We’ve watched this narrative forming for years even as other meat alternatives failed. Plant-based proteins, once so popular that entire restaurants and grocery stores carried them exclusively, have rapidly faded in popularity the last couple of years. According to Canary Media:

In 2022, U.S. plant-based meat sales declined for the first time — 8 percent by volume. Beyond Meat, a behemoth in the sector and the supplier of McPlant patties, saw its stock price plummet 94 percent from its peak in 2020 as sales slid more than 20 percent last year. The company laid off one-fifth of its employees last fall.

Insect-based proteins have failed to capture mainstream popularity as standalone products but there is a relatively new push to introduce it into people’s diet without them even knowing it. “Acheta Protein” is cricket powder and is becoming increasingly present as an ingredient in common foods. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans don’t read the ingredients in what they eat and most who do have no idea what’s in “Acheta Protein.”

Whether it’s through climate change, attacks on “corporate” farms, bird flu, or fearmongering “health” warnings, meat in general is under attack and beef is the primary target. In recent months, we’ve seen a sharp rise in gaslighting and propaganda that not only disparages beef, but also promotes the concept of lab-grown “meat”.

An article in July’s “Nature” describes how scientific breakthroughs are allowing cultured meat to taste more like real beef. According to the article:

Although previous research has explored ways to advance cultured-meat production, mimicking the structures of familiar products such as meatballs, these studies often “don’t really focus on the ‘organoleptic’ — sense — properties, especially flavour and taste”, says Lee.

When conventional meat is cooked at high temperatures, it undergoes the Maillard reaction — its amino acids and sugars react with each other, giving the meat its recognizable aroma and taste. But because cultured meat has a different amino-acid profile to conventional meat, it doesn’t react to the same extent.

To try to rectify this, Lee and her colleagues developed a compound that could be added to cultured meat, containing furfuryl mercaptan — a product of the Maillard reaction known to contribute to a savoury flavour profile — along with substances that would help it to bind to the meat and keep it from breaking down. They engineered the compound to be ‘switchable’, meaning that the flavour would be released when the meat was heated to 150 °C.

They were also keen to ensure that the compound was compatible with the cell-culturing process. They incorporated it into a hydrogel: a jellylike material that can be used as a scaffold for stem cells as they grow into muscle tissue and become more meat-like.

In layman’s terms, lab-grown “meat” isn’t really like beef because it’s made up of different components but they’re using genetic modifications and chemicals to make it mimic the real thing. That doesn’t exactly sound safe, let alone appetizing.

Prepper All-Naturals, a long-term storage beef company, has vowed to never allow genetically modified anything into their products. They will not allow cultured meat to enter their facilities; only Texas born and Texas raised grass fed cattle are used to produce their survival food. And if (when?) government mandates the use of lab-grown meats, they have sworn to shut down the company altogether.

To keep their steaks all-natural while making them shelf-stable for decades, the company follows a unique process. Their cattle are butchered and hand-carved. The meat is cooked sous vide, then freeze dried over a 30-hour process. It is then packaged in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers to maximize longevity.

There is only one ingredient: beef. Their process allows a 25-year shelf life without the use of any other ingredients. They don’t even add salt. This allows their Ribeyes, NY Strips, Tenderloins, and Sirloins to be available for just about any American’s diet.

Prepper All-Naturals has extended their Independence Day Sale for a limited time. Use promo code “freedom35” to receive 35% off at checkout.