Since the onset of the Pandemic that has claimed millions of lives and continues to do so, even at this very moment, people’s views on the live animal and cattle agri-industry have been changing slowly and steadily. This has also diverted people’s attention to the ever booming and relatively new food industry- The Plant Based Industry, or Vegan Industry as it is commonly known.
For a country such as India, where a significant portion of the population consumes vegetarian food, shifting to a vegan diet isn’t going to be that difficult. Although, I’d agree that it would be very hard to take out milk and milk products from the Indian diet. For the meat eaters, the plant based meat alternatives need a push and constant persuasion, combined with good marketing. Like all good habits, it takes time to develop but once it does, it’s here to stay.
The plant based industry started trending when these two companies- Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, came up with their plant based burger patty that tasted exactly like regular meat burger patty. In the non-dairy sector, Oatly has taken on the entire dairy industry in Europe by challenging the 171st Amendment, which prohibits plant based products from displaying their own product images and declaring their carbon footprint.
There are various reasons for people to turn towards veganism. Primarily, animal cruelty is the most important reason for the same. Animals are voiceless living organisms, like you and me. They deserve to be free and not subjected to the pain they go through in slaughterhouses around the world. Here are some facts regarding the slaughterhouses:
● 80% of the total number of pigs that are being slaughtered usually have pneumonia. This is because pigs are cramped up in small tiny areas with no space to roam or breathe. They also breathe in the ammonia released through animal excreta that causes respiratory illnesses in them.
● Since the meat industry works to earn profits from the lives of these innocent animals, they employ various techniques to increase production. One of them is to accelerate the growth of chickens, three times faster than their natural growing pattern. This includes injecting weight gaining drugs into the bodies of these chickens.
● Dairy cows are bred, fed and drugged for the milk we consume. They are then forcefully impregnated at least thrice, and then killed. Beyond 3 lactation cycles, the milk produced isn’t as good as the first three in terms of quality and hence, the industry deems these cows as useless and spent.
● Young or new born animals of cows or pigs are mutilated. Their teeth, nails, testicles, etc are cut off so that they don’t hurt themselves or others when they get aggressive. This aggressive behaviour stems due to the fact that they have to live in cramped up spaces in the slaughterhouse.
● Mothers and infants are separated at birth or within a few weeks. The calves are sent to veal farms where they live short lives. They aren’t allowed to drink their mother’s milk, as that is collected for human consumption.
● 90% of these livestock animals are genetically manipulated. Genetic manipulation is done to produce chickens that grow heavier and faster. This has resulted in chickens that are unable to walk properly, due to their bones and muscles not being able to bear the weight of their suddenly grown up bodies.
● Zero veterinary care is administered to animals that are ill or sick in the meat industry. This is due to the fact that the feelings, pain and desires of these animals aren’t important to the breeders and moreover, veterinary fees are an expense that breeders don’t wish to carry. They lace the animal feed with antibiotics, in the hopes that ill and sick cattle animals will survive until they are brought in for slaughter.
● 99% of animals in the meat industry farms never get the opportunity to express their natural behaviours, due to the fact that they spend their whole lives lacking in sunlight, apart from staying in zero ventilation sheds that have no space. Pigs are known to be social animals who love sunbathing and forming relationships with other animals. Chickens love to flap their wings and clean themselves up, none of which is possible in the slaughterhouse farms. Cows are also sociable animals who love grazing in the fields but in the meat industry, the only activity that they can do is to just sit and stand in one place.
Secondly, veganism is good for human health and is one of the reasons why many people have voluntarily shifted to a vegan lifestyle. Animal products usually contain a lot of cholesterol that isn’t good for our cardiovascular health. Plant based mock meats include the juiciness, protein and texture of regular meat sans the bad cholesterol. In fact, plant based meat also includes fiber that helps give structure to the mock meat similar to animal meat. These mock meats are easily digestible by the human body, unlike actual meat that stresses your digestive system.
Thirdly, plant based industry is good for the environment. The whole industry can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 73%. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, livestock production is responsible for 14.5% of the total greenhouse gas emissions today. These livestock farms are mass producers of methane gas that has the potential to heat up the planet 20 times faster than carbon dioxide. Apart from this, 87% of all freshwater is used in cattle farming and 1000 gallons of water is used to produce one litre of milk!
Veganism is a recent trend that has begun in India. Although it began in the western countries first, it was bound to take over the world, especially India, considering the vast population we hold. Food security is not a joke. According to a study conducted by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “Current estimates are that nearly 690 million people are hungry, or 8.9 percent of the world population – up by 10 million people in one year and by nearly 60 million in five years. The number of people affected by severe food insecurity, which is another measure that approximates hunger, shows a similar upward trend. In 2019, close to 750 million – or nearly one in ten people in the world – were exposed to severe levels of food insecurity.”
To add to this, by the year 2050, we will have almost one third more mouths to feed. Our current agricultural system and food processing industry will not be able to bear the rising demand for food. To lighten the burden here, plant based alternatives will help by increasing the production of protein rich food without the need for extra water or resources. The US Department of Agriculture states, “Given population growth and rising incomes, it is estimated that the demand for food will rise by 70 to 100 percent by 2050. To meet this need, the United Nations estimates that production in developing countries will need to almost double.” Since India falls under the category of developing nations, we will need to keep our prejudices about the plant based industry aside and accept it as another area of food innovation with open arms.
The backlash faced by the plant-based industry today, from consumers in common is that plant based products are costlier than regular products and that they don’t imitate the original product completely. Honestly, I agree. There are plant-based meats that carry a beany note if one of the ingredients is soy, which is the case most of the time. There are plant-based milks that don’t fit the application of regular animal milk. For instance, curdling or splitting of plant based milk in tea or coffee. But all these are minor technical issues that can be resolved with the right manpower, research, funding and support from the government.
As for individuals who are curious to know about the plant based industry, some of the Indian brands that you can try out are as follows:
1) Veggie Champ – Ahimsa Food, manufacturers of Veggie Champ mock meat boasts of a product basket that is a replacement for non-vegetarian food. Some of their products are salami, hotdog, fish fingers, burger patty, etc.
2) Vezlay – Vezlay Foods Pvt. Ltd. aims to provide nutritious, healthy and delicious soya based mock meat products in India. Some of their Ready to Cook products are Shawarma, Kebabs, Nuggets and Patty.
3) Good Dot – From curries to stir fries to wraps, their “meat” products can be used to replace traditional meat in any recipe. Good Dot products provide the taste, texture and protein in meat without creating any negative impact on your health environment or the animals.
4) Blue Tribe Foods – By using plant proteins from Peas and Soya, Blue Tribe’s products deliver greater or at least equal levels of protein than their animal-based counterparts. They have launched 2 products – Vegan Chicken Nuggets and Chicken Keema.
5) Good Mylk – Good Mylk is a Bangalore based startup that had started experimenting with almond, coconut, soy, quinoa and other mylks and now has every dairy product alternative, right from butter and yoghurt to plant based milk.
6) Urban Platter – This Mumbai based startup is the Amazon for plant based products. Urban Platter’s mission is to be the ingredients provider you need for health, diet or the culinary choice that you seek.
7) Milkin’Oats – With their recently launched Oat Milk and Vegan chocolate, Milkin’Oats is here to stay. They aim to become the market leaders in sustainable plant-based food that is affordable and accessible by all.
8) Chetran’s – Chetran’s is a small Pune based startup that manufactures soy milk based dairy products. Their products range from soy yoghurt and tofu to soy milk based shrikhand.
9) Epigamia – Epigamia recently released their coconut milk based yoghurt in various flavours and have also been manufacturing almond milk. This Mumbai based startup is all about the hype and flavours!
10) Bevry – Based out of Gurugram, Bevry is an Oat Milk based company that recently launched their vegan coffee range, made out of Oat Milk. They also offer their Oat Milk in vanilla-cinnamon, chocolate-hazelnut and sweet oat milk flavour.
For the betterment of our planet and our health, every consumer must take a wise decision to divorce animal products and reap the benefits of plant based products. Only if we strive for this together, can we bring about a change for good.
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