India is home to some of the world’s choicest chicken, mutton and fish dishes; it also happens to have one of the lowest rates of meat consumption, globally. Over the years, we have perfected the art of substituting meat with vegetarian options. But now, increasingly, Indians are not alone in seeking out vegetarian options.

The rise of alternative plant-based vegetarian meats has led to companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat being valued as multibillion-dollar businesses. The alternative protein sector raised $3.1 billion from investors in 2020, reported Vox.

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What is vegetarian meat?

While vegetarian burgers have existed for a long time, the new growth has been mostly driven by demand for plant-based meat. Also known as vegan meat, meat substitute, mock meat, meat alternative, imitation meat, or vegetarian meat, plant-based meat, instead of being harvested from real animals, are made from plant products like legumes and lentils. These products are designed and produced to imitate the texture, taste, colour, smell and mouthfeel of real meat.

Companies have started offering alternative meats to replicate meat products like beef, poultry, and pork.

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Why are plant-based meats becoming popular?

The increasing number of people following veganism as a lifestyle, the practice of abstaining from animal products, is of course driving the growth of plant-based meat.

But one of the bigger drivers of growth is the decision of alternative meat companies to promote their products to not just vegans, vegetarians and others of a similar bent, but also to traditional meat-eaters.

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The unsustainable practices of traditional animal rearing to keep up with the global demand for meat has been identified as one of the major factors behind environmental problems like excessive emissions, deforestation, and shrinking wildlife spaces.

Alt ‘meat’ is also a big draw for those who are increasingly concerned about the climate meltdowns around us, which cannot be denied anymore.

And there’s also lab-grown meat

Continuing research into lab-grown meat, where animals cells are used to grow meat inside a laboratory so that meat can be harvested without needing to kill any living animal has also generated a lot of interest in alternative meats.

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(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)