Very few foods say more about how we identify ourselves than beef.
I'm talking hamburgers on the Fourth of July,
ribeye on a fancy occasion,
brisket for Rosh Hashanah,
or honestly, refusing to eat beef altogether.
These strong feelings might just be why people keep eating beef.
Even as we learn more about how much it costs the environment,
our health
or, as we saw with the pandemic,
our extremely fragile supply chains.
We traveled to Spain to meet people,
asking the questions that beef lovers all over the world are wondering,
where the hell do we go from here?
TABLE STEAKS
It's your turn for spa day.
Exactly.
Look at how he is.
He was nervous and now he's...
relaxed.
They love it, you know?
And it also makes the fat
that is under their skin
turn to muscle.
You like that, uh?
Free massage.
(Carla) Here, on the plains of northern Spain,
José Gordon is raising 300 very happy cattle.
I can't reach.
Thanks.
They spend their days roaming freely and feasting on a special diet of grass,
acorns, and local grains.
Let them come and eat from your hand.
- Whoa. - Don't be scared.
- Don't be afraid. - Like this?
Yeah.
That's a little salad.
Gordon's herd go on to become beef
that many consider to be the best in the world.
Most cattle are slaughtered at age, one or two.
Gordon waits until his are sometimes as old as 20.
(Carla) With these animals,
it must be hard to slaughter them.
Yes, it's very tough.
On the other hand,
what you're creating is a very special energy, right?
The care Gordon gives his herd
is nothing like the treatment they receive at factory farms.
But growing International demand for beef,
especially cheap options,
has made industrial methods the norm
while also driving the market to be worth more than 300 billion dollars.
And it's come at another cost.
Beef is estimated to be responsible
for more than 15% percent of the world's total carbon emissions.
In the Amazon cattle, farming is the leading cause of deforestation.
In the Amazon, cattle farming is the leading cause of deforestation.
(Carla) What do you think is the future of the meat industry?
(Gordon) I think that for the meat industry's future,
we must realize that we have to produce quality meat.
I think the meat world has to take a turn and start being more conscientious.
(Carla) For many people around the world learning more about what's on their plate
and how it got there,
raises a question about the future of meat.
Should it not include meat at all?
NOVAMEAT is a start-up banking on people searching for alternatives.
The Barcelona-based company is producing steaks through 3D printing,
a method that's completely animal-free
and designed to simulate the taste and texture of the real thing.
Wow, it's amazing.
How long does it take to print a whole steak?
Depends on the size. This one is about 40 minutes.
What are the exact ingredients that go into it?
This one, you have around 65-70% of water.
In terms of protein, you have 25%.
It's a mixture of yellow pea protein, rice protein, and then we have some oils.
So, as you can see,
the big advantage is that you can get the texture of a piece of meat,
and it's surprising because it's composed by all plant-based ingredients.
I got to say, this looks a bit like chewing gum,
but I can see that the end result is quite different as the look-like meat.
Can you imagine a future without meat?
Actually, the future of meat
will be composed not only of meat, but of alternative to meat.
It doesn't need to be eating, you know, pills and what we've seen in some movies.
*One place that's porting NOVAMEAT's vision is the restaurant Disfrutar.
It was named one of the top ten restaurants in the world last year (2020)
and is led by three chefs who like to experiment in their creative lab.
(Eduard) This week, we've been trying the "meat"
and we've again noted that it's important to cook it
with good virgin olive oil.
Okay, this is the moment of truth.
We've just cooked three different meats, and I'm about to try one.
Very exciting.
Mmmm...
I like it.
I don't think I was expecting to it to be so similar to meat as it is.
(Mateu) It actually tastes much better now cooked.
than when we tried it raw.
(Carla) Obviously, it doesn't taste like a steak, but it's really close.
(Carla) José Gordon's restaurant, much like his farm,
remains rooted in tradition.
But tradition is exactly where he thinks he'll find the future of meat.
(José) This fat has accumulated slowly for a long time.
They are a by-product of well-being, of good care.
Of a good life.
Wow.
Just to enjoy this moment.
Such pressure!
This is so delicious!
The best of my life.
What do you think of people trying to produce vegetable meat?
(José) When we twist authenticity a little bit--
what the essence is,
the origin,
the past, all this--
for me, this is painful.
I think we must have respect.
Maybe those alternatives are sustainable.
(José) Well, I think that blaming the cows now
for the problems of the world is quite bold.
I think before we'd have to solve
things that are much more important.
I'd prefer that with myself, that my death made some sense.
That is gave someone enjoyment.
This is what this animal does.