Ingredients in place for shift to plant-based diets – so why does meat still dominate?

Should I tuck into a juicy steak or stick a tofu patty in a bun and call it a burger? Twenty years ago, that question was largely seen as a moral dilemma influenced by grim conditions in factory farms and slaughterhouses. Back then, animal rights activists were the loudest campaigners arguing for people to abstain from meat. They had limited success because vegetarians and vegans made up less than 5% of the population in rich countries – and the best fake meats were bland replicas of real flesh. The word flexitarian had not yet made it into the dictionary. The debate has shifted sharply. The pollution from animal agriculture, which makes up 12-20% of planet-heating gas, is now part of public discourse around eating meat . A dramatic rise in rates of obesity and diseases linked to red meat have made health concerns part of individual decisions to eat less of it. Meanwhile, some plant-based alternatives have improved in texture and taste to the point where even meat lovers struggle to tell that they did not come from an animal. Milk alternatives are gaining popularity and are even seen in village cafes in far-right-voting areas of Germany. Photograph: Maddie Red Photography/Alamy In one sense, there is a powerful story of personal action to tell. The tiny market share of vegetarians in the early 2000s provided the demand that companies needed to invest in making substitutes taste better. …