DUBAI―Emerging novel alternatives to animal products such as meat and dairy may contribute to significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the current global food system, particularly in high- and middle-income countries, provided they use low-carbon energy.
Such is the key finding of a new UN Environment Program (UNEP) assessment on new alternatives to animal agriculture, a sector accounting for up to a fifth of planet-warming emissions, with meat consumption slated to grow by 50 per cent by 2050.
The report, entitled What’s cooking? An assessment of the potential impact of select novel alternatives to conventional animal products, focuses on three types of alternatives: 1) Novel plant- based meats, 2) Cultivated meat from animal cells, and 3) Protein-rich products derived through rapid fermentation by microorganisms. It is part of UNEP’s Frontiers series, which identifies and draws attention to emerging issues of environmental concern.
The report, produced with the support of the government of Belgium, finds that these alternatives not only show significant potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but they can also contribute to reductions in land degradation and deforestation, water and soil pollution and loss of biodiversity, as well as to reducing the risks of zoonotic diseases and anti-microbial resistance.
These novel alternatives could also help to significantly reduce animal welfare concerns, compared to their conventional counterparts.
The authors conclude that novel alternatives can likely play a role in supporting a more sustainable, healthier and more humane food system, with regional differences.
It reviews policies decision makers may consider to safeguard food security, jobs, livelihoods, social and gender equity and culture to help maximize the beneficial outcomes of novel meat and dairy alternatives, while avoiding potential negative health and social impacts.
“New food alternatives will offer a broader spectrum of consumer choices,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
“Further, such alternatives can also lessen the pressures on agricultural lands and reduce emissions, thereby helping us address the triple planetary crisis–the crisis of climate change, the crisis of biodiversity and nature loss, the crisis of pollution and waste–as well as address the health and environmental consequences of the animal agriculture industry. More government support, as well as open and transparent research, can help unlock the potential of these new technologies for some countries.”
While conventional animal products are an important source of protein for many communities, particularly in developing countries, in many high- and middle-income countries, their production and consumption happen at a scale that negatively impacts people and the planet.
The tens of billions of animals slaughtered annually are far from the only victims of a fast-growing animal agriculture industry. Producing and consuming animal-source foods, while offering important nutrients, has also been associated with significant challenges for public health: excess levels of red and processed meats consumption is associated with cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers, obesity and diabetes.
Animal agriculture is also associated with increased risks of anti-microbial resistance—73 percent of all antimicrobials sold are used in animal agriculture—and with the spread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19 or Avian Influenza.
The animal agriculture industry is a major driver of climate change: animal GHG emissions, feed production, changes in land use and energy-intensive global supply chains account for almost 60 percent of food-related GHG emissions and 14-20 per cent of global GHG emissions. UNEP News