“I think eventually these products will be very good, even though their share is small today.”

Business magnate Bill Gates has said that fake meat products will eventually be a “very good” option for consumers, especially for those not willing to go vegan or plant-based but looking to reduce their climate impact

The billionaire turned philanthropist made the comments on the social news website Reddit.

According to Gates, innovations like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which are plant based food options that range from burger to chicken nugget alternatives, and the food technology company, Upside Foods, which takes animal cells to then grow meat in a laboratory environment, are crucial steps for reducing animal agriculture’s impact on climate change.

Hosting his annual Ask Me Anything session, Gates answered several questions around these issues. One user asked: “What’s your view on veganism/plant-based diets as a means to reduce climate impact? Also, how can this be educated to people on a wider scale on how to make this choice? Today we have a lot of subsidies for meat/dairy to make them affordable for people and that certainly doesn’t help either.”

“There are companies making ‘beef’ in new ways and people working to still use cows but reduce the methane emissions,” Gates replied.

Gates’ investments in fake meat companies

The 67-year-old, who is an investor in Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Upside Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats) has always promoted ‘synthetic’ meat products as a solution to climate change.

He said: “I have backed a number of innovators in this space, including Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods and Memphis Meats.I think eventually these products will be very good, even though their share is small today.”

He further added that he was less optimistic about the likelihood of the general public turning to veganism to save the climate.

“For people who want to go vegan that is great but I don’t think most people will do that,” he noted.

Gates went on to emphasize that what matters most when it comes to tackling climate change is to find solutions that are cost effective, no matter which industry is being discussed.

“The key on climate is making the clean products as cheap as the dirty products in every area of emission — planes, concrete, meat etc,” Gates explained.

“This is the only way we can ask all the countries in the world to change. If it costs a lot extra we won’t succeed.”

In addition, he stated “climate innovation” is one of the four things he is excited about in 2023.

Is fake meat the future?

Gates’s comments regarding fake meat products come as shares of Beyond Meat plunged nearly 80% in 2022 amid falling consumer demand.

Meanwhile, back in November, the FDA cleared laboratory-grown meat for human consumption, marking the agency’s first approval.

This means that Upside Foods will be able to bring its “cultivated chicken” products to the market once it has been inspected by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

• Read: Climate change labels on food can change eating habits, study shows

⁠ Caption: Bill Gates predicts fake meat and plant-based foods will ‘eventually’ be ‘very good’

Mohsina Dodhiya

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