We love meat so much that we slaughtered almost 400,000 heads of cattle during the celebration of Idul Adha, the Islamic Day of Sacrifice, last year. That said, Indonesian meat consumption is relatively low at 11.6 kg per capita, which compares to 25.8 kg in neighboring Thailand and 52.3 kg in Malaysia.

Besides, this may not be a competition we want to win in. Keeping up with this much demand for beef in the future is not going to be sustainable for the climate. The greenhouse gas emission intensity to produce 200 kcal of beef is 24 kg CO₂ eq (equivalent), which is similar to burning around 8 kg of coal into the air. Imagine burning 8 kg of coal every time you eat a regular beef steak! For comparison, the emission intensity to produce an equivalent amount of chicken meat is much lower at around 6 kg CO₂ equivalent. This data represents the results of a life-cycle analysis that tried to track the full range of emissions along the beef value chain (including transportation, feed, etc.).

According to the World Economic Forum, it is impossible for a global population of 10 billion people to eat the amount of meat typical of western diets without breaking the agreed Sustainable Development Goals for the environment and climate.

Since this is a global issue, we need to contribute to the effort of reducing beef consumption. One way is by keeping an open mind and stomach to plant-based meat. Plant-based meat comes entirely from vegetable proteins, and its greenhouse gas emissions are significantly lower (around 2 kg CO₂ eq per 200 kcal) than animal meat.

But plant-based meats would only be accepted by masses when it tastes and feel like you are eating animal meat. Plant-based products in popular fast food chains like Beyond Fried Chicken (KFC), and Impossible Whopper Burger (Burger King) still receive mixed reviews, with consumers saying it is too crumbly, a little bit dry, or just does not taste like real meat. However, I strongly believe that in the future this will not be a problem anymore.

In academia, universities are awarded millions of dollars in grants and sponsorships to conduct research on various vegetable proteins, natural flavors and processes to make the perfect meat mimic. Who is to say that proteins from Indonesian local produce such as kacang koro, or young jackfruit, cannot be a potential ingredient? Research shows that the protein content of kacang koro is higher than soybean (a common protein isolate in plant-based meat), whereas young jackfruit already has that fibrous texture of chicken meat.

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