome before gaining widespread acceptance and leading us toward a promising sustainable future.
Recommended Citation
Jacobs, Emma; Bowen, Carolina; Virgo, Damon; Durlam, Noah; and Monnette, Adam, "Scientific and Social Obstacles for Meat Substitution" (2024). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 1299.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/1299
Biographical Information about Author(s)
This group is created of a variety of majors and interests and we all came together on the idea of some environmental crisis, though we didn’t want to research something as broad as climate change. We wanted to find a topic that combined ideas of society, science, and technology, with more of a focus on society. These are the key topics discussed in the class which we are first presenting this research for.