Fake meat ‘paving the way for NZ’
Taranaki dairy farmer Trish Rankin used to worry about the rise of plantbased proteins. Not any more.
Now she sees alternative proteins paving the way for Kiwi farmers to market their meat and dairy to consumers who just want to do one thing ‘‘better’’.
‘‘Things like the Impossible Burger are not aimed at vegetarians and vegans, they are aimed at meat eaters who want a meal that is better for the environment, better for animal health and welfare, and lower in cholesterol.
‘‘Our meat and dairy ticks those boxes and when people start realising that they can make better choices without having to eat fake meat, that is where we can come in – we are the ‘possible’ to the Impossible customer.’’
Rankin’s revelation came while attending an agribusiness seminar at Harvard University, a trip partly funded by a scholarship she received as 2019 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
‘‘I would bring up something we were doing in New Zealand and people would look at me like I was crazy,’’ she said.
‘‘Nobody really knew New Zealand was pasture-based, that we are GMO- and growth hormone-free, and we aim to keep our animals in our herd year on year.
‘‘One person I spoke to said they just aimed to milk their big friesians three times a day, keeping them in barn stalls and feeding them GMO feed and growth hormones.’’
That story had made it easier to understand why some consumers were ditching traditional proteins in favour of products like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat.
‘‘Even I wanted to start eating vegetarian meals while I was there and I am a happy meat eater.’’
While New Zealand meat and dairy were in direct competition with alternative proteins, Rankin did not think that should worry farmers.
‘‘They are breaking ground for us and making people think about what they are eating. When people start looking for a premium, natural product, they will find it from New Zealand.’’
However, more needed to be done to promote the country’s meat and dairy, and that work would
Trish Rankin need to start at home, where Rankin said there had so far been ‘‘frustratingly little’’ consumer education.
‘‘Our own meat and dairy is ‘free from’ so many things that are standard in agriculture in other countries, why aren’t we covering our products in stickers and labels that say that?
‘‘We have to hit our own consumers first, then we can start to market ourselves properly overseas.’’
‘‘Nobody really knew New Zealand was pasture-based, that we are GMOand growth hormone-free and we aim to keep our animals in our herd year on year.’’