The fraud-food fad came fast. But how long will the absurdity last? Many of the large corporate food chains have embraced the idea. The selling point is that eating lab meat is “good for the environment” … because … well cows fart, you see. And cow farts will cause the Earth to explode.
Bill Gates — Mr. Central Planner on Steroids — wants the first world to stop eating real food and switch to lab creations.1
“I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time. Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand.”
Of course, Gates is invested in all sorts of wacky companies purporting to be “green,” including Beyond Meats and Impossible Foods, among others. The corporate world thinks it must follow the likes of Gates and daddy Klaus Schwab into pretending to fight “social injustice” by partaking in what Klaus calls, “stakeholder capitalism,”2 aka woke capitalism. It is just another fancy term for a centrally controlled economy under the guise of rainbows and unicorns. We can look forward to a dystopian, collectivist, and technocratic nightmare regime if these global elites get their way. But as the smart kids say these days, “go woke, go broke.”
The McPlant Burger
McDonald’s and Beyond apparently announced a three-year partnership in early 2021. In mid-February 2022, the fast-food giant released the McPlant (its fake meat burger) out to roughly 600 locations for a test-run. Analyst research reported lackluster demand and disappointing sales. And Beyond’s stock has fallen 53% this year.3 Does this mean the McPlant is McDead in the U.S.? We shall see.
In a market where the CPI is to the moon, the price difference between these plant-based “meats” and real meat doesn’t help the cause. The price for the fake stuff is almost double.4
Jim Cramer has mentioned that buying Beyond’s stock “makes sense.”5 Those familiar with Jim Cramer should take that as a warning signal and run for the hills.
But, McDonald’s has apparently been successful selling McPlant burgers in some international markets, including Sweden, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, and the U.K. In May, Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said that the McPlant is selling well in the U.K. I can’t explain the mindset, or taste for that matter, of the British people, but I’ll remind my readers that notable British cuisine includes Jellied Eels, Haggis, Mushy Peas, Stargazy Pie, Spotted Dick (yes, that’s a real dish), and Black Pudding among other monstrosities.
Is Lab Meat Healthy?
Anyone who claims this fake food is healthy is disingenuous. Just because the name has the word “plant” in it doesn’t mean a thing. There’s a reason Beyond is looking to partner with fast-food chains. They’ve tested their products at Panda Express, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, unsuccessfully (so far). Dunkin Donuts, Hardee’s, and A&W have already discontinued Beyond’s products.
Back in high school, I wasn’t the tidiest person to say the least. My car was disgusting. Well, one day I decided to clean it and found a ~6-month-old half-eaten McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese underneath the driver’s seat. Don’t ask. The interesting thing about it was that the burger had no signs of decomposition — no mold, no ants … nothin’. It was hard as a rock like it had been mummified. Now I’m no nutritionist, but that doesn’t seem right. In my opinion, fast food is already poison to the body. So, adding Frankenstein’s factory food to the menu seems right up their alley.
Fake-Food’s Fate?
Back in May, I wrote about why I thought the fantasy of industrial fake meat was likely fueled by easy monetary policy. Easy money tends to trick investors and consumers into creating or consuming things that otherwise wouldn’t have a chance of making it in a sound-money world.
I still think the fake meat farce is destined to crash and burn. If the lab meat revolution fails to take hold, I’m certain Klaus Schwab and company will push “ze bug-burgers” next. Resist the absurdity.