In his first term, Donald Trump rolled back over 100 climate policies and pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement. In his campaign leading up to the election, he has repeatedly spewed false claims that ignore climate science and incorrectly boasted about the “clean air” under his administration.
The ‘Make America Great Again’ section of the GOP has also been against climate-friendly foods like cultivated meat, with Florida and Alabama – both states that helped him regain the presidency – having banned these proteins already. Other Trump-worshipping Republicans, like Illinois’s Chris Miller, are hoping to introduce similar restrictions. And JD Vance, the vice-president-elect, recently slammed “disgusting fake meat”, labelling it “highly processed garbage”.
The signs are ominous for food tech, and the wider climate-centric agrifood industry. Cultivated meat approvals could now be on hold, the ultra-processed bandwagon against alternative proteins will likely get louder, Americans will further detach meat-eating from climate change, and regenerative agriculture – with all its shaky promises – could have a field day.
