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> The problem is, those looking for meat substitute think it isn't close enough, those who want cheaper meat think it's too expensive, vegans/vegetarians have a
by rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
> The problem is, those looking for meat substitute think it isn't close enough, those who want cheaper meat think it's too expensive, vegans/vegetarians have actually vegetable based options and aren't necessarily looking for fake meat at all
I think of this stuff as none of these things. It's nicotine gum.
Nicotine gum won't ever replace cigarettes, nor will people who don't smoke start chewing it.
This is a product for people trying to transition away from a meat-heavy diet. It's never going to be 100% the same, but it's close enough to reduce the cravings. Eventually they'll graduate to healthier, cheaper, and (arguably) better tasting vegetarian products that don't resemble meat at all.
The motivations for cutting back on meat don't matter. Just like there's a market for nicotine gum, there's a market for this.
- vineyardmike 4y agoTo add: it’s additionally a cop-out to restaurants providing a vegetarian option. Eg. Burger joints without veg options are losing sales when a group including a vegetarian slips the meal instead of getting an impossible burger.
- philwelch 4y agoActually, a lot of non-smokers use nicotine products; aside from caffeine it’s one of the few commercially available CNS stimulants out there.
- telchior 4y ago> Nicotine gum won't ever replace cigarettes, nor will people who don't smoke start chewing it. There are non-smokers who use nicotine gum; I'm one of them. Similar effect to caffeine with a lower half-life, so it's suitable to have later in the day. I'm sure that we're a small group, but if nicotine didn't have the specter of cigarettes hanging behind it, I'd imagine it could be quite a large market. Plant-based meat is sort of the opposite. Real meat has the specter behind it, so there's a good funnel of people into the product. Furthermore, any kind of taste that's above "edible" eventually gets people acclimated; they expect and learn to enjoy it. I can't prove that on an individual basis, but the plant-based meat market is growing at a healthy clip and has been around for several years, which suggests a lot of repeat buyers. You'd have to provide some kind of evidence to say "eventually they'll graduate", as there's no indication of that so far.
- exolymph 4y ago> if nicotine didn't have the specter of cigarettes hanging behind it, I'd imagine it could be quite a large market. It drives me a little bit crazy that people think nicotine itself is what's harmful about cigarettes. The myth is slowly eroding but the common knowledge about nicotine — aside from the reality that it is addictive — remains directionally wrong (as common knowledge often is).
- jasonmclaren 4y agoCan you elaborate? My understanding is that nicotine raises blood pressure, which is a big part of what's harmful about cigarettes.
- wyre 4y agoWhat’s harmful is the inhalation of the thousands of chemicals into your lungs from a burning cigarette. Nicotine could be considered bad because its addictive qualities make smoking happen more frequently, but rising blood pressure is a small piece.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y agoNicotine isn't good for you by any means, but lung cancer is the main reason cigarettes are uniquely harmful. It's a really rough way to go.
- exolymph 4y agoNicotine may be mildly harmful, but in a similar ambiguous you-win-some-you-lose-some way to caffeine: https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine https://www.gwern.net/Nicotine
- trehalose 4y agoWell, nicotine kind of is one of the most harmful things about cigarettes. During the curing and processing of tobacco leaves, nicotine and other alkaloids partially react with nitrate to form nitrosamines ("Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines" or "TSNAs"), that contribute greatly to tobacco's carcinogenicity. They're not the only carcinogens in tobacco / tobacco smoke, of course, but they are important. (This is, afaik, not relevant for pure nicotine.)