Virgin billionaire Richard Branson has written a blog post saying plant-based and clean meat will be the norm – within three decades.
According to the business magnate, animal slaughter will be unnecessary because of advances in the technology of protein alternatives – and we will be ‘shocked’ at how many living beings we killed for food.
Investor
Branson, who has invested in clean meat startup Memphis Meats, wrote: “In 30 years or so, I believe we will look back and be shocked at what was the accepted way we killed animals en masse for food.
“I think that in the future clean and plant-based meat will become the norm, and in 30 years it is unlikely animals will need to be killed for food anymore. “
He added that with companies like Memphis Meats developing a way to produce meat from animal cells ‘there will be no need to feed, breed and slaughter animals’.
Plant-based
He believes plant-based protein is also key in changing our impact, writing: “I have tried plant-based proteins that taste as good if not better than meat and these are becoming more widely available already.
“It’s no surprise that the meat and dairy substitutes industry is predicted to be worth $40 billion by 2020.”
Branson is not believed to be vegetarian or vegan – though he claimed he stopped eating cows because of the environmental impact of beef production.