‘Let them eat lentils’ won’t save us from animal farming — we must embrace meat substitutes

Our insatiable appetite for meat is laying waste to the planet. But the alternative is looking (and tasting) better by the day

The new products — plant-based, microbial and cell-cultured meat and dairy — are not aimed at vegans, but at the far greater number who like the taste and texture of animals.

Do you hate the idea of animal-free meat? Many people do. Unsurprisingly, livestock farmers are often furiously opposed. More surprisingly, so are some vegans: “Why can’t people eat tofu and lentils, like me?”

Well, the new products — plant-based, microbial and cell-cultured meat and dairy — are not aimed at vegans, but at the far greater number who like the taste and texture of animals. Many others instinctively recoil from the idea of food that seems familiar, but isn’t.