First-Year Writing Competition (AY2324 Term 1)

They say it’s healthier. They say it’s good for the environment. They say it’s the future of food. Surely, you’ve heard of or even tasted a plant-based meat (PBM), be it the restaurant’s new menu item or its invasion into grocery stores. It’s fast growing and assertive with the benefits it brings – being a healthier and more sustainable choice than conventional meat (Ketelings et al., 2023). I mean, who in the right mind would disregard their own health and mother earth? All it takes is the sizzle of genius marketing, a dash of guilt and dishing it out to the masses in the name of climate change. The meat of the matter here is whether PBMs are truly as healthy and environmentally friendly as the advertisements and colourful labels proclaim. I beg to differ; we should always choose real meat options over PBMs, because whole foods are more nutritious and sustainable.

The majority would agree that processed meats like spam and hotdogs are not good for you but are blindsided when it comes to PBM. The highly processed nature of PBM strips away nutritional benefits and the bioavailability of amino acids (How Safe Are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives? - IFT.org, 2021). Although PBMs are higher in dietary fiber and lower in saturated fats, which it proudly boasts of, it has undesirable lower protein and higher sodium content than conventional meats (Ketelings et al., 2023). Amidst the lengthy ingredients list of PBM, is soy leghemoglobin – a chemical responsible for the meat-like colour. Although studies suggest no harmful effects, safety risks from long-term consumption are unknown (How Safe Are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives? - IFT.org, 2021). Animal-based proteins on the other hand are naturally excellent sources of essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, with high protein absorption and digestibility (Henchion et al., 2017). Yet it is villainized as the culprit of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and obesity due to over consumption (Ketelings et al., 2023), which aids the promotion of PBMs. Notice the key words ‘over consumption’. Of course, eating meat excessively leads to adverse health impacts; in fact, excessive consumption of anything is not healthy.

PBM production claims to use 72%-99% less water and emits 30%-90% less greenhouse gases than conventional meat (Environmental Benefits of Plant-based Meat Products | GFI, n.d.). Merely comparing water consumption in animal agriculture and PBM production, while ignoring water type, can mislead us into thinking PBM is superior. Irrigation of crops uses 70% of the world’s freshwater supply, where only ½ is reusable (Irrigation Water Use | U.S. Geological Survey, 2018). Whereas 94% of water usage in animal farms is actually natural rainwater (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2012). Whilst grass-fed livestock agriculture emits greenhouse gases, it also positively impacts biodiversity, through nutrient recycling and preservation of grassland habits (Henchion et al., 2017). The marketing claim that PBM is beneficial for the environment is questionable, especially when considering the lack of greenhouse gas emissions disclosure regarding deforestation for crops agriculture, total amount of operational emissions and water usage across the entire PBM supply chain (Creswell, 2023). More thorough data is needed for an accurate comparison of sustainability, between PBM and conventional meat (Henchion et al., 2017).

The next time you’re on a grocery run or dining at a restaurant, be mindful of the marketing tactics used by big food companies to promote PBM at prices equal to or higher than real meat. These companies often prioritize their profits over choices that are healthier for us and the environment. Let’s take a stand opposed to PBM with our wallets and choose real meat over its imitation. After all, we are what we eat.

Reference List

Creswell, J. (2023, June 23). Plant-Based food companies face critics: environmental advocates. The New York Times. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/business/beyond-meat-impossible-emissions.html#:~:text=The%20problem%2C%20critics%20say%2C%20is,how%20much%20water%20they%20use

Henchion, M., Hayes, M., Mullen, A. M., Fenelon, M., & Tiwari, B. (2017). Future Protein Supply and Demand: Strategies and Factors Influencing a Sustainable Equilibrium. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 6(7), 53. 
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods6070053

How safe are Plant-Based meat alternatives? - IFT.org. (2021, February 1). 
https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2021/february/columns/food-safety-and-quality-how-safe-are-plant-based-meat-alternatives 

Irrigation water use | U.S. Geological survey. (2018, August 30). 
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/irrigation-water-use?qt-science_center_objects=0#overview

Ketelings, L., Benerink, E., Havermans, R. C., Kremers, S. P., & De Boer, A. (2023). Fake meat or meat with benefits? How Dutch consumers perceive health and nutritional value of plant-based meat alternatives. Appetite, 188, 106616. 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.106616 

Mekonnen, M., & Hoekstra, A. Y. (2012). A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products. Ecosystems, 15(3), 401–415.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-9517-8  

Environmental benefits of plant-based meat products | GFI. (n.d.). The Good Food Institute. 
https://gfi.org/resource/environmental-impact-of-meat-vs-plant-based-meat/ 

Have you ever had a pain so gruelling that you couldn’t move? As I jolted out of bed for my busy day at work, I was quickly greeted with a gut-wrenching pain on my lower abdomen. Migraines, nausea and body aches came flooding in as I fell back onto my bed, unable to move. Sadly, menstrual symptoms are something that I, like many other menstruating women, must endure almost every month, while also fulfilling daily activities at work or school. Hence, menstrual leave should be given to all menstruating women in Singapore as menstrual symptoms restrict their ability to perform daily tasks.

Like myself, several menstruating women around the world face physical and psychological menstrual symptoms such as dysmenorrhea, depression, body aches and headaches (Golding & Hvala, 2021). These symptoms cause severe discomfort at work and difficulties in carrying out daily tasks, leading to work unproductivity and increased absence from work. Studies show that more than 40% of women in Singapore take a leave of absence from school or work to deal with menstrual symptoms, while many others simply withstand the pain at work as they feel it is perceived as an invalid reason for absence (Cai, 2022). I certainly am guilty of doing the latter. As such, it is evident that women are not given sufficient support at work to deal with their menstrual-related symptoms.

The implementation of menstrual leave policies will significantly improve workplace productivity by allowing menstruating women to sufficiently rest and recuperate before reporting back to work. Research shows that women who report to work with menstrual symptoms have caused a greater loss of productivity of 5.3 hours per week as compared to 1.1 hours lost from their absence (Schoep et al., 2019). Hence, menstrual leaves will allow menstruating women to alleviate their symptoms adequately before returning to work with higher productivity.

Menstrual leave policies will also encourage menstrual conversations at workplaces as women will no longer feel pressured to hide their reason for absence from their superiors. Women often refrain from disclosing their menstrual symptoms in fear of discrimination and denial of leave. With menstrual leave policies, employers will learn to treat menstrual issues with the same importance as other illnesses (Hardy & Hunter, 2021). The opportunity to discuss menstrual issues will ultimately allow women to be absent from work without feeling guilt and shame.

Despite the immense advantages menstrual leaves provide, it could adversely bring implicit bias against women. Countries such as Japan, China and Taiwan have passed a law on menstrual leave but have gained criticisms as it caused greater discrimination against women and further enhanced female stereotypes (Levitt & Barnack-Tavlaris, 2020). Therefore, some feel that menstrual leaves put women at a disadvantage instead.

Although such disadvantages might be faced from menstrual leave policies, they can be overcome through proper implementation and education of the policy at workplaces. This has been proven to be effective at tackling menstrual stigma in companies such as Coexist and Gozoop, who have instilled core values into their organisations through menstrual leave policies (Levitt & Barnack-Tavlaris, 2020). With readily available solutions for the challenges faced, the implementation of menstrual policies will be substantially beneficial to all stakeholders, outweighing its costs.

With the alarming percentage of women experiencing hindrance in their daily duties due to menstrual issues, this issue needs to be addressed promptly. As such, I am confident that the implementation of menstrual leave policies in Singapore will support women like me to alleviate menstrual symptoms adequately and improve productivity and well-being. Therefore, I urge you to break this cycle and fight for women’s right to menstrual leaves.

Reference List

Cai, C. (2022, July 12). “We don’t want to appear weak”: Only 56.7% of Singapore-based women support the idea of menstrual leave. AsiaOne.
https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/we-dont-want-appear-weak-only-567-singapore-based-women-support-idea-menstrual-leave

Golding, G., & Hvala, T. (2021). Paid period leave for Australian women: A prerogative not a pain. The Sydney Law Review, 43(3), 349–377.

Hardy, C., & Hunter, M. S. (2021). Premenstrual symptoms and work: Exploring female staff experiences and recommendations for workplaces. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(7), 3647.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18073647

Levitt, R. B., & Barnack-Tavlaris, J. L. (2020). Addressing menstruation in the workplace: The menstrual leave debate. In Bobel, C., Winkler, I. T., Fahs, B., Hasson, K. A., Kissling, E. A., Roberts, TA. (Eds), The Palgrave handbook of critical menstruation studies (pp. 561-575). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0614-7_43

Schoep, M. E., Adang, E. M. M., Maas, J. W. M., De Bie, B., Aarts, J. W. M., & Nieboer, T. E. 
(2019). Productivity loss due to menstruation-related symptoms: a nationwide cross-sectional survey among 32 748 women. BMJ Open, 9(6), Article e026186.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-026186