At Mewburn Ellis, we have been thinking about the future of food for some time. So have the Veganuary campaign, which envisions “a vegan world” that is both more sustainable and more equitable than that we currently inhabit, and challenges people to adopt a vegan diet throughout the month of January. It therefore seems like a natural fit for Mewburn to explore this animal-free future, and the technologies behind it, from the front lines.
As part of a special blog series, a number of our staff will be participating in the Veganuary challenge and sharing their experiences and insights, as well as exploring the ways technology and innovation in this field can help to bring this future about.
Giving up meat and dairy for a month may seem like a daunting prospect (your author certainly thinks so!), but it in a small way highlights the seriousness of the challenges faced by the global food system. This year, the world’s population surpassed 8 billion, whilst the cost of living crisis and the effects of climate change (as revealed by record-breaking summer temperatures) remind many of us in the West that we are not immune from these pressures. Ethics aside, animal agriculture remains a major factor in food security and sustainability, which forces us to seriously ask whether and how we can move beyond the farming of animals altogether. Meanwhile, the world of “post-animal” agriculture is undergoing a renaissance. Whether this is plant-based meat analogues, milk produced through precision fermentation, animal-free cultured meat and seafood, foods derived from fungi, or those seemingly conjured out of thin air, the view that an animal must die or be exploited in order to feed us is coming into question, even from those who are comfortable with the ethical issues this may raise.
As part of this series, we will be exploring these recent advances, the challenges ahead, and forecasting the innovations of the future. We will also be diving into the cultural and ethical questions and sustainability challenges of new animal-free foods, along with the emerging regulatory environment around them.
Richard Clegg, Managing Partner, is amongst those participating in the challenge:
We are really looking forward to Veganuary at Mewburn Ellis. Personally, this will be an interesting challenge for me to see how I find a month without meat. As a firm we are continuously looking at how we can improve our sustainability and it is clear that by reducing the amount of meat we consume we are helping the planet. We are pleased that so many people across our offices are giving this a go and we will be supporting them throughout January with recipe ideas and tips.
The obstacles faced by the food system are significant – much more so than foregoing cheese for a month! – but the opportunities for innovators are even greater still. This is an exciting time for the future of food, so pull up a chair, and let’s tuck in.
This blog was originally written by Andrew Tindall.
