Bill Gates Is Hopeful About The Future Of Fake Meat And Plant-Based Foods

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and philanthropist, expressed his opinion on the future of meat alternatives during his yearly Reddit Ask Me Anything session.

Redditors questioned the 67-year-old billionaire on a range of subjects, including the climate and veganism, which prompted Gate to express his enthusiasm for plant-based meats.

Gates stated in the discussion that "There are companies making 'beef' in new ways and people working to still use cows but reduce the methane emissions,"

Even if their market share is now limited, he continued, "I think eventually these products will be very good even though their share is small today," 

According to Gates, he has supported the meat substitute brands Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Upside Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats).

The billionaire expressed less hope about the likelihood that the general public will adopt vegetarianism in order to protect the environment.

"For people who want to go vegan that is great but I don't think most people will do that,"  he wrote.

The philanthropist stressed that, regardless of the industry being discussed, he feels it all boils down to cost as he wrapped up his responses to queries about climate change.

The answer to addressing climate change, according to Gates, is to make clean products as affordable as dirty ones in every area of emission, including livestock, concrete, and aeroplanes. "This is the only way we can ask all the countries in the world to change. If it costs a lot extra we won't succeed."

He continued by listing "climate innovation" as one of his four priorities for 2023. Gates also revealed why he owns 275,000 acres of farmland, his views on artificial intelligence, and his continued support for Android during the AMA session.

Gates wrote in the conversation, "I own less than 1/4000 of the farmland in the US," Gates said in the thread. "I have invested in these farms to make them more productive and create more jobs. There isn't some grand scheme involved - in fact all these decisions are made by a professional investment team."