Mootral Fosters Climate Smart Meals

Posted by OmarTarakiNiodeFoundation
02 October 2017 | blogpost

Image: rawpixel/123rf.com

The food that we eat may have an impact on our planet based on how it changes land use, and how much energy is used to produce and transport it.

Climate change, however, is not an issue that I expected to encounter at the 2017 International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in Sacramento, America’s Farm to Fork Capital.

Sacramento region’s Farm-to-Fork Program  serves as a year-round platform to highlight the farms, restaurants, organizations and individuals that contribute to the local culinary and agricultural landscapes.

Surprisingly, there are several events on climate smart meals sponsored by Mootral™ a brand name from a company in Switzerland called Zaluvida

Plant-based Diets

I have talked several times on how climate friendly food can help address climate change, but mostly from the angle of plant-based diets inspired by the works of Dr Marco Springmann of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food that states:  “A global switch to diets that rely less on meat and more on fruit and vegetables could save up to 8 million lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, and lead to healthcare-related savings and avoided climate damages of US$1.5 trillion.”

 Image: LM Munawarah/123rf.com 

Another source that I cited a lot is a booklet called The Low Emissions Diet, Eating for a Safe Climate by Paul Mahony from Vegetarian Victoria and Vegan Australia with recipes from Mel Baker, The Kind Cook. It highlights the greenhouse gas emissions asociated with different types of food. As an example, adding meat in a spicy sweet potato and been enchiladas will increase green house gas emissions tremendously.

Vegetarisnism or veganism, however, is a dietary preference and in my opinion it is not wise to proselytize others by making it a main solution to climate change.

Climate Smart Beef

Luckily there is an option to address climate change while still eating meat. Mootral™ is a natural feed supplement that instantly reduces cow methane emissions by at least 30%. Made from citrus and garlic extracts, it is the result of more than a decade of research and studies in decreasing methane production in enteric fermentation of food digested by ruminants, mainly through burping.

I regret missing a very interesting pre-conference excursion organized by the IFBC: Climate-Smart, Dry-Aged and Smoked Prime Rib Beef Dinner at the grounds of University of California, Davis where Professor Ermias Kebreab and feedlot manager, Don Harper greeted the guests, and gave a tour of the UC Davis beef farm. Guests learned about Mootral™ and different activities to achieve sustainable livestock agriculture, including what cows eat and how they digest their food.

 Image: Mootral™

UC Davis Meat Lab Manager, Caleb Sehnert, prepared the climate smart beef dish presented with wine and dessert at the UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden. A Mootral™ swag bag concluded the educational evening.

Although I missed the climate smart dinner, I was fortunate enough to participate in other events at IFBC related to Mootral™.

The first one was the Expo, Taste of Sacramento & Gift Suite where Mootral™ and other IFBC sponsors interacted with IFBC attendees. There was no climate smart beef available, but I had a chance to get to know the Mootral™ team with hope to have more information on their future events.

Blogging for (Real) Beef

The second one was Blogging for (Real) Beef – How You Can Engage Audiences on one of the Hottest Topics in the Food Space. Michael Mathers, the President of Mootral™ described what the product is and the benefits of using Mootral™ from the points of view of farmers, businesses, consumers and governments.

 Image: Mootral™

Mootral™ participates in a number of events including the last and the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change. It is ready for commercialization in 2017 and plans to start pilot projects around the world and create a Climate-Friendly Cow label for dairy and meat products, as well as introduce a new carbon credit: the Cow Credit.

Mathers’ presentation was preceded and followed by quiz-style competitions, organized by game masters, to show-off participants’ knowledge of sustainable food.

I learned a lot from the above series of events at IFBC as Mootral™ was able to mainstream a complex issue such a climate change into a farm-to-fork phenomena through entertainment. Having the events in Sacramento, America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital made it easier to absorb all the remarkable knowledge.

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Text: Amanda Niode