Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vegan Prince’ Reveals What’s Next For The Meat-Free Industry
HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud shares his thoughts on the rise of veganism, laboratory-grown chicken nuggets and a few tips for when it comes to sticking to a plant-based diet this Veganuary
A decade ago, asking for a vegan option in an restaurant would have probably been met with a confused look, but as we embrace 2021, plant-based eating (based on the vegan ethos) is one of the fastest growing diets in the world, with Deliveroo reporting a 76% increase in 2019 on vegan and plant-based orders in the UAE. And January has become synonymous with Veganuary, a month-long challenge of abstaining from meat-based products, engaging over a million participants since its inauguration in 2014. Those taking part this year are likely to have an easier ride than the early adopters, as advances in food technology mean vegan food options are readily available in supermarkets, and alternative meat companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are making eating out for vegans not just a viable option, but sometimes a preferred one.
And just last month, a new arm of the industry was celebrating a milestone, when the Singaporean government became the first to authorise the sale of laboratory-grown meat in the form of alternative ‘chicken nuggets’. The introduction of ‘lab meat’ – otherwise known as cellular agriculture, shows that plant-based eating, and indeed veganism, is becoming a more complex arena. One man who is in the know is HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, aka ‘The Vegan Prince’.
HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, President, Saudi Sports for All Federation launching the Lifestyle Enhancement Conference
The founder and CEO of KBW Ventures has not only been a vegan for nine years, his company actively supports “businesses that are trying to provide ethical and healthy alternatives”, most famously being an early investor in Beyond Meat and more recently in Rebellyous Foods (think vegan chicken nuggets). Last year, the Saudi prince launched his vegan menu Folia, in collaboration with Chef Matthew Kenney, at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, following the success of the menu at Four Seasons resorts in Bahrain and Beverly Hills. He was also heavily involved in the 2019 Lifestyle Enhancement Conference in Saudi Arabia, flying globally renowned medical professionals to The Kingdom to share their findings on the results of plant-based diets. Bazaar caught up with the prince to get all the latest news on going meat-free…
From Left to Right – Uma Valeti, Memphis Meats co-founder and CEO, and HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal, founder and CEO, KBW Ventures
How has plant-based eating made the transition from fringe movement to the mainstream?
Strength in numbers and the Internet both played a big role. People reducing meat can also be credited to some illuminated individuals in healthcare telling their patients to maximise plant-based products and minimise animal products. The reducetarian and flexitarian movements have helped – rather than cutting out all animal products, you’re working slowly to reduce the frequency; this has led to a lot of people going completely plant-based over time. The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events and the proliferation of zoonotic diseases means conversations around the climate crisis and the pandemic have also impacted people’s choices.
What has helped this transition in the Middle East?
The big Middle East cities have always been great at picking up food trends, but really good plant-based dining options took a lot longer to get here. I think having the information [on social media] available in Arabic is really important to reach the wider public; especially about how adopting a plant-based diet can be a health measure helping to keep things like cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, cholesterol and more under control and potentially prevent it all together.
Memphis Meats Fried Chicken
Are vegans getting enough protein?
For some reason, protein has been drilled into people’s brains as [being] derived from animals – which, of course, is grossly inaccurate. But I’ve seen people warm up to the idea once I explain how much protein a plant-based diet offers and what the great protein sources are, not to mention how affordable and accessible plant-based eating is. I encourage everyone out there just to get educated: watch some YouTube videos and read some books by prominent doctors. Try going plant-based a few days a week, then a few weeks a month and you’ll see a massive difference in everything from your energy levels to your digestion.
Tell us about Beyond Meat…
Beyond Meat has made the world understand that plant-based food can taste great, be better for you, and for the environment, be it something as appetising as a burger – or my new favourite: Beyond Sausage. The Beyond IPO was a great moment for the trajectory of the future of food, and now Beyond products are available Tamimi markets, Spinney’s, Lulu and other grocery stores, and fast food outlets on Deliveroo.”
Memphis Meats Beef Meatballs
And what about Rebellyous Foods?
Well aside from the fact that giving people a delicious tasting, excellently textured, plant-based alternative for chicken nuggets is a sure path to profit, they have no cholesterol, antibiotics, or hormones, and less saturated fat and sodium than traditional chicken nuggets, in addition to being animal-free and much better for the environment.
The new buzz phrase is ‘cellular agriculture’ – what is it?
It is the production of animal-based products from cell cultures rather than from the animal itself. This has been widely practiced for decades in the medical field, however now, scientists and entrepreneurs are harnessing the technology and commercialising it. The buzz in the mainstream media around cellular agriculture is because we’re so much closer to seeing ‘cellag’ products for human consumption on the market.
Memphis Meats pan seared chicken with sugar snap peas
The approval to sell this cultured/lab grown meat got the go-ahead in Singapore – how will this change the market?
It’s a landmark regulatory approval that will help other governments move forward with food technologies. This was an industry-wide celebration as it is really a big moment for the future of food. Now that food tech is on the agenda of all future forward countries, lab grown seafood and meat doesn’t seem so farfetched to those that scoffed at it even two years ago.
What is your involvement in CellAg?
I’m an investor in a few companies that are creating meats and seafood and milk this way, including BlueNalu, Memphis Meats, TurtleTree Labs, and Bond Pets Foods. Basically I’m for sustainability, I’m for science, I’m for being cruelty-free and I’m for efficiency. I’m for technology solving problems; food tech and specifically cell-based meats and seafoods will do just that. BlueNalu is a KBW Ventures portfolio company specialised in seafood. I can’t wait for the day when we can walk into a sushi restaurant and order BlueNalu’s yellowtail and know that not only were no animals involved in the process whatsoever, we chose the more sustainable food option.”
BlueNalu whole muscle cell-based yellowtail kim chi
What are the benefits of CellAg?
It is completely cruelty-free. Bond Pet Foods developed the world’s first animal-free, cultured chicken meat protein for pet food application from a one-time blood sample. In this case, it was drawn from a heritage hen named Inga, she is still alive and living happily on a farm in Kansas. In terms of environmental impact comparisons, the science doesn’t lie. It is no comparison really; you aren’t using up land to grow feed for animals that later will be slaughtered to make products like pet food, you aren’t using up scare water resources to irrigate that same farmland or for the animals themselves.
Is cell-based meat ethically suitable for vegans to consume?
That’s a really personal choice. A lot of people are vegan because they don’t want to harm any living being; in this case, I’d say that cell-based meat, seafood, milk and so on is fine as it doesn’t harm animals in the production process at all. If they feel like having cell-based seafood, they can as it won’t conflict with their values. Other people are vegan simply for health reasons, for this subset, I would say cell-based meat is still better than traditional meat as it is clean, meaning absent of hormones, antibiotics and micro-plastics. Finally, there’s those that just don’t like meat and wouldn’t have it whether or not it is cruelty-free. For the latter, they wouldn’t eat it regardless if it is ethical or not.
Folia at Four Seasons Jumeirah Beach in Dubai, UAE
BOX OUT: The Vegan Prince’s Top Five Tips to Survive Veganuary
- Find a Veganuary buddy. Make meals together regularly if you can or keep each other posted by sharing images and recipes.
- Read How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger – it will change your perspective, and if you’ve got the time, continue with his How Not to Diet
- Make four vegan desserts as a reward for the end of each week. Check out vegan hashtags on Instagram and the VegNews site for recipes.
- Every Tuesday or Wednesday, do a vegan fast food night. Try Beyond Burgers and sweet potato fries or vegan pizza or vegan tacos.
- Watch The Game Changers documentary, it’s informative, as well as entertaining, and was a Sundance selection
Lead image courtesy of Unsplash/@cravethebenefits
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s January 2021 issue