Meat is Murder was the second album by The Smiths in 1985, when menus were simpler. These days, meat is muddled — the hamburger in a supermarket aisle or the chicken nugget in a fast-food restaurant may have come from an animal, be made of fungal protein, or soon be grown in a laboratory.
All beef was once, as the cowboys of the US Cattlemen’s Association euphemistically argue, “the flesh of a bovine animal” that was “born, raised and harvested in the traditional manner.” Most still is, but alternatives are multiplying, from plant-based burgers sold next to traditional ones in supermarkets, to KFC’s plan to develop vegetarian deep fried “chicken” in the UK.
Innovation is welcome. Vegetarian alternatives such as soy protein and Quorn have been around for a long time without seriously threatening the love consumers feel for the taste and texture of meat. Despite health concerns, global consumption of animal flesh has grown fourfold in the past 50 years, and Americans eat 50bn burgers a year, with developing countries catching up.