What Meatheads Want
When fast food restaurants jumped on board the faux meat bandwagon alarm bells must have gone off for the “real” meat industry. Veggi-burgers used to have all the appeal of a warmed hockey puck, but these new plant based burgers, sausages, etc. have demonstrated a broad appeal well beyond hardcore vegetarians. So, the meat boys (and girls) are fighting back, even enlisting their pals in Congress to insure that faux meat has to bear a scarlet “I” on every label or package.
Next-generation vegan "meat" like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat has become so popular, it’s available or being tested at more than a dozen chain restaurants ranging from Burger King and Dunkin’ to KFC. Now, some industry groups and others are pushing back.A pair of congressmen -- one Democrat and one Republican -- have introduced the Real MEAT Act of 2019, which would require faux-meat companies to use the word "imitation" on packaging.
There is no evidence that anyone is buying an “Impossible Burger” under the assumption that the “meat” between the buns came from a cow. But, the cattlemen are certain that their cows are being cheated of their assigned fate at the slaughterhouse.
“A growing number of fake meat products are clearly trying to mislead consumers about what they’re trying to get them to buy,” Jennifer Houston, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says in a statement.
Last week, the food industry-backed Center for Consumer Freedom ran a full-page ad in The New York Times with the headline, "What's Hiding in Your Plant-Based Meat?" The ad blasts vegan meats as "ultra-processed imitations with dozens of ingredients."
On the other hand, faux meat is also missing some key ingredients.
Nutritionally, plant-based meat is lower in fat and offers fiber that red meat doesn't have, without any of beef's cholesterol. It also won't have antibiotics or animal hormones, which are often found in beef.
Tastes good and might be better for you than real meat. Let's ask the cows how they feel.
A Dogs Life Just Got Better
It’s hard to imagine any ballot measure in Texas that would garner 94% approval, but this one did. An amendment to the state constitution that allows retired police dogs to be adopted by their handler or another qualified individual, at no cost to them, won this overwhelming public support. Prior to the adoption of this amendment police dogs that were unable to continue to do police work were considered surplus equipment – potentially auctioned off, but often euthanized.
Shortly after becoming sheriff, Skinner was tasked with deciding the fate of two “old and ailing” two K-9s in his department—an experience that led him to partner with sheriffs in neighboring counties to champion changes to the state constitution.
Some Texas law enforcement officials found ways of working around the antiquated law. In Austin, reports the Statesman’s Nicole Cobler, the police department sells retired dogs to their handler or another employee for just $1. Skinner, meanwhile, kept the two dogs up for retirement on the books but off active duty. Although this measure allowed the K-9s and their handlers to stay together, Brulliard writes that it prevented the department from recruiting replacement dogs. Other Texas departments have followed the letter of the law, euthanizing or auctioning off retired police pups.
It’s not often I find anything in Texas politics with which I agree, but this is certainly one of them.
Giving Natural Gas the Boot
Cities all over the US are studying and, in some cases, implementing ordinances to eliminate the use of natural gas in homes and businesses. These ordinances don’t impact existing natural gas installations but restrict the installation of natural gas lines for new construction. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are inherent in the production and use of natural gas. Berkeley, California was the first US city to put a natural gas ban in place, but they won’t be alone for long.
…Now San Francisco is following suit along with 12 other California cities and Marin County in California, including San Jose, Santa Monica, San Luis Obispo, Palo Alto, and Mountain View, according to Sierra Club.
Major American cities, including Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Albuquerque are considering similar ordinances to discourage the use of natural gas. Cities in Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington are also considering an all-electric requirement…
Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the American Gas Association, said, "The idea that denying access to natural gas in new homes is necessary to meet emissions reduction goals is false. In fact, denying access to natural gas could make meeting emissions goals harder and more expensive.
"Another industry group, the American Public Gas Association, hopes to boost support for natural gas among 25- to 44-year-old homeowners with ads showing people enjoying hot showers, cooking on gas stoves and relaxing by a fire pit, Reuters reported.
"We are trying to get ahead of it," said Stuart Saulters, the association's director of Government Affairs. "We think there is a chance this can domino."
Yes, saving the planet is an idea that might domino.
Kochs Want to Kill EVs — What a Surprise
It turns out that the cars last five times as long and cost a fraction to maintain. The cars spend less time in the garage, don't need oil changes and other services. They are "blazing far past the 100,000-mile mark after which most fleets sell off cars to keep down the total maintenance costs.
"Silly things are big expenses, like those fancy retractable door handles at $1500 a pop. The battery capacity of one car, at 330,000 miles, has dropped 23 percent. But 330K is way more than most cars ever drive, and Sonnad of Tesloop notes that Tesla has figured a lot of these problems out.
Auto manufacturers are going to go through a difficult transition and some of them may not survive intact. EVs are simpler to assemble (despite Tesla’s ramp-up pains) so auto worker jobs will be jeopardized. Automotive supply chains will go through a complex transition. Auto dealerships will struggle as their assured stream of maintenance revenue shrinks. The same can be said of a whole raft of supply chain and independent repair and services providers.
Heineken Dumps Plastic
A spokeswoman for the Marine Conservation Society said: “This is an interesting development [from Heineken] and will help cut down the amount of plastic on our beaches and in our seas. These kinds of can yokes are regularly found on our beach cleans.”
Heineken’s is actually one of the last major brewers to announce alternative packaging for their product. Last year, in a quest to find an alternative, Carlsberg announced plans to replace rings with recyclable glue.
Diageo has started phasing out plastic packaging from multipacks of its Guinness, Harp, Rockshore and Smithwick’s beers and replacing it with cardboard packs.
In September, Budweiser said it was removing single-use plastic pack rings from its entire range of UK-produced beer – which include the bestselling brands Stella Artois, Budweiser and Bud Light – by the end of 2020.
Also posted at Just Save One.