The Naturist aims to improve global food sustainability with its latest innovation.
In the wake of rising concerns about a potential worldwide food crisis — with a number of countries already feeling the effects — as well as the urgent need to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it’s clear that the food industry is in need of innovation. Naturist, the Estonian sustainable food startup behind the world’s first hemp meat, Crump, shares three reasons why organic hemp meat could be the answer to improving global food sustainability and security.
Hemp Can Thrive in High-Risk Farming Areas
The vast majority of land across the globe isn’t suitable for growing major monocrops such as soy, wheat and rice. These types of agriculture concentrate farming in just several key regions, an issue that has become even more evident in light of the Ukrainian invasion that has already sounded warning bells for an upcoming global food crisis. These farming practices are extremely sensitive to supply chain disruptions, conflicts and delays related to major environmental events.
“Unlike the most commonly farmed crops, hemp is much more resistant and adaptable to environmental factors, making it possible to successfully grow even in high-risk farming areas, such as in colder climate zones,” says Jürgen Jürgenson, CEO and founder of Naturist. “This resilience makes it possible to grow food which otherwise could not exist, efficiently increasing food production and ongoing supply in a sustainable way.”
Hemp Meat Reduces Environmental Footprint
Producing meat as we know it is both highly inefficient and environmentally damaging. In addition to a massive CO2 footprint, the meat industry is also a major consumer of natural resources: It takes 15,500 liters of water to produce just one kilogram of beef. Raising and feeding cattle similarly requires a significant amount of land. Currently, at least 70% of all farmland is used for cattle farming, the majority of which is involved in producing cattle feed (wheat, corn and soy). The growing population and societal demand for meat leads to the ever-growing necessity to expand farmland used for meat production. This results in biodiversity loss and the extinction of unique flora and fauna.
“If we continue at the current pace, our environment, and eventually humanity, will suffer devastating consequences,” shares Taavid Mikomägi, co-founder of Naturist. “We founded Naturist with the aim of discovering a solution that is both sustainable and nutritious. Hemp meets both criteria. In terms of its nutritional value, hemp has a favorable fatty acid profile that improves heart health and longevity and reduces cardiovascular disease, blood pressure and obesity. Hemp contains high levels of omega-3s that tend to be low in factory-farmed livestock. It provides a sustainable, healthy food source that is currently unutilised due to misconceptions and lack of infrastructure. With Crump, we are on a mission to change this, and we are confident in its ability to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the food industry.”
Longest Shelf Life of All Meat Alternatives
Food waste is another major problem when it comes to food sustainability. In the US alone, more than 80% of people throw away perfectly good food. That’s around 30 to 40% of the nation’s food supply. Global food waste is around 1.4 billion tons per year, enough to feed 2 billion people.
When we add in food waste of unsold food items or products that simply went bad due to a short shelf life, the numbers become even more alarming. However, what if we could extend the shelf life for certain types of food, especially meat?
“Crump uses just two ingredients, hemp and peas, that are refined through unique technology that allows the proteins to be extracted faster and are more energy-efficient compared to conventional technologies. After experimenting with many different prototypes, we decided that it is best to produce vegan meat in the form of dried granules, which guarantees a much longer shelf life of up to two years for Crump,” continues Jürgenson. “Hemp meat offers a highly convenient cooking experience as you don’t have to cut or portion anything. Just take your desired amount of Crump, place it in lukewarm water for several minutes to hydrate, then season and cook it as you would minced meat!”
“The Naturist was founded to challenge the status quo in the food industry. Our mission is to provide better food for the people and for the planet to help mankind live a healthier, more meaningful life. To do that we are combining nature, ancient wisdom & technology to live a more natural life in this unnatural world. Let’s get back to Nature!,” – concludes Jürgenson.
Crump is available for pre-sale on the crowdfunding platform IndieGogo with the first delivery scheduled for summer 2022.
