Being on a list of journalists that do interviews affords me opportunities to talk to a wide variety of people. Some public relations agencies do not differentiate between someone like me and a woke corporate media journalist. That’s why I occasionally get asked to do interviews with people who I oppose ideologically, just as I did this morning.
“Within a decade, the only beef most people eat will be lab-produced,” a woke vegan scientist gloated to me. “I’d go so far as to say we’re being very conservative in our estimations if enough states get on board with the revolution.”
This was one of many shocking quotes I received, mostly without prompting, from a scientist/ambassador for a vegan women’s group that approached me for an interview. I will not be posting the name of the person I interviewed because I did it under opaque circumstances. She assumed based on what her PR company said to her that I was a “food journalist.” I’m actually a conservative journalist who happens to own a beef company, but who’s counting?
Nevertheless, it was all their fault. It was their PR company that reached out to me for the interview, so it wouldn’t be right to embarrass them by name, nor to out the very nice but misguided vegan scientist who talked to me about it.
With that said, I was still very annoyed by what I was told.
“Around half the people who try it can’t tell the difference from slaughtered meat and most of the ones who can tell the difference say they enjoyed it anyway,” she said.
Rather than calling it “fake” meat versus “real” meat, she kept referring to it as “humane” meat versus “slaughtered” meat.
What struck me most was how certain she seemed to be about the righteousness of her endeavors. By their reckoning, those of us who bitterly cling to “slaughtered” meat need to simply be educated about all the harm we’re doing to the environment as well as all the benefits of “humane” meat.
Here’s a portion of the press release they are putting out later this week. I’ve redacted identifying information for the aforementioned reasons, but also because “who” doesn’t matter. This is not an isolated condition. The people who are pushing against real meat are widespread, diverse, and growing in numbers.
The ************* is proud to announce the world’s first showcase of women founders in the future of food on May 19th in **************. This showcase will allow select attendees, including press, consumers, and investors, to be among the first in the world to try lab-grown wagyu beef, mycelium chicken breast, and next-generation plant-based oysters, eggs, and sashimi. These women-founded products are not yet available on the market with many debuting to the public for the first time.
The showcase will include several innovative, women-founded brands pioneering the use of cell-cultured and plant-based alternatives. This includes **************’s cultivated wagyu burgers, **************’s mycelium chicken breast, **************’s eggs, **************’s oysters on the shell, and **************’s tuna sashimi. The showcase is an in-person extension of **************’s annual pitch competition, **************, which has reached over 1,300 women founders across 31 countries since launching in 2020. ************** and ************** are alumni of the pitch competition from past years.
“We are thrilled to debut our future of food showcase at the ************** – with a full roster of women-led products,” said **************, Founder and CEO of **************. “Our goal with this showcase was to bring together the most innovative and exciting brands pioneering sustainable and ethical solutions to the food industry. Not only are we proud to be debuting these cutting-edge technologies to the public, but every single brand is led by women – in an industry full of male CEOs. Our attendees will have the opportunity to taste some of the latest and most exciting cell-cultured and plant-based animal alternatives from women founders – some for the first time in history!”
************** will bring their cultivated **************, which is a blend of plant-based meat and wagyu cells, to the public for the first time. The European-based **************, which develops whole-cut meat and seafood alternatives from mushroom mycelium, will be showcasing their clean-label chicken breasts, made of 80% mycelium and natural ingredients, while European-based ************** will be showcasing its egg alternative. ************** will be offering plant-based clam chowder and oysters on the shell, and ************** will be bringing plant-based tuna sashimi. This will be the first time all of these brands will be featured at ************** – and the ************** debut for each brand.
The press release continues, but you get the point. They’re very proud to be preparing the nation and the world for their “revolution.” This is all about acute wokeness as envisioned by mad scientists and climate change cultists. And it’s spreading.
What makes all of this worse is that there are pieces of legislation being pushed around the country that could shield these companies from having to identify the nature of their meats. In the near future, you may be eating what you believe to be a Wagyu beef burger when in reality the meat was never actually part of a cow. It was grown, and the label may not reflect that.
Then, there’s the concern about taxes. My interviewee had “heard from a trusted ally in government” that they will be rolling out tax proposals for “slaughtered” meat that will make it cost-prohibitive to not accept the lab-grown versions.
This, perhaps more than anything else, is why we decided to launch our freeze-dried beef company. We wanted to offer Americans an opportunity to get high-quality beef from premium cuts like Ribeye, NY Strips, and Tenderloin, and store it away for a decade or longer.
Their goal is to keep us from eating meat that came from an actual living, breathing animal. It’s an abomination from multiple perspectives and I refuse to participate.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
