9/15/2023 0 Comments Beyond meat stock discussionThere are still opportunities for conventional beef production to improve its carbon footprint. Meanwhile, the US is still home to the same number of cows. As people stay closer to home and rely less on cars and planes to travel, air pollution has plummeted. Plant-based food companies often say that cows are a leading cause of climate change, but coronavirus has led to some interesting observations about the biggest sources of GHG emissions. Bananas are already facing a fungal disease that has been estimated by some outlets as having the potential to decimate the world’s banana crop. Unlike diversified farms, monocultures cannot offset or absorb the impact of a major issue disrupting the production of a crop that it produces. From cold storage facilities to truck drivers to food processing plant workers, many points throughout the large-scale supply chain will be impacted.Ī monoculture dependent system also puts our food supply at serious risk by relying on a handful of inputs to produce massive quantities of processed food. With so many critical mid-stream points affected by coronavirus through closures or less employee power, getting monoculture-derived food from the field to consumers’ tables becomes nearly impossible. The chain is also only as strong as its weakest link. First, it increases exposure and makes it easier for viruses to spread as several humans come into contact with the growing, harvesting, processing, distribution, manufacturing, and retail of food products. Although the large-scale industrialized food system was meant to provide more abundant food throughout the world, it creates certain weaknesses. Plant-based protein companies rely on monocultures of peas and soybeans shipped long distances to factories where the ingredients are processed into different products, packaged, and shipped across the United States. Monocultures are also susceptible to pandemicsĮven if we set aside plant-based protein’s inability to provide us with the same vital nutrients humans have thrived on for millions of years, it’s also important to point out that plant-based protein companies are building their businesses on the same industrialized food chain that has left so many store shelves empty. By and large, when parents are faced with the prospect of being unable to shop for groceries they don’t choose plant-based burgers that cost twice as much as grass-fed beef, they choose animal proteins. There is also a lot of anecdotal information suggesting that vegan foods and plant-based alternatives quickly fall out of vogue when the prospect of food shortages loom. Yet several weeks into the coronavirus outbreak major plant-based product makers have been relatively silent about how the products they peddled as a panacea for our protein needs can help offset the crisis’ impact.Īlthough there’s no way to know exactly what everyone is panic-buying during coronavirus, retail meat sales surged 77% during the month of March as Americans prepared to quarantine with fresh beef sales climbing 9.8% alone. Beyond Meat has also touted many similar messages about how cattle are causing massive environmental damage. When competitor company Impossible Foods made its debut it’s branding message was clear: eating plant-based can save the planet. When you dig deeper into the inability of plant-based protein to address a global pandemic, Goldman Sachs’ decision makes a lot of sense. Beyond Meat, which debuted as a Wall Street success, is hitting some stock exchange speed bumps following Goldman Sachs’ report that it has downgraded Beyond Meat’s stock rating to sell.
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