There is an old adage that goes 'even pork is a favor'.

The person who buys beef is a favor that crosses the line (?), so they should be a little suspicious of the intention.

There is also the expression 'toward the meat when the pressure is low'.

For such a long time, 'eating meat' has been used as a synonym for so-called good hospitality and favor.



So, have you ever heard of the term 'meatism'?

It is an expression that refers to a culture that eats meat in response to 'vegetarianism', which is a conscious attempt to reduce meat consumption.

It's called 'mirroring'.

The existence and behavior of a minority who chooses a path not taken by most of a society is often considered unique.

On the other hand, things that are taken for granted do not have a name worthy of a separate designation.



The term 'meatism' gives a fresh and new feeling, but now the keywords 'vegetarianism' and 'vegetarianism' have become names that can be found everywhere.

Even now, many students across the country are experiencing vegetarian meals, and in Seoul, all students will eat vegetarian meals three or four times a month by 2024.

It is said that the number of pilot schools with the 'vegetarian choice system', which can decide whether or not to be vegetarian every day, will increase to forty.



Debate continues over this.

The opinion that the protein content of vegetarian culture is too insufficient for growing children, and 'meat' from a young age




It took a lot of effort for vegetarianism, which was only considered the obsession of noisy environmentalists, to come to the center of the traditional food culture called 'meal meal'.

The living witness is Lee Won-bok, who spread the vegetarian movement and founded the Korean Vegetarian Association in 2005 while feeling the pity of those around him for over 30 years.



Before introduction, let me introduce the stages of vegetarianism.

There are six types of vegetarian food.

It looks like a lot.

However, if you look closely, the classification itself is not difficult to understand.

It depends on how much you limit what you eat.



First of all, it is a vegan diet, eating only plant-based foods.

Often referred to as 'vegan'.

In addition, 'lacto-vegetarian' who eats even dairy products, 'lacto-ovo vegetarian' who eats dairy products and even eggs, 'pesco vegetarian' who eats even fish, and 'semi-vegetarian' who eats chicken excluding red meat There is 'an'.

Finally, there are 'flexitarians' who intermittently eat red meat.




CEO Wonbok Lee is a 'vegan' that consumes only plant-based ingredients.

During his college days, he suddenly realized the harms of eating meat and went completely vegetarian.

It is relatively recently that the 4050-centered vegetarian culture, which is increasingly concerned with health, has shifted its weight to the younger generation.



“I think the panic caused by COVID-19 has had a huge impact. Most of the infectious diseases fatal to mankind are caused by meat-eating cultures. MERS, mad cow disease, and swine flu are the same. I think the realization that we have to deal with it positively also contributed to awakening our value-consuming instinct.”



In order to catch the younger generation who are active in consumption, large corporations have also started to wear 'vegetarian food'.

Pulmuone, Nongshim, and Shinsegae Food have also developed and sold alternative meat products, and launched a vegan restaurant using an alternative meat brand.

However, the vegetarian market potential is still evaluated as great.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the size of the domestic substitute meat market last year was about 23.8 billion won.

That's about 2% of the size of the United States, the largest.




Conflicts with the livestock industry are continuing as the spirit of veto to meat is vegetarian.

A debate arose over whether substitute meat could be called 'meat' and whether this substitute meat could be sold at the 'livestock' section.

Names are so important.



26 organizations, including the National Korean Beef Association, demanded a correction in December last year, saying that it "distorts consumer perceptions" of large marts that sell substitute meat at the livestock corner stalls.

Since it is made from soybeans, tofu and the like should be placed on the displayed processed items.

He also urged the government to ban the use of the word 'meat' or 'meat' for meat in plant-based alternatives.



Currently, there are fewer than 150 stores that sell substitute meat in domestic large marts, including E-Mart, Homeplus, and Lotte Mart.

E-Mart, which sells substitute meat in about 20 stores, the smallest among them, said that it still sells substitute meat in the frozen livestock section.

Of course, the sales volume is very small.

Substitute meat sales accounted for only 0.006% of total meat sales.

E-Mart said, "The livestock industry has sent two complaints about the location of the stand, but it was placed in consideration of the accessibility of customers looking for plant-based alternative meat."



In response to protests from the livestock industry, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety formed a research organization to establish standards and began preparing guidelines.

An official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) focused on preparing safety standards for accrediting vegetable raw materials as well as cultured meat through stem cell culture as raw materials, including name, label,



So far, no clear guidelines for meat substitutes have been published, but expressions such as 'meat' and 'meat' are subject to regulation according to the Food Labeling and Advertising Act 'prohibiting labeling or advertising that deceives consumers'. It is known that the voting process is being processed.




The controversy over the name was more serious in Texas, the US state of the so-called factory livestock mecca.

Last year, in May 2021, Texas passed a food law limiting the definition of meat to 'the edible part of cattle, pigs, chickens or other livestock'.

Similar laws have been enacted in Mississippi, Missouri, and Louisiana.



According to the law, it is prohibited to refer to products made from proteins such as soybeans or tofu, or products made from worms or cell culture, such as 'meat', 'pork' or 'beef'.

However, the name 'Burger' was omitted from the newly established standard.

The reason for the legislation is "so that consumers know what they are buying".



Something similar happened in Europe.

In the European Parliament in 2020, a bill was proposed to ban the use of names such as 'vegan burger' and 'vegan sausage' for meat substitutes, but it was rejected.

Last year, a bill was proposed to ban the use of the words 'cream-like' and 'butter-like' for plant-based foods, but it was also rejected.

The reason is that it is an 'acceptable expression on a common sense level'.




As 'veganism' has established itself as a so-called 'money' value consumer product, products that claim to be 'vegan' are emerging one after another in fashion beyond the food industry.

The goal is to avoid as much as possible the production and consumption of animal skins or clothing made from shaving or shaving.



However, there are also claims that clothes made of synthetic fibers that are released under the name of 'vegan' as a benefit have a more adverse effect on the environment.

Synthetic fibers made of polyester and PVC are, after all, another main culprit of environmental pollution, plastic.

Of course, as investment in ESG is strengthened, products such as clothes and shoes made of recycled materials that decay when buried are appearing one after another.



From the practical plan that 'you can save the planet by eating only one meal of meat a day' to the 'policy' that requires students to adopt a vegetarian diet from an early age, for a sustainable world, the vegetarian culture is no longer available. Has it become a 'trend' that cannot be overlooked?





■ References Jonathan Saffron Fore, <



About Eating Animals>, 2011, Minumsa


Jonathan Saffron Fore, <We Are the Weather>, 2020, Minumsa


Yunji Joo·Jooyeon Kang·Jayong Jeong, <The Vegetarian Status of Adult Women in Seoul Areas> and related eating behavior>, 2013




** We look forward to your report on 'these days' things that are difficult to understand.

<Somehow> We do our best to solve the news in a fun way.

choice@sbs.co.kr