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To m(eat), or not to m(eat)? That is the question…
To eat meat or not; that is the question!
The way that our food is produced, starting from the land to either direct consumption, or further processing, is the results of centuries of development leading to stronger plants and animal breeds. We as humans were able to ‘harvest’ more and more efficiently as time went, leading to higher productivity. However, food production also comes with a number of down-sides, since it is impactful on the world that we live in.
Especially the production of meat has not only a big effect, but also comes with ethical consequences. The big question that we will try to address in this science café is whether eating meat is something we should keep on doing, or not. Our two speakers will discuss with us alternatives for meat, as well as the ethical aspects related to that and how we can achieve responsible innovations that are needed in a sustainable world.
Dr. Birgit Dekkers is the co-founder of Rival Foods. After her studies in human nutrition, with a specialization in Food Technology, she continued with a PhD project in which she structured plant proteins to mimic the structure of meat. This was the basis for the company that she founded, and that has set itself as task to make meat replacers that can almost not be distinguished from the original. She has been named one to today’s Change Makers.
Prof. Bart Gremmen is a professor in ethics in Life Sciences at Wageningen University. Within his research group he addresses animal ethics, biotechnology, precision agriculture, and ethics of innovation. As a starting point for his work, he takes how we generally work within science and technology, and questions himself how the current challenges in agriculture in relation to responsible innovation can be addressed in an ethical way.