This letter is in response to the November 30th article, “Cattlemen have a beef with fake meat”.
Although this article was based on an interview with a beef industry spokesperson, facts are still stubborn things. Eating “fake meat” isn’t quite the same as eating a plate of vegetables, but plant-based meat substitute products are still “better for consumers and better for the planet, requiring less land and water and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions than meat from cattle” according to a recent NYT article.
Most of the “cheap” meat available today is produced in factory farms or huge feedlots. Concentrated animal feeding operations, or factory farms, are a major contributor of excess phosphorus that has been fueling toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie and other waterways. This is a very serious threat to our safe drinking water.
I’d like to encourage your readers to try some “fake meat” or maybe even adopt Meatless Mondays, not only for their own personal health but also to protect Mother Earth.
Vickie Askins
Cygnet
