Spain's Table Steaks (clip)

Beef production has a considerable effect on climate change due to emissions of greenhouse gases according to a report from WWF. Research shows that ruminant livestock account for between 7% and 18% of global methane emissions from human-related activities.

To reduce emissions from the livestock sector, it is necessary to reduce its production and consumption, and this responsibility belongs to both producers and consumers. Added to this, there’s an ethical component such as giving these animals a fair and dignified treatment when raising them, instead of the industrial production model that is the most common in the beef production sector. In addition to this, new voices have emerged in recent years that propose other alternatives to meat consumption without even entering the livestock production equation.

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

(Carla) It's your turn for spa day.

(José) Exactly.

This...

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.

(Carla) 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.

Yeah, it's coming, it's coming.

- 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?

(Carla) 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.

(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?

In this one, you have
around 65-70% of water;

in terms of protein, you have around 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 alternatives to meat.

It doesn't need to be eating,
you know, pills,

as 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 (2021)

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.

Mmm...

I like it.

I don't think I was expecting
it to be so similar to meat as it is.

(Mateu) It actually tastes
much better now cooked.

than when we tried it raw.

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.