What’s the beef with fake meat?

PEOPLE are up in arms about a petition to sell vegan products at Bunnings barbecues, but a vegetarian ‘butcher’ suggests meat eaters are actually feeling a bit of shame.

THE sausage is an Aussie icon that has long brought people together at family barbecues, hardware stores and elections.

But, like elections, the ‘democracy sausage’ is dividing the nation.

Meat lovers got fired up last month when a cat rescue group served up vegan snags at a Bunnings sausage sizzle fundraiser in Melbourne.

Disgruntled DIY-ers took to social media to express their concern over their sacred sizzle being tainted by plant-based alternatives.

FFS, I don't want my sausage contaminated with vegan crap. Plus I doubt a vegan knows what a Bunnings is

— Leigh Jones (@leighjones0212) May 24, 2017

Bunnings sausage sizzles are sacred. I'm a former vegan.
Vegans don't have the energy for DIY anyway.
(I kid)

— Emma Healey (@emmasbrain) May 30, 2017

Former Triple M presenter Dave ‘Higgo’ Higgins went even further, angry about a petition to include vegan options at all Bunnings sausage sizzles.

Seriously, don't sign that rubbish. It's like going to a Chinese restaurant and complaining because they don't do bolognese. #Bunnings

— Higgo (@Higgo74) May 24, 2017

So, what’s the beef with fake meat?

Vegetarian butcher Suzy Spoon thinks outrage from meat eaters could come from a place of shame.

“Even if you’re not shoving it down their throat and you’re quietly eating your little vegetarian sausage and your salad, often I feel they must feel a little ashamed. It’s confronting for people,” the Sydney chef says.

Spoon creates plant-based meats like schnitzel, sausages, kebabs and Bolognese in St Peters using ingredients like seitan and soy protein.

Suzy Spoon says that some meat eaters feel shame with eating so much meat.

Her creations aren’t made to taste like meat. Instead, they’re supposed to “replicate the experience” of eating meat and give vegetarians and vegans a quick and easy meal to cook at home or take to a family barbecue.

“When I first started the business it was a bit confronting for everybody that I used the word butcher,” she says.

“But it does describe exactly what I do … we make all things that butchers make but we just make them with no meat.”

A roast from Suzy’s ‘vegetarian’ butcher store. Picture: Craig Wilson

The store has been open for a few years and has been hugely successful, suggesting that many vegetarians just want to be part of the BBQ too.

According to Euromonitor International, Australia is the third-fastest growing vegan market in the world. Currently worth almost $136 million, our packaged vegan food market is set to reach $215 million by 2020.

Dietitian Kate Di Prima describes herself as a “big meat eater” but says fake meat is a great alternative that provides a similar nutritional profile to real meat:

“Veggie sausages have a similar profile in protein, are much lower in fat but probably not quite as much iron.”

Di Prima says the non-heme irons in meat alternatives aren’t in the absorbable form like heme irons are in real meat, so they need a boost of vitamin c to help with absorption.

Vegans and vegetarians do need to eat more to get the same amount of protein as they would get consuming meat, but Di Prima thinks that’s a good thing because these meat alternatives provide extra fibre.

She says fibre is one thing that’s very low in the average Australian’s diet and recommends trying a vegetarian meal once a week to up your intake.

“You don’t have to say it’s a sausage alternative. It’s a vegetarian log. A vegetarian pipe!” she laughs.

The petition calling for Bunnings to include vegan products in their fundraisers.

“I think it’s quite good for meat eaters to have a bit of vegetable matter in their [meals] because it does add some nutrients, some antioxidants, some phytonutrients and some fibre,” she says.

Despite the outrage, a petition asking for all Bunnings sausage sizzles to offer vegan sausages is close to reaching its goal of 10,000 signatures.

Suzy Spoon is not pushing for vegan-only sausage sizzles at Bunnings but thinks having vegan options will raise more money for the charities that run them.

“All these groups that use the facility of Bunnings for their barbecues, it’s to raise money for community events … so it’s a great idea to also have some vegan options there because all they’re going to do is raise more money, surely.”