The consumption of red meat as a source of protein and fats has become a major concern to many people. This is because they believe that it contributes to high death rates due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes mellitus. This has therefore attracted attention from researchers who have carried out various researches to support the view or criticize it. The popular press article and scientific peer-reviewed article discuss the issue.
Comparison between the two articles
The scientific peer-reviewed article on Red meat consumption and mortality as well as the popular research article on red meat linked to high risk of premature death discuss the effect of red meat on human health through the research conducted. Through the research that was conducted in the two articles, there is evidence that raw, processed, or unprocessed red meat causes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and cancer (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
In both articles, the research analysis proves that those people who consume red meat increase the chances of premature deaths in their lives as compared to vegetarians. In the research, the sample that was used to collect data in the two articles is similar because they both used white men and women. In the two articles, the research took into account other risk factors such as the body mass index, age and the history of the family in relation to chronic diseases during the analysis (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the popular research article, the analysis shows that the percentage increase of premature deaths for those who consume processed meat such as a hot dog is higher than those people who consume unprocessed red meat. This is similar to the analysis in the scientific peer-reviewed article, which has the view that the increased risk of CVD and cancer mortality in those people who consume processed red meat is higher than the unprocessed red meat (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the scientific peer-reviewed article, the analysis shows that the consumption of red meat resulted in other effects of addiction like alcohol and smoking, which are harmful to human health. The popular press article indicates that those who eat red meat always have the urge of taking icy sodas, which cause other complications in human health such as heart diseases (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
In the popular press article, the analysis is not clear since it does not indicate the age bracket of the men and women who were used as the sample of the study. While in the case of the scientific peer-reviewed article, the analysis of the sample is clear since the age bracket is given that is 40-75 years for men and 30-55 years for women. This, therefore, shows that the analysis in the popular press article is not done well (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the popular press article, the information given lacks evidence because the research does not specify the sample of the study clearly and how the researcher collected the data for analysis. It also fails to explain how the assessment of meat consumption was done as well as the follow-ups to monitor the research that was conducted. The research fails to identify the components of red meat, which cause the effects stated in the study as is explained in the scientific peer-reviewed article. The solutions to the problem are provided like giving alternatives of healthy sources of proteins to red meat (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
Limitation of scientific peer-reviewed article
As much the scientific peer-reviewed article tries to specify the sample and explain the follow-up to ensure that the information collected is not biased there are loopholes left, which makes many researchers doubt the information given and conclusions arrived at after the study. The study in this case lacks a scientific base since in a scientific study the sample used to give the required data is usually of a randomized clinical trial where the participants are divided into two groups randomly.
The two groups should therefore match in terms of sex, age, health and any other factor considered to affect the results. One group is given medication as opposed to the other one, which is not treated. In RCT, there are other forms of treatment to apply to obtain unbiased information for the study more especially if the research is presumed to affect the human health (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
Due to the high costs of implementing the RCT many researchers result to observational study like in the scientific peer reviewed article where they used the cohort study to obtain the data for their analysis. In this kind of study, the sample was selected for a period of 22 years but the information collected was not valid since there was no prove of a cause-effect relationship. For example, between the red meat and the CVD, cancer or other behaviors like taking alcohol or smoking. For any scientific study, observation kind of study is not valid in collecting data to draw conclusions (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
Another limitation in the scientific peer reviewed article is that the sample selection was biased. The sample that was selected did not cater for all categories in terms of age. The women under the age of 30 years and men under the age of 40 years were not selected yet they consume red meat and suffer from diabetes mellitus as well as heart diseases. The age bracket was therefore a problem and this leads to more criticism on the data collected for analysis (Colditz et al., 1989).
During the random selection of the sample for the study, there was a problem in gender representation since the number of men in the study was not equal because women were many compared to men. In the cohort study, sample selection is specified as opposed to RCT where sample selection is done randomly and this result to inaccuracy in data collection.
In cohort study, the data obtained is inaccurate since the information collected is usually reported individually like what men and women did in the scientific peer reviewed study. At times, the information given in the Food Frequency Questions is not valid since people try to recall what they ate some days back hence giving wrong information (Colditz et al., 1989).
Correlation and causation is another limitation in the study since it is not always true to justify that A will cause B without any scientific prove to support the argument. This is because the information collected is not valid because there was biasness in gender selection, age and the data in the questionnaires was inaccurate.
The study is therefore based on invalid information because the information given in the Food Frequency Questionnaire by the HRT is exaggerated. The intake of some food was increased because they knew they are the healthiest foods and decreased the intake of those they thought were unhealthy like the red meat (Colditz et al., 1989).
Revised article
The original scientific peer article on the other hand failed to base the arguments on a scientific research. The observational study in this case is believed to generate hypotheses and that the information given about red meat cannot cause the effects stated. The hypothesis that red meat increases the rate of mortality could be viable if the research conducted could provide accurate information. For the information collected to be valid, the sampling must be done randomly and the gender and sex of the selected sample should be represented equally (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
The information is useful for study if the sample is selected at random. The sample is divided according to age, health history as well as gender. The information collected through RCT is regarded as genuine and can therefore be used to prove statements like A causes B but since RCT are costly to be implemented the study can be based on observation as long it proves that the associations between the cause and effect rely on valid data (Colditz et al., 1989).
Sample selection in terms of age or sex should not be biased for the data collected to be accurate. For instance, the age bracket for both men and women should be equal as well as the number to represent both women and men. The age bracket should not limit other people who consume meat and are within the bracket of the presumed hypothesis.
Sample bias will give inaccurate data, which will be used to draw invalid conclusions. For the information to draw accurate conclusions about the presumed hypothesis, all kinds of red meat for example raw red meat, processed red meat and unprocessed red meat should be given to the selected sample to obtain accurate data for analysis (Colditz et al., 1989).
The methodology of collecting the data should be realistic to give accurate information. For example, the Food Frequency Questionnaires used to collect data should be structured in a way that the information given is valid. The intervals of distributing the forms to collect the data should be realistic for the interviewee to give correct information without trying to remember what he/she consumed five days ago. The analysis should be clear to make the reader understand how the questionnaire has been structured and given responses (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
The analysis of the information collected should be explained clearly in details with enough evidence to support the arguments. The researcher should explain the association between the consumption of red meat and the effects. The analysis should state the components present in red meat and the presumed diseases. For example, the cholesterol and saturated fats from meat cause coronary heart diseases, which can be associated with CVD mortality (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the analysis, the article should explain the benefits derived from meat if consumed in smaller amount and the possible life span for such victims. The article gives insights on the effects on the people who do not consume red meat. In addition, there are alternatives where it is consumed to provide the proteins that one may lack in the absence of red meat consumption (Lee & Zheng, 2009). For instance, the study should state clearly the quantity of fish or eggs to be consumed to acquire the calories required in the body.
References
Colditz, G., Hunter, D., Rosner, B., Salvini, S., Sampson, L., Stampfer, M. & Willett, W. (1989). Food-based validation of a dietary questionnaire: The effects of week-to-week variation in food consumption. Int J epidemiol, 18(4):858-67.
Lee, S & Zheng, W. (2009). Well-done meat intake, heterocyclic amine exposure, and cancer risk. Nutr cancer, 61(4), 437-446.
The following paper analyzes the coverage of lab manufactured meat in eleven different articles from a selection of online and traditional media as well as academic journals.
The articles range in date from 2005 through to 2011 and cover various elements of the issues surrounding lab manufactured or in vitro meat, including the ethical concerns, the economic ramifications, the scientific viability of lab manufactured meat and the perceived environmental benefits of this technology.
The report found that the portrayal of lab manufactured meat in the media spent the balance of coverage on the so-called yuck factor, namely, that lab manufactured meat does not come from a real animal, but from a laboratory; this coverage skewed the reader unfavourably toward the environmental and ethical benefits of lab manufactured meat.
Introduction/Background
The purpose of this research is threefold: one, the research seeks to ascertain how lab manufactured meat is portrayed in the media, specifically in regard to its environmental benefits, and how these perceived benefits measure up against the palatability of in vitro meat to the current meat eating consumer.
Two, the research seeks to uncover the facts about lab manufactured meat what is it, how is it made and what are the pros and cons associated with this burgeoning food industry. Thirdly, this report aims to identify the viability of lab manufactured meat as a replacement for mass meat or factory farming, with an eye to cost effectiveness, ethical elements, the impact to labour worldwide and effective management of the finite resources associated with the mass meat farming techniques, particularly water, grazing areas and reduction of green house gas production.
The technology associated with lab manufactured meat has been around since the 1980s. Essentially lab manufactured meat takes stem cells from a biopsy of a live animal, or a piece of flesh from a slaughtered animal, and [places] them in a three-dimensional growth medium a sort of scaffolding made of proteins.
Bathed in a nutritional mix of glucose, amino acids and minerals, the stem cells multiply and differentiate into muscle cells, which eventually form muscle fibres. Those fibres are then harvested for a minced-meat product (Raizel, 2005, p.76).
Lab manufactured meat is created within a piece of equipment called a bioreactor, a fancy name for something as small as a Petri dish or as large as an industrial 10,000 litre vessel. Producing the tissue takes between four and five weeks, whether or not you are making one kilogram or one tonne (Lee, 2010, p.6).
The science around lab manufactured meat is still in its infancy; lab manufactured is expensive to produce and currently a means to mass produce lab manufactured meat does not exist. One kilogram (2.2 pounds) of in vitro meat costs thousands of dollars to grow, with much of that money spent on the broths ingredients. [Scientists] &predict that the expenses will come down in about 10 years and that in vitro meat could sell for as little as $1 per kilogram (Jozefowicz, 2007, p. 7).
Lab manufactured meat offers a real alternative to factory farming, and herein lies the issue at the heart of the research. According to Specter (2009) part of the motivation for growing meat in laboratories is animal welfare: billions of cows, chickens and pigs would no longer spend their lives force-fed grain and antibiotics or cooped up in factory farms (Specter, 2009, n.p.).
The mass meat farming industry generates billions of dollars per year and employs millions of individuals all over the globe. According to Steinfeld et al (2006) the livestock sector&accounts for 40 per cent of agricultural gross domestic product&it employs 1.3 billion people and creates livelihoods for one billion of the worlds poor. Livestock products [also] provide one third of humanitys protein intake (Steinfeld et al, 2006, p. 22).
Globally, the mass meat or factory farming industries utilize vast amounts of natural resources. According to Steinfeld et al (2006), the aggregate area of land allotted to grazing is equivalent to 26 per cent of the ice free terrestrial surface of the planet.
In addition, the total area dedicated to feed crop production amounts to 33 per cent of total arable land. In all, livestock production accounts for 70 per cent of all agricultural land (Steinfeld et al, 2006, p. 23). As the human population increases, the vast usage of resources will only continue to climb, causing more environmental damage in its wake.
Steinfeld et al (2006) state that 70 per cent of previous forested land in the Amazon is occupied by pastures and feed crops [cover] a large part of the remainder (Steinfeld et al, 2006, p. 23). All of this points to the fact that meat consumption has become problematic. According to Specter (2011) the global livestock industry is responsible for nearly twenty per cent of humanitys greenhouse-gas emissions.
Cattle consume nearly ten per cent of the worlds freshwater resources, and eighty per cent of all farmland is devoted to the production of meat. The consequences of eating meat, and our increasing reliance on factory farms, are almost as disturbing for human health (Specter, 2011, p. 32).
As an organization, the mass meat farming lobby gives voice to the millions of people who depend on this way of farming for their livelihoods the farmers themselves, the grocery stores that sell the meat to the consumer, the people that manufacture the farming equipment the list goes on (Miller, 2008, p.8).
Taken in global context the mass meat farming industry affects billions the world over; the mass meat farming industry is a structure based on collective and communal relationships&complex team structures&that eschew hierarchy in favour of flat organizational forms and structures that cross boundaries of time and space (Miller, 2008, p.10).
In this sense, the mass meat farming lobby can be thought of a more complex organization; the traditional way of mass meat farming that the meat industry supports has a social and political presence that lab manufactured meat would have a significant destabilizing effect upon. While it is true that lab manufactured meat can be produced by placing a few cells in a nutrient mixture that helps them proliferate&which could, in theory, be sold, cooked, and consumed like any processed meat, there are many other cultural, social and economic factors that this technology touches upon (Specter, 2011, p. 32).
Lab manufactured meat offers an opportunity for many of the more harmful elements of meats such as saturated fat to be chemically altered so that they are reduced or do not exist at all, which offers real benefit to the millions of people worldwide who suffer from obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure.
International patents have been issued for the development of this technology, and stakeholders from Europe and the U.S., propelled by an unlikely combination of stem-cell biologists, tissue engineers, animal-rights activists, and environmentalists, [have] emerged in support of scientific teams working at universities all over the globe (Specter, 2011, p. 32).
Lab manufactured meat triggers powerful discussions that reach far beyond the confines of the food industry, and affect what most people see as the boundaries of nature and the basic definitions of life (Specter, 2011, p. 32). The goal of lab manufactured meat, according to biologist Mark Post, is to create the volume previously provided by a million animals (Specter, 2011, p. 32).
Scientific goals aside, the moral and ethical debate growing around the implementation of lab manufactured meat may ultimately prove&intractable (Specter, 2011, p. 32).
Lab manufactured meat therefore is an issue with far reaching tentacles; the mass meat industry is truly a global organization. A change in the current factory farming practices would reverberate around the world and would affect labour and economic markets around the world (Miller, 2008, p.260)
Literature Review
Postdoctoral research fellow Jennifer Jacquet of the University of British Columbia states that eating less meat would relieve a bit of pressure on our sullied atmosphere by lightening the methane load&by roughly 10 kilowatt hours per daymore than double what youd save by changing lights to fluorescents (Jacquet 2009, n.p.).
However, environmental benefits aside, Jacquet (2009) finds that in vitro meat misses the point that eating meat itself is not only bad for the planet but bad for the human species. In Jacquets (2009) words, in-vitro meat does nothing to address the deeper, systemic issues of food productionwe should be getting more intimate with our food by growing gardens, eating locally, and getting healthy.
The Frankenmeat solution is one-dimensional. It addresses a symptom, but not the problem: We eat too much meat (Jacquet 2009, n.p.).
A number of articles in the review see lab manufactured meat as a way to end the cruelty associated with current modes of factory farming which are inherently harmful and destructive to animals, and encourage a view of animals that is exploitative, inhumane and dismissive of their sentient status. According to NPR.org (2011), there is something inherently creepy about&growing meat in labs&but there is something more inherently creepy about the way we deal with the animals that we eat&.
They live a horrible life, and they often die quite cruelly. So the idea of being able to eliminate some of that is extremely exciting for a lot of people (NPR.org, 2011, n.p.). Similarly, Lee (2010) points out that in vitro meat would&be free from hormones and antibiotics as well as contaminates such as salmonella and campylobacter.
Its fat content could be tightly controlled and, because you could have a bioreactor anywhere in the world, meat production could become more dispersed (Lee, 2010, p.7).
Several of the articles observed in this report go beyond the scientific and socio economic ramifications lab manufactured meat to draw attention to the wide spread cultural changes that this technology would exact if and when it is implemented fully.
Of particular concern for several publications is the whole scale change that lab manufactured meat would render between the fate of the farm, the farmer and the domestic animal. According to the New York Times (2008), there is every reason to change the way meat is produced, to make it more ethical, more humane.
But the result of the technology that PETA hopes to reward could be the end of domesticated farm animals. This has often seemed as if it were the logical conclusion of some radical animal-rights activists: better for animals not to exist at all if there is a chance that they would suffer (New York Times, 2008, p. 20).
Aside from this rather extreme editorial stance, the New York Times (2008) goes on to advocate a more measured approach. Ensure the least possible cruelty to animals&raise them in ways that are both ethical and environmentally sound. But also treasure the cultural and historical bond between humans and domesticated animals.
Historically speaking, they exist only because of the uses we have found for them, and preserving their existence means&preserving the uses we have made for them. It will be a barren world if the herds and flocks disappear in favour of meat grown in a laboratory tank (New York Times, 2008, p. 20).
Similarly, other articles broach the topic of the revolutionary changes that lab manufactured meat would engender in the food industry as whole. Culturally, the meat industry represents an ancient organization that holds ancient attitudes, beliefs, behaviours&and cultural consciousness about the nature of civilization itself (Miller, 2008, p. 261). According to Lee (2010):
In vitro meat bears no resemblance to food production as we know it it doesnt involve a farmer, land, or even a real animal. At the same time, when considered next to the factory farms exposed in films like Food Inc. or Pig Business it is cruelty-free, low carbon and potentially environmentally-friendly.
What we would stand to lose with cultured meat is the whole idea of provenance the local, well-reared, skilfully butchered cut of meat. And with it, the kinds of small, family farms and communities that support it (Lee, 2010, p. 7).
There are of course economic and labour ramifications for workers who rely on the traditional forms of farming: these include small to medium sized farms that rear meat, workers the world over involved in managing and herding grazing herds and the meat industry itself. According to Lee (2010), the lab manufactured meat lobby group is not popular with the farmers, and the supporters of small farms are sceptical.
Soil Association spokesperson Clio Turton says, we havent seen any evidence that [lab manufactured meat] this is safe for human consumption. There may be unforeseen consequences of growing meat this way. Growing meat in a Petri dish is odd. We cant imagine it would replace meat production in the UK (Lee, 2010, p. 7).
Researchers appear divided not only on the viability of this technology, but also on its overall purpose.
According to Jacquet (2009), laboratory-made meat&might relieve the guilt of the scientifically minded and environmentally aware, but beyond that, its advantages are as-yet unclear: because lets face it, a centralized, high-tech model of food production is not likely to solve wholesale hunger issues, nor is it likely to appeal to the down home cookin contingent. In-vitro meat wont cure obesity. And it wont change peoples nutritional needs (Jacquet 2009, n.p.).
Research Questions
Once the eleven articles had been chosen and assembled, the research questions were organized as follows:
How do the online, traditional and academic media portray lab manufactured or in vitro meat?
How do the online, traditional and academic media portray science?
How do the online, traditional and academic media portray the meat industry?
What are the implications of these medias portrayal of lab manufactured meat on public perception of this burgeoning food technology?
What are the possible cultural and socioeconomic ramifications of lab manufactured meat?
Methods
When conducting the research around in vitro meat, the researcher gave each article two close readings. The first reading sought to discover and detail the psychological and emotional impact that the articles had upon the researcher, and by extension, the media consumer, using the research questions as a guide.
In order to achieve this, the researcher had to act from an uninformed place, having no prior knowledge of the topic. The researcher also needed to relate to the subject matter emotionally and psychologically open and neutral, with no stake in the information being purveyed by the articles and lacking an agenda to confront the subject matter, i.e. not as a scientist, animal rights activist or meat farmer.
The second close reading undertaken by the researcher looked at the cultural and social biases implicit in the articles themselves. The articles on the whole share a point of view toward the science around in vitro meat or lab manufactured meat, and this point of view heavily favours the continuation of natural i.e.: farmed livestock which speaks to a larger cultural bias that will be covered later on in the paper (Miller, 2008, p.81).
It is unclear from the readings whether or not the authors of the articles are aware of this bias, however the articles on the whole create contentiousness between science and consumers on the basis of taste how lab manufactured meat will taste specifically, when compared to real meat. The media largely portray the scientific community as being unconcerned about how the lab manufactured meat will taste and focused instead on its environmental benefits.
An example of this occurs in Fox (2009): enthusiasts are persuaded by [lab manufactured meats] green credentials. My main concern is environmental, says Stig Omholt of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in As. If meat consumption doubles by 2050, many forests will go and the calculations are very grim (Fox, 2009, p. 873).
In the second close reading the researcher also looked at the impetus behind in vitro meat, specifically, why does this technology warrant coverage? Why are scientists pursuing this line of research?
The answer lies in a host of problems facing the human species which centre largely on population control and the realization that the current food production paradigm remains unsustainable; there is simply not enough land and water to support it. The large network of people and livelihoods involved in the current food production paradigm, i.e. food grown in international destinations and shipped globally, will need to find ways to adapt to this reality.
Findings
The observations gleaned from the close reading given these eleven sources can be grouped into four headings: headlines, tone, treatment of science and article layout. Each of these findings generated a specific psychological impact upon the researcher which encouraged a feeling of revulsion toward lab manufactured or in vitro meat, regardless of the numerous benefits that this technology would bring to the environment, not to mention the ethical treatment of animals that this technology would support.
Headlines
Seven out of the eleven articles reviewed for this report contained a headline which evoked a negative response to the science as well as the concept of lab manufactured meat itself. The placement of these headlines, at the articles outset, effectively swayed the researchers point of view toward the negative and effectively coloured the experience of reading the article.
Examples of this phenomenon from each article are as follows: Test tube meat on the menu (Fox, 2009, p. 873); Test-Tube Meat: Coming Soon to a Plate Near You (Huffington Post, 2011, n.p.); Pass the In Vitro Loaf(Institute of Industrial Engineers, 2005, p. 66); Mystery Meat (Jozefowicz, 2007, p. 6); Burgers from a Lab (NPR.org, 2011, n.p.); Test Tube Burgers (Specter, 2011, p. 32), and Would you Eat Lab Engineered Meat? (Zimmer, 2011, n.p.).
Seven out of the eleven articles researched began with a negative connotation that sustained itself throughout the article.
Tone
Of the eleven articles profiled in this report, each contained an acerbic tone in its coverage of the both the concept of lab manufactured meat and the science behind it, and actively promoted dividedness between the scientific community and consumers. Fox (2009) states that the mere mention of lab-grown meat an assortment of projects to produce beef, pork or chicken proteins in industrial-scale cell cultures evokes enthusiasm at one end of the spectrum and caustic criticism at the other.
I wonder if you can get people to eat that stuff, says Michael Hansen of Consumers Union in Yonkers, New York. There are safety questions, technical problems and a very huge yuck factor to deal with, he says (Fox, 2009, p. 873).
In an article with the headline Test-Tube Meat: Coming Soon To A Plate Near You, the lead states it sounds improbable and more than a little creepy to eat meat produced in a lab (Huffington Post, 2011, n.p.). Similarly, in an article published by the Institute of Industrial Engineers (2009), lab manufactured meat experiments with fish tissue have created small amounts of in vitro meat in NASA experiments researching potential food products for long-term space travel, where storage is a problem.
To grow meat on a large scale, cells from several different kinds of tissue, including muscle and fat, would be needed to give meat the texture to appeal to the human palate, say scientists (Institute of Industrial Engineers, 2009, p. 66).
Treatment of Science
Within the literature surveyed, the science behind lab manufactured meat often receives a slightly biased approach, specifically in linking scientists with so called special interest groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Nylander, 2011, n.p.).
Since special interest groups by definition are invested in the outcome of the research, these media create a certain lack of objectivity in the science surrounding lab manufactured meat by association. Also, a certain quack science feel infiltrated some of the articles through their depiction of scientists. An example of this exists in Nylander (2011), who profiled biologist Vladimir Mironov:
About 10 years ago, Mironovs research dream to grow cultured meat became reality when he was awarded a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for cardiovascular tissue engineering. He landed the grant with the help of Dr. Helen Lane, a top NASA food expert that Mironov invited to a workshop he hosted.
But the research is no longer funded by NASA, and Mironov said he was told that NASA was moving towards researching transgenic plants as a source of protein. Now Mironov, along with Genovese, are funded by a three-year grant from the animal rights activists People of Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) (Nylander, 2011, n.p.).
The fact that the biologists work was dropped by NASA effectively erodes some of the credibility from Mironovs work; whether or not this is conscious on the part of the author remains unclear, however the effect distanced the researcher from the content, and would likely have the same effect on the reader.
Furthermore, in a latter part of the article utilizes the heading Yuck factor and goes on to delineate (Nylander, 2011, n.p.): A tissue engineer by trade, [Mironov] has taken embryonic muscle cells called myoblasts, which turn into muscle, from turkey, bathed them in a bovine serum and then grown animal muscle tissue. We are working on very small scale using NASA synthecon bioreactor and porous edible chitosan spheres seeded with myoblasts from edible animals.
The cultured meat choice confronting tomorrows shoppers will be similar to todays options in the meat department (Nylander, 2011, n.p.). Although the information shared in this section is useful and vital to an understanding of lab manufactured meat, the section heading yuck factor potentially undercuts the value of the information to the reader. Similarly, when the article uses other opinions to react to Mironovs work, they are written in a forceful style that sticks with the reader, through the effective use of quotes.
For example, Nylander (2011) quotes a certain Mr. Sam Bowen, a bar manager in Columbia, South Carolina, as saying that one of the biggest things that people enjoy as a comfort thing is food&and until people grow up with the idea of artificial meat, its going to be hard to convince people otherwise (Nylander, 2011, n.p.).
Mironov does not receive a similarly effective or forceful quote within the article; instead, he is largely paraphrased, appearing in a direct quote in the following example, [Mironov] says cultured meat will be functional, natural, designed food, arguing that modified food is already common practice, and not harmful (Nylander, 2011, n.p.).
The weakness of the quotes used to introduce the biologist to the reader in effect further undercuts the viability of his research. According to Nylander (2011), the biologist Mironov is part of a team of researchers who have been invited to a European Science Foundation workshop on in-vitro meat in Gothenburg, Sweden in August to discuss the obstacles they all share.
Funding is one of the biggest hurdles. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, among other organizations like NASA, wont fund the research (Nylander, 2011, n.p.). Again, the proximity of Mironovs work being refused by funding bodies renders the message of his work diminished.
Article Layout
A number of the articles researched chose a specific location within the text to imbed the negative portrayal of lab manufactured or in vitro meat the end of the text. This so called last word placement of the negative portrayal of lab manufactured meat successfully lingered in the mind of the researcher, as it was the last word, and by definition the strongest and most readily recalled element of the articles.
For example, in the article published by the Institute of Industrial Engineers (2009), the last line of the article states that scientists also concede that it might take some work to convince consumers to eat cultured muscle meat, effectively nullifying the information shared in the earlier parts of the article (Institute of Industrial Engineers, 2009, p. 66).
Only one of the eleven articles reviewed ended with a relatively positive view of the technology and the scientists who champion it: We are ready but venture capitalists and federal agencies are not&but the time will come (Nylander, 2011, n.p.)
Discussion and Conclusion
In vitro or lab manufactured meat technology does not offer a viable alternative to factory farmed meat at present; estimates as to how long it will before in vitro meat is available in conventional grocery stores hover at around twenty years. That said, the technology does effectively highlight the unsustainable nature of the current food production model, particularly in the domain of meat.
Much of the literature touts the advantage of lab manufactured meat to parts of the world where shortages in arable land and water would render traditional modes of meat farming impossible. For example in countries in Asia such as India and Singapore where the consumption of meat is on the rise, scientists have remarked that there is significant interest in the technology behind lab manufactured meat (Lee, 2010, p. 7).
However, many of these countries depend on the current factory farming model, especially the grazing of herds, and the loss of that revenue would render these countries less able to invest in the technology required to produce in vitro meat.
Other articles draw attention to the fact that should the production of lab manufactured meat supplant so-called natural meat, the fate of domestic animals remains to be seen. Domestic animals that were not raised for meat consumption would presumable still be used for other purposes; however, the care and feeding of these large numbers of animals left superfluous by in vitro meat would require a comprehensive and qualitatively new farming strategy.
Overall more than 50 per cent of the literature reviewed raised scepticism as to the viability of lab manufactured meat, and offered a less than flattering assessment of the science behind it, choosing to emphasize the cost involved in lab manufactured while often not equally balancing the cost of the factory farm within the article.
Also, overwhelming emphasis placed on the perceived reluctance of the consumer to eat in vitro or lab manufactured meat pervaded most of the articles researched. The fact is, factory farming exacts huge costs on the environment, including air quality, land usage, water, deforestation and pollution.
It also exacts costs on the animals that are slaughtered, as well as the people who ingest harmful fats, growth hormone, pesticides, veterinary drugs, and heavy metals when they eat the animals. Above all, the factory faming model cannot be sustain the human species; all this points to the needs for a radical shift in food production.
Though essentially a new form of food technology, lab manufactured meat represents a complex cultural issue with global ramifications. According to Miller (2008), globalization leads to disembedded organizations and people. In a global society, behaviour and interaction are often lifted from their local context and restructured across time and space&cultural consciousness and self reflexivity is a requirement for organizational and individual well being (Miller, 2008, p. 261).
The more lab manufactured meat enters into the mainstream of cultural consciousness, the greater the rate of change felt across traditional lines of farming, civilization, the relationship between humans and animals and the fate of domestic animals will be experienced.
Effective environmental stewardship dictates that the unsustainable nature of the current mass meat industry method of factory farming must evolve if the planets resources are to be preserved for future generations. Whether or not in vitro or lab manufactured meat will provide a viable alternative for meat eaters remains to be determined.
References
Fox, J. L. (2009) Test tube meat on the menu? Nature Biotechnology, 27(10), 873.
Steinfeld, H. et al (2006), Livestocks Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1-26. Web.
Meat is an irresistible food that most people prefer specially during occasions and when enjoying their evenings with friends and families. Most people believe that meat is the most delicious animal product and this explains why it is in high demand. Meat is obtained in different forms from poultry, pigs, cows, sheep, goat, camel, and other domesticated animals. Some people slaughter wild animals and eat their meat even though this practice is not encouraged in some countries. Most people consume cooked meat and other animal products; however, some eat them without cooking because of personal, religious, or traditional beliefs. Raw meat is harmful to human consumption and people should cook it properly before tasting or eating it.
The main reason why people cook foods is to make them soft for easy chewing and digestion. Moreover, the digestive system of human beings is not as strong as that of animals. Cooking meat makes it soft and tender because it reduces its toughness by weakening the bonds between muscles. Most people slaughter animals when they are old and this means that their meat is tough. Tough meat may spoil a rather delicious meal because people will not enjoy it (Anderson 33). Most people believe that good foods should be soft and easily digestible. Raw meat is very tough and cannot be digested easily. People may suffer abdominal discomfort if they eat raw meat. This means that meat should be cooked properly and under the right conditions to make it soft and good for consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to cook meat before eating it to ensure it is tender, soft, and easily digestible.
Secondly, children have weak jawbones and this means that their teeth cannot tear or cut tough meat. Most children like meat, especially from fish, goats, pig, and sheep. Tough meet may cause teeth deformities or pain in the gum because children use excess force to tear it. In addition, some people have dental cavities and other health problems that do not allow them to use their teeth to tear meat. Most dental diseases are managed by avoiding tough foods like raw meat. Individuals who have weak jaws and eat raw meat are to blame for exposing themselves to severe pain. People should not eat raw meat because they may lose teeth as they try to tear, cut, or chew them.
Moreover, tapeworms thrive in raw meat and their eggs stay viable for a very long time even after the animal is slaughtered. People who eat raw meat have higher chances of having tapeworms because they are transmitted through uncooked foods. A research report that appeared on Medical News Today on January 18th 2007 revealed that most people who suffer from tapeworm infections usually have a history of eating raw pork or beef. Tapeworms lay their eggs which are transported through an animals bloodstream and stored on muscles and other organs for incubation. Most people do not de-worm their animals regularly and this means that they are likely to have tapeworms (Anderson 59). Worms cause stomach discomfort and perforate the lining of the large intestines. In addition, they may damage the liver and cause indigestion because of the damages created on the large intestines. People should eat cooked meat to kill the eggs of these worms and ensure their food is healthy.
Flies are known for carrying germs and contaminating food. In addition, they spread waterborne diseases that affect human health. In addition, some people who prepare food may not be careful when packaging it. There are chances of food poisoning as a result of human error on other unavoidable reasons. The health of individuals is determined by what they eat. Those who eat contaminated food are likely to fall sick more often. Raw meat is a good recipe for contacting diseases like typhoid, bilharzia, and amoebiasis. It is advisable to eat cooked meat because most disease-causing vectors and germs cannot survive the extreme heat used for cooking. Raw meat may be contaminated and contain germs that may risk the health of people.
Raw meat has a very high level of cholesterol that is harmful when consumed. Animal products like beef, mutton, and pork contain cholesterol that accounts for the increase of overweight or obese individuals in society (Rosenberg 59). The best remedy of reducing this cholesterol is by cooking meat to destroy the harmful anti-nutrient substances that causes of accumulation of minerals in the gut. Consuming uncooked meat interferes with the utilization of nutrients because most of them do not reach their destinations or are not synthesized properly. Boiling meat and making soups breaks down cholesterol and alters its cell structure to ensure fewer of an individuals enzymes are used to digest the food. People should eat cooked meat and avoid raw ones because of the health dangers of consuming excess fats.
Animal products like meat, pork and mutton are obtained after slaughtering animals. Most nations employ public health officers to conduct routine checks and inspect food premises, handlers and their sources. They give permits to businessmen to sell meat after it has been inspected and confirmed healthy for human consumption (Anderson 63). However, some unscrupulous traders take advantage of the complexity of the nature of public officers to slaughter unchecked animals. Cases of food poisoning as a result of consuming sick animals have been reported in various parts of the world. Some people believe that animal diseases cannot affect them.
Therefore, they slaughter sick or dead animals and sell their meat to unsuspecting consumers at cheap prices. The poison of meat from sick or dead animals may be weakened by cooking it and this will enable medical experts to attend to patients in good time. Today, most animals are reared using genetic engineering practices which mean that they have high levels of drugs and other chemicals harmful for human consumption. People who fall victims to eating poisoned meat agree that it was not inspected (Anderson 81). Those who cook it do not experience similar health complications like their counterparts who eat raw meat. People should never eat raw meat, especially if its source is not known.
Raw meat is dangerous and nobody should consume it. Cooking meat makes it softer and palatable and this makes people enjoy their meals. In addition, the high temperatures used for cooking meat kill disease causing bacteria or vectors and this makes it healthy for consumption. Disease causing vectors like flies and poor food handling exposes meat to contamination. However, cooking it kills germs and ensures it is safe. Most people believe that all meat is usually inspected before being offered to the public. However, this does not guarantee that there will not be unscrupulous traders and public health officers who put their greed and risk the health of other people. Eating cooked meat in healthy and enjoyable and there is no reason for people to eat uncooked foods.
Works Cited
Anderson, Pamela. The Perfect Recipe: Getting It Right Every Time Making Our Favorite Dishes the Absolute Best They Can Be. New York: Wiley, 2014. Print.
Rosenberg, Ehud. Meat and Dairy: An Illustrated Halachic Guide. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.
The consumption of meat in different forms is the norm today, and many people prefer a high-protein diet. However, the excessive consumption of animal protein can be fraught with dangerous consequences for the human body. It is not just about digestion difficulties since meat is a hard product for the stomach but also some other problems, including such dangerous ones as asthma and cancer. Reducing the intake of animal protein can help the body to recover, and various scientists and nutritionists confirm this fact. One of the basic rules is balance. It is not necessary to completely eliminate meat from the diet, but it is significant to observe certain doses of consumption and not exceed this amount. The additional benefit of the constant use of vegetables and greens in food is scientifically proven; therefore, one of the ways to improve health is to reduce the amount of meat consumed and eat more vegetables, fruits, and greens.
Introduction
The use of meat for food has always been considered the norm since this product, as it is known, not only contains various nutrients, in particular, animal protein but also has a delicious taste. However, today, there is a tendency to refuse meat for various reasons, and this movement is gaining momentum. Not for nothing that various vegetarian diets are considered to be a good way to cleanse the body of toxins and eliminate the risk of developing dangerous diseases.
The fact is that the excess of the protein of animal origin cannot be digested properly when getting into the body, which has a significant burden on the human digestive system and causes the liver to experience colossal tension. It does not mean that it is necessary to completely abandon the consumption of meat dishes and entirely eliminate this product from the diet. Nevertheless, the path to health lies through a reduction in the rate of meat consumption since the confusing eating of all types of fatty foods can lead to dangerous consequences.
Reducing the intake of animal protein can help to improve digestion. The organism will be easier to perceive other foods that are less caloric and saturated. Therefore, no matter how useful the meat is, its excessive use can do more harm than good.
Possible Negative Consequences of Excessive Meat Consumption
Despite the fact that meat contains protein, amino acids, and other useful minerals, in particular, iron that helps in the prevention of anemia, this product does not contain other important components for the body. Thus, it does not contain fiber that contributes to the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract; therefore, meat is heavily digested, and the body has to spend a lot of energy on its processing. Also, eating meat causes many serious diseases, including asthma, diabetes, problems with the cardiovascular system, and even cancer because of the presence of harmful fat ( Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk ). Excessive consumption of meat is fraught with permanent processes of putrefaction in the intestine. The liver and kidneys begin to work hard to neutralize the toxins that result from putrefactive processes. It, in its turn, leads to the disruption of the work of these important organs.
The damage caused by meat consumption is greatly enhanced by modern methods of its processing. Various hormones to enhance the growth of livestock and poultry, feed saturated with nitrates and pesticides, cruel conditions for slaughter animals, and chemicals to give the meat a beautiful color leave no nutrients in meat, exacerbating its harmful properties. Therefore, views on meat consumption are recommended to be reconsidered in order to avoid severe health consequences.
Ways to Reduce the Negative Effects of Meat
One of the ways to completely stop eating meat is vegetarianism. Kellman describes it as the way of life and claims that its popularity over many years is due to a positive effect on health (402). Similar views are presented in the work by Richman who examines vegans and lists many advantages of such a diet, separately noting successful culinary decisions (388). Despite the fact that a complete rejection of the consumption of animal protein can be a drastic measure, there are certainly particular advantages of such a diet.
First of all, it is worth remembering the main rule of healthy nutrition: it is required to eat balanced. If vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, and beans are present in the daily diet in addition to meat, the harm will significantly decrease, and it will be easier for the body to digest protein. Also, the prescribed rate of eating meat should not be exceeded.
When touching upon the topic about what meat is the most harmful, it is the meat of mammals: beef, pork, lamb ( Meat and the Environment). Poultry meat, especially white (chicken fillet), and also by-products are less harmful. Fish meat almost has no harmful properties. In addition, it is very important to combine protein with other products, which can enhance or, conversely, weaken its dangerous impact. Thus, for instance, it is extremely undesirable to eat meat with vegetables containing starch, and it is better to give preference to greens and vegetables.
Additional Use of Vegetables
The benefits of vegetable products for food are obvious; however, it applies to not only human health but also to the state of the environment as a whole. Thus, according to scientists, the number of harmful emissions to the atmosphere can be reduced by two-thirds by 2050 if people completely switch to a vegetarian lifestyle ( Why Eating More Vegetables is Good for the Environment ). Accordingly, if the population continues to eat meat in large quantities, the air will be polluted more, and the risk of increasing the number of emissions to 75% by 2050 arises ( Why Eating More Vegetables is Good for the Environment ). These figures are quite frightening; therefore, it is essential to pay attention to vegetable diets for the safety of the planet.
Another reason to abandon the constant consumption of red meat is the real figures based on scientists research. For example, if people replace animal protein with plant products, the risk of mortality may decrease from 7% to 19% ( Risk in Red Meat? ). It is also a significant argument in favor of the fact that the excessive consumption of meat negatively affects human health.
Conclusion
Thus, despite some useful substances contained in meat, its excessive use will bring more harm to the person than good. A complete rejection of animal protein is possible but not necessary. It is important to adhere to the norms and not to overeat; otherwise, there is a danger of excessive load on the internal organs, in particular, the digestive tract and the liver. The increase in the volume of vegetables and greens in the diet not only positively affects the improvement of well-being but also has significant environmental benefits.
Works Cited
Kellman, Stephen G. From Fish, Flesh, and Foul: The Anti-Vegetarian Animus. Eating Words: A Norton Anthology of Food Writing, edited by Sandra M. Gilbert and Roger J. Porter, W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, pp. 400-407.
Richman, Alan. From Fork it Over: My Beef with Vegans. Eating Words: A Norton Anthology of Food Writing, edited by Sandra M. Gilbert and Roger J. Porter, W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, pp. 385-392.
The chartering market offers a variety of options for business ventures seeking to transport goods internationally. The company under consideration, an Argentina-based meat exporter, has a long-standing relationship with a British supermarket chain. After reaching a collaborative agreement with another exporter and securing a 10-year contract with the chain, a decision was made to switch to chartering vessels for product transportation in lieu of using liner services. The company seeks to become a charterer or an organization that charters transportation for commercial purposes. The organization is considering chartering vessels to fulfill its contractual obligations in the United Kingdom. Time and bareboat charters can be defined as lease agreements allowing the lessee to use marine vessels (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021).
There are legal distinctions between different charter contracts, with the obligation of ship owners and charterers differing substantially. Therefore, for the decision to be made, the legal and financial commitments of the meat explorer, as well as its ability to fulfill its contractual obligations of supplying the supermarket chain with meat, should be considered.
Differences Between Time and Bareboat Charters
Time and bareboat charters are different types of contracts that outline the use of maritime transport to move goods or people via sea routes. A time charter is a lease agreement that gives the charterer access to transportation services and the power of commercial control over the leased crafts (Adland and Alizadeh, 2018). Under time-based contracts, the ownership of the ship is retained by the lessor. Meanwhile, a bareboat charter is a finance lease under which legal possession of a vessel is granted to the charterer (Albarenque and Romea, 2020).
It can be argued that different services are contracted in time and bareboat agreements. In time-based contracts, the charterer hires the vessel’s services granted by the owner and fulfilled by the ship master and crew contracted by the owner (Cha et al., 2021). Whereas in bareboat charters, the ownership of a vessel is transferred to the charter in return for payment with the crew being hired by the charterer (Gilabert Gascón, 2021). Overall, the ownership issue distinguishes a time charter from a bareboat contract.
It should be noted that bareboat charters offer different opportunities for the lessee compared to other contracts. For example, vessels rented under a time charter are utilized for the transportation of goods as the owner provides the space on the vessel space and crew to the charterer (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). Meanwhile, bareboat charters can be used as investments and not used for transportation (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). Bareboat contracts can be written to allow the purchase of the vessel upon the termination of the contract (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). Therefore, the obligations of the owner and the charterer account for charters with or without a sale.
Legal and Commercial Obligations of the Charterer
The field of maritime transportation services is highly segmented, with numerous nuanced contracts developed to control the market risk. These contracts regulate the relationship between the owners and the entities chartering the vessels, defining the responsibilities of each side as well as the legal ownership of the ship for the duration of the agreement. Before the company makes a decision, its obligations as a charterer are to be considered.
Time Charters
When the contract is signed between the ship owner, the lessor, and the charterer, the lessee, the latter is granted operational control of the maritime transport. The charterer compensates the owner for the daily hire of the vessels as well as the work of the personnel employed and assigned to the ship (Rehmatulla and Smith, 2020). The legal owner of the ship agrees to manage the capital and technical costs associated with the operation of the vessel. As the operational rights to the craft are given to the charterer, they accept the responsibility of operational costs for the voyages made under the contract (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021).
In addition, the fuel costs are borne by the charterer (Rehmatulla and Smith, 2020). Other costs related to the handling and insurance of the cargo are endured by the charterer, with the shipowner responsible for the vessel insurance (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). The character is accountable for the market risk and delays in deliveries caused by adverse meteorological conditions (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). Overall, the charterer is obliged to carry all costs associated with the operation of the vessel.
Bareboat Charters
Under a bareboat contract, the obligations of the charterer are more extensive compared to a time charter. The charter is responsible for most of the costs associated with owning and operating a maritime transport, including operational, technical, and fixed costs, as well as Bessel insurance (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). Capital costs may be borne by the charter if the contract has the option to acquire the chartered vessel upon the completion of the contract (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). It should be noted that the vessel insurance is drafted in favor of the owner. The lessee endures cargo handling costs, market risk, and delivery delays (Dimitrakieva, Kostadinov and Atanasova, 2021). Additionally, the charter is responsible for the hire and payment of the ship master and the crew.
Recommendation to the Company
The company can employ both time and bareboat charters to continue delivering meat products from Argentina to the United Kingdom. The company’s needs, cargo volume, costs, and ability to secure new contracts for meat delivery should be considered in the decision-making process (Plomaritou and Menelaou, 2020).
Considering the length of the new contract signed with the British supermarket chain and a collaborative agreement with another exporter, it would be most beneficial to hire a bareboat charter with the sale. Although bareboat charterers carry greater costs than time charterers, the company is in an excellent position to afford a bareboat charter. As there is a collaborative agreement with another exporter, the operational and other costs can be split. Ownership of a maritime vessel is an investment that can help increase the company’s revenue in the future via leasing room on the vessel to fellow exporters. Moreover, the cargo volume can be expanded through the charter of several vessels, allowing the company to deliver products to other supermarket chains.
Conclusion
In summary, a bareboat charter with the sale is recommended to the exporter under consideration. The proposed contract is the most beneficial for the company as it will allow it to deliver large quantities of products and fulfill its obligations to the supermarket chain and the partner exporter. It will result in additional revenue for the company if vessels are acquired and leased to other organizations.
Reference List
Adland, R. and Alizadeh, A. (2018) ‘Explaining price differences between physical and derivative freight contracts’, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 118, pp. 20–33. Web.
Cha, J. et al. (2021) ‘Legal disputes under time charter in connection with the stranding of the MV Ever Given’, Sustainability, 13(19), pp. 1–25. Web.
Dimitrakieva, S., Kostadinov, O. and Atanasova, C. (2021) ‘Comparative analysis of the contracts for maritime transport services. Chain of charter parties’, Pedagogy, 93(6s), pp. 51–62. Web.
Gilabert Gascón, A. (2021) ‘Insurance related problems in bareboat charter agreements’, Journal of Shipping and Trade, 6(1), pp. 1–18. Web.
Plomaritou, E. and Menelaou, A. (2020) ‘Charter market segmentation in response to trade’s needs’, Journal of Economics, Management and Trade, 26(1), pp. 78-87. Web.
Rehmatulla, N. and Smith, T. (2020) ‘The impact of split incentives on energy efficiency technology investments in maritime transport,’ Energy Policy, 147, pp. 1–15. Web.
After taking office, US President Barack Obama has taken up a different direction on food safety. He demeaned the earlier food safety system of the USA which was decades-old and not suitable for our modern times. To him, the old safety system was hazardous for the health of the public and thus, needed a complete overhauling. He started with the modernization of the safety standards by appointing a new chief for the US Federal Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Margaret Hamburg.
The direction taken by President Barack Obama is completely different from the earlier food safety measures given in the article. Earlier restaurants did not bother to check whether the meat given in hamburgers had become stale or not. Due to this a lot of people had to suffer from Escherichia coli which is very harmful to humans and can even result in their death. Meat providers even used downer cattle as a supple of meat even though they were sick and has a high chance of getting mad cow disease. President Barack Obama has already announced that slaughtering of downer cattle for food supply will be banned and the cattle to be used will have to undergo special veterinary inspections. (Schlosser, 331-338)
President Barack Obama’s new directions regarding the safety of people are different than the ones discussed in this chapter because earlier USA’s food safety system was too dispersed making it extremely difficult for the health inspectors to share information among themselves or help each other in solving problems. But now he has created the Food Safety Working Group so that the food safety laws can be coordinated and he can obtain advice from the government regarding the various updates on food safety. Also, earlier when the American population suffered from food poisoning incidences, no one made any reports and no diagnoses were carried out. But with the advancements of medical sciences today and President Barack Obama’s Food Safety Working Group, reporting and diagnoses has been made very easy to carry out and keep track of. This department has also been created so that the food safety laws that were created during the term of President Theodore Roosevelt, but which were never implemented, could be properly enforced and coordinated throughout the government so as to safeguard the common people from deadly diseases.
Another difference between President Barack Obama’s direction and those given in the article is that earlier the federal departments responsible for upholding the food safety system of the USA were complexly under-funded and understaffed due to which they were left unable to annually inspect the warehouses and food processing plants all over the country. But under President Barack Obama’s leadership, all of these have changed since he had put the welfare and safety of the public’s health in front of all other issues. Earlier students were even provided ground beef, whose quality was highly questionable, in their school cafeterias. Since they were purchased very cheaply, they were almost always contaminated. (Nestle, 225)
However, after President Barack Obama established the Food Safety Working Group, each and every meat producing and packaging company was finely scrutinized to see if they followed all the rules and regulations. He no longer wanted parents to worry about the food that their children consume. Under him, even the meat packaging industry of the USA has had to follow standards that were based on performances.
Works Cited:
Nestle, Marion. Food politics: how the food industry influences nutrition and health. LA: University of California Press, 2009.
Schlosser, Eric. “What’s in the Meat”. Fast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal Is Doing to the World. NY: Penguin Books Limited, 2008. 331-338.
Most people globally believe that a healthy diet must always contain proteins. Proteins are essential body-building food, which helps the body to grow. Nevertheless, very few studies internationally do point out all the risks associated with the overconsumption of proteins. Red meat is one of the best proteins giving food.
Risks of red meat
Stroke is a condition that is medically referred to as cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Stroke is known to be caused by the blockage of blood vessels that supply blood to the brain cells (Neale & Agus, 2012). These blockages of the blood vessel are mostly caused by overconsumption of fatty foodstuffs, Red meat is known to contain high amounts of saturated fats. This fatty substance increases the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the body (Neale & Agus, 2012). Moreover, this excess cholesterol in the body is always deposited in the inner walls of blood vessels. Some of these vessels supply blood from the heart to the brain’s cells. As more cholesterol is deposited in the blood vessel, the arterial lumen greatly reduces in wideness and even blocks. When blocked, the blood vessel cannot fluently supply blood to the brain cell causing a stroke.
Red meat also contains heme iron. Medically, high levels of heme irons in the blood accelerate oxidative stress processes. Notable to mention is that increase in oxidative stress in the body also causes quick development of body complications. It is these complications that later develop into diseases that can result in a stroke. Examples of these diseases are; cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, thrombosis, diabetes and many other diseases (Neale & Agus, 2012).
Processed red meat on the other hand is also riskier to the body than fresh red meat. This is because processed red meat contains sodium and nitrate preservatives fresh red meat doesn’t have (Neale & Agus, 2012). These two ions are known to influence the development of cardiovascular diseases. According to Neale & Agus (2012), this was found especially in people who consume twice the normal serving of fresh red meat on daily basis.
According to the statistics provided by Neale & Agus (2012), such people increased the risk of getting a stroke by 11%. Individuals who consume factory-processed meat also increase the risk of getting a stroke by 13%. Finally, individuals who consume both fresh and processed red meat increase the risk of getting it by 12% (Neale & Agus, 2012). According to gender, research reveals that women who frequently consume twice the normal serving of red meat increase the risk of getting a stroke by 19% (Phillips, 2012). This is contrary to those women who consumed a single serving of red meat on daily basis.
Scientifically, not all types of meat are considered to be dangerous to human health. White meat is known to minimize risk factors contributing to stroke. Researchers believe that people who feed on chicken and turkey have a 13% reduced risk of getting s stroke.
Conclusion
In summary, most holistic nutritionists globally have conclusively agreed to the fact that too much consumption of red meat is dangerous to human health. This is because red meat contains high levels of saturated fats and iron. Processed red meat on the other hand is also dangerous because it contains dangerous preservatives. It is important for people to take the responsibility of preparing a healthy balanced diet, which will not cause body complications.
References
Neale, T & Agus, Z.S. (2012). Red meat tied to stroke risk. Web.
The consumption of red meat as a source of protein and fats has become a major concern to many people. This is because they believe that it contributes to high death rates due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes mellitus. This has therefore attracted attention from researchers who have carried out various researches to support the view or criticize it. The popular press article and scientific peer-reviewed article discuss the issue.
Comparison between the two articles
The scientific peer-reviewed article on Red meat consumption and mortality as well as the popular research article on red meat linked to high risk of premature death discuss the effect of red meat on human health through the research conducted. Through the research that was conducted in the two articles, there is evidence that raw, processed, or unprocessed red meat causes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and cancer (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
In both articles, the research analysis proves that those people who consume red meat increase the chances of premature deaths in their lives as compared to vegetarians. In the research, the sample that was used to collect data in the two articles is similar because they both used white men and women. In the two articles, the research took into account other risk factors such as the body mass index, age and the history of the family in relation to chronic diseases during the analysis (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the popular research article, the analysis shows that the percentage increase of premature deaths for those who consume processed meat such as a hot dog is higher than those people who consume unprocessed red meat. This is similar to the analysis in the scientific peer-reviewed article, which has the view that the increased risk of CVD and cancer mortality in those people who consume processed red meat is higher than the unprocessed red meat (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the scientific peer-reviewed article, the analysis shows that the consumption of red meat resulted in other effects of addiction like alcohol and smoking, which are harmful to human health. The popular press article indicates that those who eat red meat always have the urge of taking icy sodas, which cause other complications in human health such as heart diseases (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
In the popular press article, the analysis is not clear since it does not indicate the age bracket of the men and women who were used as the sample of the study. While in the case of the scientific peer-reviewed article, the analysis of the sample is clear since the age bracket is given that is 40-75 years for men and 30-55 years for women. This, therefore, shows that the analysis in the popular press article is not done well (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the popular press article, the information given lacks evidence because the research does not specify the sample of the study clearly and how the researcher collected the data for analysis. It also fails to explain how the assessment of meat consumption was done as well as the follow-ups to monitor the research that was conducted. The research fails to identify the components of red meat, which cause the effects stated in the study as is explained in the scientific peer-reviewed article. The solutions to the problem are provided like giving alternatives of healthy sources of proteins to red meat (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
Limitation of scientific peer-reviewed article
As much the scientific peer-reviewed article tries to specify the sample and explain the follow-up to ensure that the information collected is not biased there are loopholes left, which makes many researchers doubt the information given and conclusions arrived at after the study. The study in this case lacks a scientific base since in a scientific study the sample used to give the required data is usually of a randomized clinical trial where the participants are divided into two groups randomly.
The two groups should therefore match in terms of sex, age, health and any other factor considered to affect the results. One group is given medication as opposed to the other one, which is not treated. In RCT, there are other forms of treatment to apply to obtain unbiased information for the study more especially if the research is presumed to affect the human health (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
Due to the high costs of implementing the RCT many researchers result to observational study like in the scientific peer reviewed article where they used the cohort study to obtain the data for their analysis. In this kind of study, the sample was selected for a period of 22 years but the information collected was not valid since there was no prove of a cause-effect relationship. For example, between the red meat and the CVD, cancer or other behaviors like taking alcohol or smoking. For any scientific study, observation kind of study is not valid in collecting data to draw conclusions (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
Another limitation in the scientific peer reviewed article is that the sample selection was biased. The sample that was selected did not cater for all categories in terms of age. The women under the age of 30 years and men under the age of 40 years were not selected yet they consume red meat and suffer from diabetes mellitus as well as heart diseases. The age bracket was therefore a problem and this leads to more criticism on the data collected for analysis (Colditz et al., 1989).
During the random selection of the sample for the study, there was a problem in gender representation since the number of men in the study was not equal because women were many compared to men. In the cohort study, sample selection is specified as opposed to RCT where sample selection is done randomly and this result to inaccuracy in data collection.
In cohort study, the data obtained is inaccurate since the information collected is usually reported individually like what men and women did in the scientific peer reviewed study. At times, the information given in the Food Frequency Questions is not valid since people try to recall what they ate some days back hence giving wrong information (Colditz et al., 1989).
Correlation and causation is another limitation in the study since it is not always true to justify that A will cause B without any scientific prove to support the argument. This is because the information collected is not valid because there was biasness in gender selection, age and the data in the questionnaires was inaccurate.
The study is therefore based on invalid information because the information given in the Food Frequency Questionnaire by the HRT is exaggerated. The intake of some food was increased because they knew they are the healthiest foods and decreased the intake of those they thought were unhealthy like the red meat (Colditz et al., 1989).
Revised article
The original scientific peer article on the other hand failed to base the arguments on a scientific research. The observational study in this case is believed to generate hypotheses and that the information given about red meat cannot cause the effects stated. The hypothesis that red meat increases the rate of mortality could be viable if the research conducted could provide accurate information. For the information collected to be valid, the sampling must be done randomly and the gender and sex of the selected sample should be represented equally (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
The information is useful for study if the sample is selected at random. The sample is divided according to age, health history as well as gender. The information collected through RCT is regarded as genuine and can therefore be used to prove statements like A causes B but since RCT are costly to be implemented the study can be based on observation as long it proves that the associations between the cause and effect rely on valid data (Colditz et al., 1989).
Sample selection in terms of age or sex should not be biased for the data collected to be accurate. For instance, the age bracket for both men and women should be equal as well as the number to represent both women and men. The age bracket should not limit other people who consume meat and are within the bracket of the presumed hypothesis.
Sample bias will give inaccurate data, which will be used to draw invalid conclusions. For the information to draw accurate conclusions about the presumed hypothesis, all kinds of red meat for example raw red meat, processed red meat and unprocessed red meat should be given to the selected sample to obtain accurate data for analysis (Colditz et al., 1989).
The methodology of collecting the data should be realistic to give accurate information. For example, the Food Frequency Questionnaires used to collect data should be structured in a way that the information given is valid. The intervals of distributing the forms to collect the data should be realistic for the interviewee to give correct information without trying to remember what he/she consumed five days ago. The analysis should be clear to make the reader understand how the questionnaire has been structured and given responses (Lee & Zheng, 2009).
The analysis of the information collected should be explained clearly in details with enough evidence to support the arguments. The researcher should explain the association between the consumption of red meat and the effects. The analysis should state the components present in red meat and the presumed diseases. For example, the cholesterol and saturated fats from meat cause coronary heart diseases, which can be associated with CVD mortality (Colditz et al., 1989).
In the analysis, the article should explain the benefits derived from meat if consumed in smaller amount and the possible life span for such victims. The article gives insights on the effects on the people who do not consume red meat. In addition, there are alternatives where it is consumed to provide the proteins that one may lack in the absence of red meat consumption (Lee & Zheng, 2009). For instance, the study should state clearly the quantity of fish or eggs to be consumed to acquire the calories required in the body.
References
Colditz, G., Hunter, D., Rosner, B., Salvini, S., Sampson, L., Stampfer, M. & Willett, W. (1989). Food-based validation of a dietary questionnaire: The effects of week-to-week variation in food consumption. Int J epidemiol, 18(4):858-67.
Lee, S & Zheng, W. (2009). Well-done meat intake, heterocyclic amine exposure, and cancer risk. Nutr cancer, 61(4), 437-446.
Exporting camel meat from Australia to China is a lucrative business venture, but it has risks associated mainly with competition and the lack of adequate marketing structures in both the origin and the destination country. Nevertheless, as the report shows, starting the business is a good idea, given that the economic outlook of China is improving, its population is growing, the middle-income status of households is increasing rapidly, and the demand for alternative food is growing. China is also a historical trading partner with Australia and authorities in the two countries are keen to promote a mutual trading environment.
Australia already has a thriving beef export business in China and faces few hurdles in replicating the same success with camel meat. One of the challenges facing Australia would be the wild nature of camels found in the country, which hampers the proper planning of production and processing of meat for export. In addition, the camel meat export industry needs to develop enough capacity for transporting and processing camel meat to match the capacities available for beef processing and export (Wellis, 2013).
Meanwhile, China is also implementing various programs to increase its camel population and grow the market share of camel meat, but that is unlikely to deter market penetration of the Australian camel meat into the country. The success of Chinese marketing efforts will also help camel meat from Australia. Given the demographic and social-economic characteristics of China, the best promotion strategies for Australian camel meat would be direct marketing and the use of stakeholders to provide industry-wide support. The opportunities for growing the market are huge and should be tapped.
The market for camel products in China has lasted more than 3000 years, and it continues to show considerable resilience, amid the increasing popularity of meat and other animal products (Wellis, 2013). China is also a notable producer of Camel meat, although its domestic consumption takes up for the country’s entire production capacity.
Until the last few decades, much of the Chinese market has been informal, and it has been difficult for marketers in various interest firms, as well as state authorities to form a thorough description of the market. Nevertheless, there is considerable evidence available from the main camel rearing areas of China, on the existence of a large enough domestic market to warrant interest for international firms dealing with camel meat. This is the main reason why a thought of exporting camel meat from Australia to China would arise.
In Australia, camels are used mainly for meat consumed by both humans and pets (Askin, 2011). In China, camel meat is mostly for human consumption. Nutritionally, camel meat has protein levels that match those of beef, but it has less fat content than beef. In addition, the meat is similar to lamb and chicken, but with a significantly reduced fat content, such that it would take eight times the content of camel meat to have similar fat content as chicken and eighteen times of camel meat to match the fat content of pork (Askin, 2011). From the onset, camel meat is suitable for people who are nutritionally conscious and want to limit their fat intake from meat.
This report offers a background of China and Australia camel industries and then evaluates the market demand situation in China for camel meat. It also proposes a strategy for introducing and sustaining an import business for the Australian camel meat in China. To realise this objective, the report uses two key business tools; the marketing mix tools identified by its 4Ps of pricing, promotion, product and place, and the SWOT analysis tool. The latter helps to inform the right strategy for dealing with available opportunities in relation to the limitations that exist due to organisational or business sector weaknesses and threats. The paper then briefly discusses the rationale for introducing camel meat as an export business to China from Australia.
Background of China
This section on China presents an overview of the country under four main factors, namely; economic, cultural, political, and social. These are the factors that will likely affect the orientation of business activity in the country. They also provide a basis for presenting background information about the country, which would be relevant to this report when viewed from a marketing perspective.
Economic
At present, most Chinese businesses are well attuned to the market economic principles of capitalism. However, they still operate within a social fabric where kinship is superior and defines networking exercises. Thus, as a reflection of the Confucian ideology and the Chinese cultural heritage, it would be observed that small and medium enterprises mainly owned by individuals in China, operate very competitively among each other.
However, their market behaviour is detached from larger firms. The smaller firms collaborate, instead of competing with bigger firms, which are mainly SOE. The relationship remains competitive for international multinational firms, showing the lack of connecting social fabric. A common feature of the Chinese firms is that they remain competitive both at home and abroad, sometimes opting to develop their own network of suppliers, affiliates, and distributors (Haley, Haley, & Tan, 2002).
There have been numerous economic reforms in China, led by changes in the government’s policy of the country’s international competitiveness. At the same time, the burden of a socialist economy forced the government to consider market reforms that would allow private enterprises to shoulder some of its burdens.
Some key outcomes of the reforms have been the freeing up of land ownership from the state, although the state still holds power to dictate land-use policy. At the same time, local governments got more power to manage their economic and social affairs without the national government’s interference. At the same time, previous state companies opened up to public ownership, and they formed joint partnerships with foreign firms related to their economic sectors.
As it stands, China has a market-oriented socialist economy, and it provides enough freedom to allow private enterprises to operate within the parameters of the market. The government also allows foreign-owned firms to set shop in China and target the local Chinese population with their products. Despite this, the state still continues with reforms that aim to increase the competitiveness of local firms. However, some of the reforms spark resistance and protests from foreign firms and nations because they could cause unfair advantages.
While reforms identified different areas of modernisation throughout the 90s and 2000s, this report is biased towards reforms in agriculture for use in the subject topic. The state had first to allocate land to households because all the land previously belonged to the government (the people). The next step of agricultural reforms was to permit the sale of surplus produces to markets, which ushered the first economic activities among Chinese living in rural agricultural areas.
The policy of China is to become self-sufficient. The country has achieved its goal in most major agricultural commodities. The growing population is increasingly challenging that position, and the limited nature of the arable land resources is forcing the country to look outside for sustenance. China’s population makes up 20 per cent of the global population, yet the country has only 9 per cent of the global arable land supply and 6 per cent of the global water supply (Coates & Luu, 2012). With the present technologies and knowledge, China cannot meet its demand for meat by only relying on domestic production.
Cultural
The Chinese people are mainly conservative and seek to live in a harmonious way within their society. They mostly subscribe to Confucian principles and have a long-term orientation of life where they are more likely to overlook short-term discomforts and gains, but prefer sticking to long-term plans and historical ways of living.
Religion and political affiliation are two major factors for affiliation and cohesion among the Chinese. Although the unification of the Chinese people was initiated by political ideology, it has been based on economic prosperity over the years.
Political
The Chinese Communist Party began in 1949 and took over the running of government and any state-related functions, such as the provision of ideological and social leadership for the Chinese people. As the party took control of the economy, it initiated various policies that have ensured its hold of the political and economic matters of the country to date. As the government, it has been responsible for the allocation of resources, although that role was later diluted by the introduction of neoliberalism policies in the country. However, the government has played a huge part in identifying suppliers and supply arrangements, as well as the management of sales for products and services offered by state-owned enterprises.
As the government controlled the means of production, it also influenced access to opportunities for its citizens. This is partly the reason why the development levels of different geographical parts of China are not equal. Before neo-liberalisation took off fully in the 90s, many Chinese grew up with, were educated, and then got job allocations that would form their careers with few or non-existent options for change.
The leftist principles are no longer the key influences of the Chinese People’s Party way of governance. However, there are still authoritative undertakings by the government that affect private business and private individuals. For example, governmental bureaucracy and party politics are factors that force even the most market-oriented businesses to resort to lobbying as a way to influence government action. The situation is accelerated by the fact that the government provides various resources that are critical for the survival of firms in the market environment.
Social
The main areas of China that are major consumers of camel meat also have a significant number of the Chinese Muslim population. These areas are Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xin Jiang, Beijing, Hebei, and Shandong. These are areas in the west and north-west part of China.
Rural areas of China grapple with low-income status and the lack of adequate economic opportunities compared to urban and industrialised areas. They are also prone to social unrest and poverty-related social problems. In 2009, there were reports of riots among the Chinese Muslims in the western part of the country, which is also the main camel producing area (Wu, Chan, & Deng, 2011).
Chinese camel background
As earlier mentioned, the domestication of camels in China has lasted three millenniums. Apart from milk and meat, another main product from camels is fur, and the animals are used for transport. The use of camels as a means of transport was a major reason for the preservation of their population throughout the 15th to 20th century. The modernisation of China brought by its industrialisation also led to the easy availability of other meat and milk sources. Agriculture was a major beneficiary of modernity; unfortunately, the pace of developing commercial production of farm produce for other livestock was faster than that of the camels.
Camels have been relegated to a niche meat source for urban populations, though it continues to serve as the primary meat source in rural areas where there are many camel herding communities. Meanwhile, there have been renewed efforts by the government to increase the camel population by introducing and nurturing camel farming as a large scale agricultural activity. The Chinese government has focused its camel farming reforms in the western part of the country that already has the largest number of camels and shows considerable promise for the growth of the adequate domestic market.
The national government, working together with provincial governments, is establishing state run farms, but they let private enterprise handle management. The involvement of the national government ensures that the project has enough state resources to make it successful, while private business involvement is expected to implement market relevant strategy for sustainability of the venture.
Presently, the Inner Mongolian Provision Government is working towards the mainstreaming of camel production and sells both locally and intentionally. This comes with the realisation of China’s strategic positioning as a potential producer of camel products. The country can gain through a focus on embryo technology, food production, and veterinary technology for camels, which would contribute to a rapid increase in the available camel production enough to support a domestic and export industry for camel products. Other than just camel meat, milk and fur, relevant authorities in China are looking at creating tourism attraction activities, with camel racing as the main activity.
A key hurdle for the Chinese is the successful marketing of camel products as a potential replacement for pork, beef, chicken, and lamb. A lot has to happen in the camel production ecosystem in China to succeed in its ambitious project. For example, there is a need to increase grassland vegetation and protect it to provide adequate pasture for camels. The industry is also not functioning well; thus, there is a need for developing production and distribution centres and incentives to attract private enterprises. In addition, there should be product developments and value addition activities under camel production to make the product superior, as both medicine and food.
The farming community will also need to be sensitized about the benefits of camel products as an incentive to be more proactive in their production efforts. In this regard, scientific research on camel development and market awareness initiatives are identified as the main solutions. Relevant authorities, such as the Inner Mongolian Province government are working towards the realisation of policies that will grow the Camel industry.
Chinese market demand
As already stated, the market for camel meat in China is declining, unless interventions will pay off in the near future. Camel feet have a higher demand than camel body meat. The price of camel meat is low when compared to other meats. It would be expected that a lower price would spur demand, but many Chinese consumers prefer other meat, partly due to their exposure to alternative cuisines from abroad.
Other than restricted geographical production zones for camel meat and milk, the consumption of the product in China also follows the concentration of the Chinese Muslim population. In addition, the domestic prices of the product are influenced by the disposable incomes of the population in the main areas of production. The marginalisation of the western part of China has contributed partially to the inferiority of camel meat as a cuisine. People migrating to the developed parts of China from rural areas are quick to denounce the rural behaviour by adopting new norms. Unfortunately, part of that has been the consumption of less camel meat, even though such persons would serve as a viable target market for the product.
The following table breaks down the disposable incomes of the native Chinese populations in different regions to provide an overview of the potential markets for camel products as they currently are and premium products, which would appeal to higher earning individuals.
The income disparity between the three camel producing and consuming regions of Qinghai, Xin Jiang and Gansu when compared to the economic active areas of Shanghai and Beijing is significant.
China is a net meat importer. The country imported meat worth USD 2.2 billion in 2010. Most of the meat came from Brazil, the United States, and Denmark. Australia is the second largest supplier of frozen beef to China after Brazil and its grain fed beef dominates the premium end of the Chinese market (New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, 2012).
China has a high rate of camel slaughter. With present rates, its population of camels will continue to decline faster. The country is also not importing camels to sustain its 30.4 per cent slaughtering rate (Kadim, 2013).
Market drivers
Urbanisation has created adequate markets for imported food. In the 1990s, only 25 per cent of the population in China was urbanized, but the figure is likely to jump to 75 per cent by the year 2015, with most urban dwellers exhibiting characteristics of middle class income earners, such as varied dietary preferences and shopping outlooks (Hamshere et al., 2014). The GDP growth of China remained steady, with a double digit growth. The following graph shows how the rise of per capita incomes compared with other countries.
Figure 1: China’s development in a global perspective, a comparison of US per capita incomes (IMF, 2012)
Marketing mix, the 4Ps marketing strategy
The aim of the marketing mix strategy is to have the correct product and place correctly in the market. This means that the product should be sold at the right price and at the right time. Thus, everything done under the marketing mix aims to realise this objective. The four parts of the objective, price, promotion, place, and the product also form the four areas of review to ensure that everything happens as planned and the market capturing endeavour is a success.
Price
In China, camel meat sells for 20 Yuan a kilo and camel feet sells for 25 Yuan a kilo, which translates to about AUD 3 and AUD 3.8 respectively. In comparison, the Australian beef exported to China sells for AUD 24 to AUD 463 a kilo, depending on the cut and location of sale (Wu, Chan, & Deng, 2011). Lamb goes for AUD 5.9 to AUD 5.23, while Kangaroo meat goes for AUD 4.2 to 6.7 per kilo (Wu, Chan, & Deng, 2011). On the other hand local prices for local meat sources are as follows: Beef sells for about AUD 5.3, while lamb sells for approximately AUD 6 (Wu, Chan, & Deng, 2011).
Price trends for the past half-decade show a steady rise of 40 per cent, which is expected to persist throughout the current decade because of a number of factors. The price increase in imported Australian meat products in China mimics price increase in domestically produced meat in China, whose upward price trend has been in tandem with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy. The key indicator of price increase prospects is the increase in disposable incomes of people in China and the overall increase in the number of the middle class population, which is the main consumer.
Camel milk sells for between AUD 2.3 to AUD 4.6 in the Xin Jiang Province. The difference is caused by supply constraints arising out of the limited number of camels producing milk in the region. This is also an indication of the lack of adequate distribution infrastructure that would eliminate the shortages and ensure that the price remains even.
Despite the overly low prices for camel meat, the camel hump, which is a special delicacy, still manages to attract premium prices and high-class restaurant treatment, thanks to its significance to the Chinese cultural heritage (Wu, Chan, & Deng, 2011). This is also an indication of possible niche market segments that the Australian exporters of camel meat to China can consider exploiting, with the hump or an alternative camel product.
Product
Local camel milk and meat undergoes limited processing before it is offered for sale in the Chinese farm markets. However, when sold in upmarket areas, such as supermarkets, much of the product is offered in a packaged way, with minimal processing done to make it ready for consumption or to increase its shelf life. The Chinese are also fond of camel bump, mainly served in Chinese banquets. For ordinary consumption, consumers can only obtain the camel hump from top-class restaurants at an expensive price tag.
According to the Australian Trade Commission (2014), processed foods and wine from Australia have better entry terms of the Chinese market compared to other agribusiness products. On the other hand, for the export business to succeed there is a need for a stable supply of camels to serve the potential growth of the market. Commercial farming of camels in Australia may be considered at some point. Most of the meat exported will be in carcass form and in cut pieces ready for consumption.
Promotion
Traditionally, the consumption of camel meat has been a less frequent affair among the Chinese people, even those who are the most prominent consumers. For the current consumers, both in rural and urban areas, a number of factors affect their consumption patterns. Preferential patterns among the Chinese consumers show that camel meat consumption has been on the decline. As of 2010, camel meat combined with other exotic meat registered a consumption level of 1 million tons, while the other three main meats recorded considerable consumption levels. According to the 2010 data, pork is the most consumed meat and its popularity is about fifty times that of the camel and exotic meat category (Wu, Chan, & Deng, 2011).
As earlier explained, many rural to urban migrants quickly stop taking camel meat because of its association with low income earners. On the other hand, other consumers located in non-camel producing areas of China associate camel meat to the west and north-west side of China. Unfortunately, the association also prompts them to only consider the product when they are travelling to those areas. Meanwhile, wealthy consumers will gladly take on the hump, but that only constitutes a minority of the total number of both consumers and consumption levels of camel meat.
As it stands, based on the overall discussion of this report and the facts presented here, there is an urgent need for sensitisation. Most of the marketing activities for promoting the Australian camel meat will not succeed if the demand for domestically produced camel meat does not increase. The two markets are tied by the fact that a successful promotion of the domestic market will make an import market relevant and validate the charging of premium prices for the imported camel meat. It is only logical for international stakeholders from Australia to join them in various ventures to ensure they succeed together in nurturing the market, given that the Chinese local authorities are already addressing the public awareness issue.
Henceforth, the introduction of the Australian camel meat to the Chinese should be viewed a novice product entry in a young market lacking adequate structures. Key attractions of the Australian camel meat in China will be high quality production and packaging using modern standards and features and convenience for use by the Chinese consumers.
There will be a need to increase the confidence of consumers so that they treat camel meat with the same high level confidence they show for other food and beverage productions imported from Australia, mainly for their food safety and ingredient characteristics. High quality and freshness would be additional advantages for the Australian camel meat (Australian Trade Commission, 2014). Promoting the origin of camel meat imported from Australia will help to form a high quality association of the product and, possibly, stimulate demand.
Australia has a high reputation of food processing, especially beef, with adequate regulation for the safety of meat and meat products, both at the national level and at specific state levels. These features would be put in packaging to inform ordinary consumers about the product value proposition. Packaging is also supposed to be very different, visibly to prevent wrong association with inferior products available in the market (Wu, Chan, & Deng, 2011).
Promotion will involve the Australian and Chinese government authorities working on trade and camel meat marketing. It will also rely on specific businesses exporting camel meat to China. The businesses may form joint ventures with local companies for the sake of market knowledge sharing. The collaborations will ensure adequate focus is put on the imported product through an adequate distributorship to all mainstream retail outlets in the target cities, which should then grow to cover the entire country. Premium placement on retail shelves and the use of in-store advertising will help. Advertising in mainstream media and social media engagement will also work for branded camel meat from Australia. Direct marketing efforts would be employed on large scale buyers, such as restaurants or repackaging businesses.
Place
A potential target for imported meat coming from Australia would be the current geographical regions with the most Chinese consumers, which are western and north-western parts of the country. Although these regions have high populations of Chinese Muslim, a fact that has contributed to their high consumption of camel meat, they also have large numbers of non-Muslim consumers. The intercultural and religious coexistence has promoted the overall consumption and a rise in camels’ products and camels respectively.
The highly urban areas of China are also good targets, mainly due to the concentration of middle income earners in these regions. They have the necessary disposable income levels that would support an import market for camel meat. High urban population densities in the country also make the cost per individual low compared to rural areas. It makes better business sense to place billboards and other above fold promotion materials in urban areas because of this reason and the availability of the native promotional service businesses that are best poised to come up with specific market targeting strategies for the country (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011).
The best places to undertake marketing efforts would be at stakeholder sponsored events because there is a pertinent need for involving industry stakeholders in the marketing of camel meat in China. With enough sensitisation of the groups responsible for rebuilding the popularity of camel meat in China, there would be a high chance of having adequate business and regulatory authority focusing on the industry. This should contribute to its rapid growth. For example, targeting the Australia-China trade conferences and workshops would ensure that some positive resolutions on trade between the two countries benefit camel meat export business.
Rationale for camel meat export to China from Australia
China is experiencing a surge in its demand for protein, and has become dependent on foreign beef to satisfy its demand for camel meat. On the other hand, Australia exports 80 per cent of its beef and has a mature export industry for meat whose principles and infrastructure would help to promote camel meat exports. In addition, the two countries, Australia and China are working on a preferential market access agreement that would see goods from Australia face fewer legal and market entry restrictions in China (Binsted, 2014).
The economic development of China coincides with rapid urbanisation, similar to what other industrialized economies went through during their development phase. The trend explains the rapid rise in urban population incomes and constant migration to cities and industrial centres, where the labour demand is high (Coates & Luu, 2012).
A combination of the rising meat prices in China, signified by the five times increase in price of beef since 2000, and the rising demand whose current levels are four times what they were in 2012 are indications of export numbers that could be achieved when strategies used in the beef export industry are applied to the camel export segment from Australia to China (Binsted, 2014).
Feral camels in Australia are sometimes considered as a nuisance because of their classification as pests, but the export of their meat to China or any other country solves the problem of their nuisance (Brindal, 2011). According to a report by Jooste (2014), Camels from Australia are among the best in the world because of their disease free nature. Unfortunately, as demand rises, the supply may not be able to catch up because the effects of a culling exercise initiated by the government at a cost of AUD 19 million have been devastating to the overall camel population in Australia (Jooste, 2014).
While the camel export industry is expected to benefit from the already developed beef exporting infrastructure, such as the available export abattoirs, more work will be needed to make the facilities fit camel processing. In Australia, ferrying of camels is one of the most costly activities within the value chain and most of the country’s camels come from its southern parts. Camel carcass weight varies with the age of the camel and sex, and can be as high as 236 kg or as low as 150 kg for mature camels after dressing (Salehi et al., 2013). Camel meat is a valid alternative to beef when used for human consumption or pet food as indicated by the table below, which depicts the similarity in nutrition content. An attractive point for the meat would also be its low fat content (Zeng & McGregor, 2008).
Figure 2: Comparison of key nutritional value of camel and beef (Zeng & McGregor, 2008)
SWOT Analysis of the Chinese market
Strengths
The Australia China Corporation already exists to manage trade relationships between the two countries and serves as the exclusive agent for dealing with camel meat. In China, it provides high quality export camel carcasses that have undergone excellent vacuum packing procedures. Having a presence in China and dealing with camel meat puts the corporation in a suitable position to advise relevant government and trade authorities on the best way to penetrate and develop the Chinese market for Australian camel meat (Australia China Corporation, 2014).
Weakness
Beef is a popular meat in China, at both basic and premium food markets. Dethroning it from the most preferred protein source will be a tough thing to do. In fact, the popularity of beef has even attracted unscrupulous business activities of selling fake beef made from processed pork. In 2013, China had a case of businesses that sold fake meat that was created through paraffin and industrial salt treatment of pork. Consumers were fooled and would have ended up paying beef prices for 22 tons of pork meat that was seized (Mosbaugh, 2013). The scandal highlights the laxity in law enforcement concerning traceability and food safety. However, it also serves as a motivating factor for the Chinese authorities to pay keen attention on meat being imported into the county.
Opportunities
China will still remain Australia’s largest trading partner for several coming years. The two countries have a favourable investment relationship (KPMG, 2011).
There is a significant community of the Chinese people living in Australia. In 2009, there were 320,000 people from China in Australia. According to the 2011 Census, China is the third largest contributor of the Australian population after the UK and New Zealand (ABS, 2012). The population can play a critical role in cementing relationships between small and medium enterprises in the two countries to facilitate successful marketing and export of Australian camel meat to China.
China’s food consumption by value will have increased by 104 per cent between 2009 and 2050 (Hamshere et al., 2014). Much of the demand will be on non-starchy staples, which provide high value dietary utility. Meat is one of the major foods under the high value foods category. Growth in demand will be in tandem with the growth of urban populations and the increase in the middle income status of most households. Although actual figures for camel meat demand projections are unavailable, the expected rise in overall meat demand provides a mirror for reviewing the expected increase in demand for camel meat, as long as government and private sector plans for market sensitisation and commercial farming are fruitful.
The following graph shows a comparison of middle income households and high income households in China, in terms of existing and future agricultural commodities demand (Hamshere et al., 2014). Notably, sheep and goat meat, which are close to the classification of other meat where camel meat falls, register considerable growth in demand in both middle income and high income households.
Figure 3: Urban medium and high income consumption of selected agricultural commodities, China (Hamshere et al., 2014).
The value of meat across all categories will also be increasing in the coming years, with differing percentages depending on the popularity of the meat. Imports will continue to play an important role in meeting consumption increases in China for meat, other than poultry and pork, where domestic production matches the country’s consumption levels (Hamshere et al., 2014).
Threats
The country has an unpredictable business environment, partly caused by the authoritative nature of the government. The country’s legal system is also opaque and subjective. Businesses, especially foreign owned, cannot always look forward to consistent implementation of the law. In addition, China does not fully protect intellectual property and most foreign companies setting shop in the country must first access the risk exposure and have a robust mitigation plan.
Conclusion
The main attractive points for exporting camel meat to China are the growing Chinese population, the increase in income status of most Chinese households, and the existence of favourable economic and social environments for doing business in China. These factors play an active role in increasing the demand for camel meat and the projected increase is unlikely to be met by domestic production.
The present sensitisation efforts by the Chinese authorities will increase the market demand for camel meat and most rural populations of camel producing regions in China will benefit from the availability of a market. It is the same fate that awaits the Australian camel meat exporters, who have been working on mechanisms to make the sector lucrative and provide a sustainable income source for rural Australian populations in the last half a decade.
Some hurdles need to be overcome, such as beating an unpredictable business environment of China, and increasing demand of camel meat to match the high demand for beef and other meat in China. In this regard, the Australian camel meat has a high chance of penetrating the Chinese market when it is offered as a premium product targeted at high income households and individuals. High margins would then make economic sense for increased market spending to grow demand and sustain the business. Working with trade authorities in both China and Australia to establish favourable importation policies for Australian camel meat going to China would play a significant part in making the business sustainable and rewarding to both countries.
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Traditionally, pork was considered white meat, but in nutrition it is categorized together with beef as red meat. Red meat has higher nutrition value than white meat. Pork is generally rich in proteins, Niacin, Selenium, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, vitamin B12, Phosphorous and Zinc. (Catherine, 2004)
Pork contains virtually all the recommended nutrients for the human body. 100 grams of cooked trimmed served lean pork gives the body the following nutrients in the given content;
It provides the body with 191 calories of energy which provides energy for all the processes in the body, it also provides the body with 29 grams of protein that is essential for building and repairing of worn out tissues as well as producing antibodies for body protection. Lean pork provides 7.5 grams of fat which is necessary for the provision of energy. Pork fat contains the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Pork is also a source of CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid) which has antioxidant properties hence protect the body against cancer and heart diseases. (www.great-workout.com/nutrition/meat/pork-nutrition-facts.cfm)
As noted by Austin and Lincoln (2000) the recommended intake of nutrients in a human body present in 100 grams of lean pork has the following benefits;
The body requires 65% thiamin which is necessary for fat metabolism. It is also needed for the growth and repair of nerves as well as maintaining appetite. 22% Riboflavin which helps in energy release from food and cell division. 47% Niacin (Vitamin B3) that is required in the human body for energy release from carbohydrates and proteins. Pork supplies 24 % vitamin B6 essential for protein metabolism. Pork also contains vitamin B12 38 % required in the body. Pork contains essential minerals such as phosphorous 22%, 10% magnesium, 9% iron, and 36% Zinc.
Pork compares favorably with other meat and poultry for calories, fats and cholesterol. Most cuts of lean pork are nutritious just as chicken or more leaner than chicken. (Austin and Lincoln,
References
Austin J. Lewis, Lincoln Lee Southern (2000), Swine Nutrition, New York, Prentice Hall.
Catherine, S.(2004), Pork & Nutrition: A Balanced Approach to Healthy Eating, London, Cambridge University Press.
