Sheridan’s push for food accessibility may help save the planet

Sheridan is introducing Beyond Meat options at several of its food establishments, and consuming these meat substitutes may be combating climate change.

Studies show that beef is the least efficient meat to produce in terms of resources. Beef requires 28 times more land and 11 times more water to produce than other types of meat. Beef also releases four times more greenhouse gases than a calorie equivalent of pork and five times more than a calorie equivalent of poultry.

The Davis and Hazel Mccallion campuses’ Grill & Co. and all three campuses’ Tim Hortons have put Beyond Meat on their menu. Julia Kuziw, marketing manager for Food Services at Sheridan, said this was done to make food more accessible to students.

“It gives students meat alternatives. There’s tons of meat options, so having more options at Harveys, Tim Hortons, Grill & Co. is important,” Kuziw said.

Sheridan Trafalgar’s restaurant The Marquee is also introducing Beyond Meat options. Kitchen Supervisor Sharayah Hartt said they were added to the menu to cover a variety of dietary restrictions.

“We just wanted to make it even and super easy to eat out,” Hartt said.

Los Angeles based entrepreneur Ethan Brown took notice of the meat industry’s contribution to climate change and sought to combat it. In 2009, he launched Beyond Meat. Advertised as “The Future of Protein,” Brown’s company produces plant-based meat alternatives. Brown isn’t shy about how eco-friendly Beyond Meat is. The official website says in big, bold letters that compared to a U.S. beef burger of the same size, a Beyond Meat uses:

• 99% less water
• 90% fewer green house gas emissions
• 93% less land
• 46% less energy

Since conception, Beyond Meat has been a success. CNN Business reports that its revenues reached $67.3 million in the second quarter of 2019. Philanthropists Bill Gates and Leonardo DiCaprio have since invested in the company as well. The first burger chain in Canada to offer Beyond Meat burgers was A&W in July 2019, selling out the product within weeks.