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Mootral – I understand that anyone reading that I'm writing about reducing methane emissions from cows today isn't exactly going to shout, "Yes, Bianca, tell me more!" That might be because, like me, you're probably not familiar with the topic at first. And I'll admit, my initial reaction to Zaluvida's request for a report on Mootral was also an intuitive "No!" But after spending about two minutes looking at the basic facts, five minutes had quickly passed, and after ten minutes I really wanted to know more – even just for personal reasons. Now, after reading almost 15 pages about climate change in connection with our meat consumption, I'd like to tell you more about it. Before we delve a little deeper – don't worry – let me say this upfront: On October 18th, you have the opportunity to experience what you're reading for yourselves and sample free burgers made from climate-friendly beef at the Munich OEZ shopping center from 11 am to 3 pm. In other words, you can experience firsthand what I'm describing. Before you're completely lost – let's get started!
Climate-friendly meat from the grill.
Who or what is Mootral, and is it edible?
No, you (or rather, we) can't eat it, but cows can. Let's start from the beginning. Mootral is a feed additive for cows. It reduces methane emissions by at least 30 percent.
That's out. In fact, a cow produces 2-3 tons of CO2 equivalents and therefore causes more CO2 than
an average car. That is, in order to achieve the climate goals that have been much discussed in the media,
Environmental authorities and politicians must act. But we as consumers, that is, we as consumers, must also act.
Meat-eating citizens can make a significant contribution. According to a survey on the topic
Are consumers willing to accept a positive change in CO2 production or a reduction in meat consumption?
A shift in meat consumption and, so to speak, "cow breeding and meat production" due to higher
to accept meat prices. In other words: According to the aforementioned survey, we humans are the
Climate change is very much on our minds and ranks among the top three "biggest concerns" of people. Of course, I'm not exempt from this issue myself, and I find it frightening how many factors influence the future of us humans, our environment, and our resources. Admittedly, I didn't initially think of a cow in this context. Since very few people are willing to give up meat, Zaluvida – a Swiss company – has made it its mission to let the cow be a cow and approach the issue from a different angle: Through the new feed additive Mootral, mentioned at the beginning, cows produce less methane. This allows us to produce more climate-friendly beef and dairy products in the future without harming the animals. Mootral consists of garlic powder and citrus extracts and is therefore a completely natural product.
The aforementioned survey also revealed that meat consumers are willing to pay more for climate-friendly meat – that's important to me too. Especially if the farmer doesn't suffer as a result and actually receives a share of the higher price.
Dairy products are also affected, of course.
This is what's behind it, or rather, what's inside it.
Mootral is a new approach to combating livestock-induced methane emissions – specifically, reducing methane expelled from the cow's mouth. It's a natural feed substitute made from garlic powder and citrus extracts that can be easily integrated into the feed chain. The result after supplementation is an immediate reduction in methane emissions from the cow. For farmers, Mootral offers a profitable solution for sustainably reducing the number of methane-producing bacteria in cows (at least a 30% reduction!). Mootral is produced from widely available, natural ingredients and has a lower CO2 footprint during production. Furthermore, the reduced methane production by the cow has a positive effect on animal health.
More information on this topic
Global livestock farming is responsible for 151,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. After the energy and industrial sectors, cows are thus the third largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Since arguing with the cows about this is pointless, we as consumers are the ones who need to take action. This means either consuming less meat, which is rather unlikely given the growing global population and the demand for meat, or exploring alternatives that don't require giving up meat and dairy altogether. Even if farmers are willing to reduce their cows' methane emissions, they currently cannot bear the additional costs alone. It's uneconomical for the farmer and therefore unfeasible. The introduction of Mootral and a consciously "new" approach to the topic of meat and, of course, dairy products, as well as the willingness to "pay more if the meat and dairy products are good for the climate," will therefore play a major role for all of us in the future, even if the direct connection isn't immediately obvious.
The Mootral food truck will be giving away burgers in front of the OEZ on October 18th from 11:00 AM!
My personal opinion on the topic | Food for thought
I personally find this topic very interesting, also because it's a wake-up call and shows how little thought we actually give to "certain aspects" when it comes to our own eating habits. No one is demanding that we all become vegetarians tomorrow or pay many times more for our meat without batting an eye. However, I believe that consciously perceiving and engaging with the topic and new possibilities, such as Mootral from Zaluvida, is everyone's responsibility.
Taste CO2-friendly meat! – Free burgers for everyone from the food truck
Now I've explained the topic a little more. Anyone who finds it even remotely as fascinating as I do and wants to understand what Mootral is, or whether this natural feed additive changes the taste of the meat (or doesn't change it at all), is cordially invited to join me on October 18, 2017 from 11 a.m. (until approximately 3 p.m.) at the OEZ (Olympia Shopping Center) Come and try the first climate-friendly beef in the form of burgers for free! The climate-friendly beef, which you'll get between the burger buns, will be prepared on-site by professional chefs. Everything about the topic will be explained and gladly answered if I've piqued your interest. So, moo! See you on October 18th.
+++ This article was created in cooperation with Zaluvida. Thank you! +++
Zaluvida | Mootral – a product from Zaluvida
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Sandra
Hello Bianca,
I saw an ad for Mootral on YouTube, googled it, and came across your blog. I consider this product to be opium for the masses. While the cow itself may emit less methane, the impact of this production chain on the climate is still relatively small. Livestock farming, and especially cattle, is a problem not only because of their own excrement, but even more so because of their feed consumption. A third of the world's agricultural land is used for meat production. A cow consumes 20 kg of feed for every 1 kg of usable beef over its lifetime. Statistics show that for pork, this figure is around 8-12 kg, for chicken still 5 kg, and for most fish, except pangasius, it's 2 kg per kg. These agricultural areas are being cleared, primarily forests and rainforests for plantations. With a growing global population, these agricultural areas could potentially contribute to hunger problems in developing countries – but they don't, because we feed 19 kg of food to produce 1 kg of meat – a foodstuff that, in this regular and sometimes excessive form, is only accessible to the developed world, representing the smallest segment of the global population. The meat industry also requires massive amounts of water, as does agriculture – contributing to conditions like those around the Aral Sea, where entire landscapes are being destroyed, as well as the import and export of plant products and their associated emissions.
These are the real environmental destroyers.
Mootral's promise of a climate-friendly cow piqued my interest, but it doesn't address the issue where it should, nor can it. My initial assumption from the vague advertising was that it was a plant-based feed that was particularly efficient in terms of calorie and nutrient content for the same effort, thus reducing the amount of feed required. The climate problem associated with meat consumption certainly doesn't stem from a few farting cows, but rather from where the real problem lies: in feed production and in excessive meat consumption, which demonstrably exceeds what is necessary.
Anyone who thinks I'm some kind of ranting vegan – no, I'm not. I'm a meat-eater who does reflect on his food consumption every day, and although he doesn't want to completely give up meat, he hardly eats pork or beef anymore due to the issue of quantity, and he also pays attention to the origin of fish.
Best regards