Will hemp take over the plant-based food market?

Meat consumption is increasing worldwide (starting with the USA). The American market alone is worth around US$270 billion annually, with a global market value of around US$1.5 trillion. Unfortunately, this is also an industry that is increasingly unsustainable from a climate change perspective – forget the moral issues involved. As Mr. Rogers famously said, he couldn’t eat anything a mother had.

Less prosaically, cow farts are the most important agricultural source of greenhouse gases. Each cow emits about 220 pounds of methane annually. As a result, reducing methane emissions by switching the planet to animal-protein-free alternatives is also seen as the greatest opportunity to slow global warming in a relatively short 20 years. Given that this single source also accounts for about a third of man-made methane emissions, this is a significant concern. Especially since other environmental efforts to curb the looming climate emergency — like the shift to solar and other fossil-free energy sources — are still so politically problematic.

That’s also a powerful statement in a world now suffering from (another) global heatwave this summer.

In Germany, where reform of recreational cannabis is pending, the issue is receiving serious attention. Not to mention some funding. Last year, for example, the University of Hohenheim (in Stuttgart) received a grant of one million euros from the state government to investigate how hemp could replace protein-rich foods – from schnitzel to tofu to pasta.

Notwithstanding its “crunchy” reputation, the animal protein sector is also a very significant market. 40 percent of the meat substitutes currently produced worldwide are sold throughout Europe. This is one of the reasons why the EU has actually moved quite quickly on this aspect of cannabis reform. This market is expected to reach approximately $28 billion globally by 2025. This is good news for early adopters who are making the move to vegan alternatives for health and environmental reasons – forget the economic incentives. The more mainstream, the faster widespread adoption will be. That’s good news too. The more animal slaughter can be reduced, the fewer animals are bred for this purpose.

The superfood with high protein content

There are many wondrous aspects of the cannabis plant. One of them is that hemp seeds are a superfood full of vitamins and other nutrients. In addition, the seeds of the hemp plant can contain up to 25% protein, making them similar to egg whites. The seeds also contain all the essential amino acids and are easy to digest. The end result produces a chewy, meat-like texture that is highly satisfying to consumers.

Not every strain of hemp, at least according to German research during this study so far, brings the desired results. The scientists involved in the study are currently cultivating 20 varieties of hemp in test plots.

The idea is to create a nationwide supply chain across Europe while increasingly locating Baden-Württemberg’s local food self-sufficiency in the south-west corner of the country, bordering on France and Switzerland. It’s a part of the world known for some globally recognized symbols, including the Black Forest and the headquarters of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.

More German is hardly possible.

However, this is just one example of the hemp-based protein replacement craze to come. The entrepreneurial efforts needed to drive market demand beyond the laboratory are now scattered across Europe. In Estonia, one company even has a pretty catchy name for their product – Crump. It probably tastes like chicken, although it’s designed as a “protein crumble” meant to replace ground beef.

Beyond Europe, the trend is clearly global. A New Zealand-based company called Leaft Foods received $15 million in funding this spring to expand its product line to include not only beef but other animal-based protein substitutes.

Can Cannabis Help Heal the Planet?

There is no panacea for global warming – or environmental disasters caused by the industries of the Industrial Revolution and 20th Century. However, the much-maligned cannabis plant seems to hold many of the answers. From helping detoxify tracts of land devastated by gold mining, to reducing the first world’s reliance on animal protein – and of course beyond that to the medicinal potency of the plant – cannabis is starting what many expect for the next decade see as a global triumph.

It’s not difficult to understand why. The mandate to limit global warming is evident (again) this summer – even as several countries struggle politically in a world with much more expensive fossil fuels. Cannabis reform is creating a different narrative around such issues – from energy to meat substitutes, beyond medicine.

One thing is for sure. If there were a plant with the power to heal, if not fix, the world, it would be plain old Cannabis sativa.