After meat without meat, now milk without a cow

Those Vegan Cowboys, a laboratory in Ghent, is working on making milk from grass, without a cow or goat being involved. The idea comes from Jaap Korteweg, the man who came up with the Vegetarische Slager. The advantage of milk without a cow? Less CO2 emissions, less animal suffering.

The Vegetarische Slager is based on the idea of removing animals from the food chain. Founders Jaap Korteweg and Niko Koffeman did not actually find vegetarian food all that tasty; they missed the texture and taste of meat. But then there was the animal suffering and all that, so they set to work finding a meat substitute that even the most dedicated carnivore would happily sink their teeth into. Mission accomplished: the kipstuckjes, gehackt and Auf Wieder Schnitzel are a hit. The butchers sold their company to Unilever for a handsome sum. That provided the financial freedom for a new project, and that could very well be this milk without a cow.

A cow’s stomachs

But Jaap is not done yet. He sought collaboration with a laboratory in Ghent to realize his next plan: milk without cows. The idea is to ferment grass with certain fungi or yeasts and thus turn it into milk. Essentially, exactly the same thing happens in the laboratory’s large stainless-steel drums as in a cow’s stomachs, but without all the misery of manure, crowded barns and a surplus of calves.

Cheese for everyone

Experts are enthusiastic about the butchers’ next plan. The laboratory plans to make milk and cheese from grass. Naturally, other plant-based milk products exist, but they are made from oats, almonds or coconut. And the vegan cheeses are made from cashews, among other things. And not an exclusive cheese that you could only eat in restaurants, but ordinary cheese and milk at a good price, so everyone can benefit. Korteweg’s ultimate goal: to free cows from the dairy chain.

Read also:

• Why don’t we drink pig’s milk?
• 3 things you didn’t know yet about goat’s milk
• Vegan hunters poke fun at traditional hunting photos

Source: Groene Amsterdammer