Alternative Proteins Contribute to Climate Change and Sustainability

Alternative protein consumption can reduce carbon emissions and help attain sustainability.

FREMONT, CA: According to research, people worldwide are buying alternative proteins and are very happy with what they find. According to forecasts, alternative proteins will represent 11 percent of all protein consumption by 2035, and with support from technology, investors, and regulators, alternative proteins could command 22 percent of the global market. Global efforts to combat climate change are better off as a result. 

Global greenhouse gas emissions can relate to the food system at 26 percent. Approximately 15 percent of global emissions come from animal agriculture, the largest GHG emitter within the food system. Our progress towards an 11 percent share by 2035 will reduce CO2 equivalent by 0.85 gigatons worldwide by 2030. This is equivalent to decarbonizing 95 percent of the aviation industry.

A protein transformation is just one example of a wider restructuring of the food system that is taking place. There will be less need for long-standing processes, like animal slaughtering and meat packing, as new technologies and processes help address such critical issues as taste, health, and cost. As consumers become more aware of alternative proteins and try available products, they are favorably impressed. There would be a significant increase in respondents who consume alternate proteins mainly or exclusively (from 13 percent to 27 percent), as well as the number of people who balance their consumption. Health and nutrition, taste, and safety are the biggest inhibitions consumers, in all markets express when it comes to shifting their consumption patterns.

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Technology advancements have been occurring along the entire alternative protein value chain and are assisting manufacturers in bringing new products to market that will benefit consumers. Fermentation and animal-cell-based ingredients are becoming cheaper, bringing them closer to parity with conventional animal protein products.

As the food industry pivots toward alternative proteins, the result will be major changes for all stakeholders and huge opportunities. The value chain will undergo radical changes due to new approaches and processes. A wide range of stakeholders must assess risks and opportunities associated with the transformation, including farmers, suppliers, manufacturers, and investors. A major shift will be the migration of value pools into new sources of protein upstream, the production and the processing of the new protein sources. A protein alternative (plant, fermentation-based, or animal cell-based) will affect the speed and extent of the impact depending on its source (meat, fish, milk, eggs). Using new techniques that can reduce the cost of culture media inputs or enable cheaper carbon sources may result in further value shifts towards improved strains and cell lines in fermentation-based and animal-cell-based proteins.

It is important that any source of protein, ingredient, or process that contributes to taste and texture parity or to nutritional value, no matter where it is located in the supply chain, continues to sustain high-value shares.