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Study Reveals Plant-Based Alternatives Could Dramatically Reduce Environmental Impacts of Our Diets by 2050

Marta Kozicka et al, “Feeding climate and biodiversity goals with novel plant-based meat and milk alternatives” (2023) 14 Nature Communications 5316.

Abstract: Plant-based animal product alternatives are increasingly promoted to achieve more sustainable diets. Here, we use a global economic land use model to assess the food system-wide impacts of a global dietary shift towards these alternatives. We find a substantial reduction in the global environmental impacts by 2050 if globally 50% of the main animal products (pork, chicken, beef and milk) are substituted—net reduction of forest and natural land is almost fully halted and agriculture and land use GHG emissions decline by 31% in 2050 compared to 2020. If spared agricultural land within forest ecosystems is restored to forest, climate benefits could double, reaching 92% of the previously estimated land sector mitigation potential. Furthermore, the restored area could contribute to 13-25% of the estimated global land restoration needs under target 2 from the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by 2030, and future declines in ecosystem integrity by 2050 would be more than halved. The distribution of these impacts varies across regions—the main impacts on agricultural input use are in China and on environmental outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. While beef replacement provides the largest impacts, substituting multiple products is synergistic.

Danish Government Receives Overwhelming Number of Applications for Plant-Based Protein Funding

Over 100 applicants from various sectors, including industry, start-ups, and research centers, have applied for funding from the Danish government to boost plant-based protein production. In 2021, Denmark approved a climate agreement, committing the largest investment in plant-based research and development in the European Union to reduce food system emissions. The Plant Foundation allocated $195 million until 2030, with an additional $11.7 million annually to support the shift to plant-based food. The foundation received 101 applications in its first call, aiming to distribute $8.35 million, though the total requested amount stands at $29.7 million. Selection criteria prioritize demand promotion, supply promotion, and export enhancement in public and private food services. Applicants will learn of their project's status by the end of November.

Turtle Island Foods Challenges Texas Plant-Based and Cultivated Meat Product Labeling Restrictions

Turtle Island Foods SPC, the maker of Tofurky plant-based meat products, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas challenging a new state law that imposes restrictions on terminology used on plant-based and cultivated meat product labels. Turtle Island Foods brings its challenge under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, dormant Commerce Clause, Due Process Clause, and Supremacy Clause. The company claims that the Texas law imposes “an unreasonably burdensome and protectionist trade barrier that contravenes and is preempted by federal law and imposes vague standards” on plant-based producers, as well as “vague and unnecessary restrictions” on cultivated meat labeling. Turtle Island Foods is seeking declaratory judgment and permanent injunctive relief.

Media Outlets' Recipe Sections Lack Climate-Consciousness, Says New Report

A recent report by the Better Food Foundation and Sentient Media has shed light on the incongruity between responsible climate reporting and recipe curation among mainstream media outlets. The study analyzed eight prominent United Kingdom and United States news outlets and found that five of them, known for their climate reporting, primarily feature meat-based recipes, with lamb and beef, known for their high emissions. Strikingly, none of these outlets predominantly showcase plant-based recipes. Only The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Yahoo News had less than half of their recipes classified as "omnivorous." This study underscores the media's potential to promote climate-friendly plant-based diets.

France Reintroduces Bill to Ban Meat Names for Plant-Based Products

France has introduced revised proposals to prohibit the use of meat-related terms like “steak” and “spare ribs” for plant-based foods produced in the country. The first country in the European Union to attempt to impose such a restriction, a previous attempt to implement a similar measure in June of last year was halted by France's highest administrative court, citing vagueness and insufficient time for implementation. The revised draft decree identifies twenty-one meat-related names that cannot be applied to plant-based items, while approximately 120 terms like “cooked ham” and “sausage” remain permissible, provided they meet specific plant protein thresholds. The decree becomes effective three months after publication, allowing for an adjustment period.

Presentation Asserts Cow’s Milk is More Nutrient-Dense Than Plant-Based Milks

According to a recent presentation given at Nutrition 2023 (a conference of the American Society for Nutrition) by researchers at the University of Minnesota, cow’s milk is more nutrient-dense than plant-based alternatives, particularly when comparing vitamin D, protein, and calcium content in unfortified alternatives. Describing the results of a new, unpublished study, the researchers found “so much variability” in the nutritional content of plant-based alternatives and reported their assumptions that the plant-based industry has been more concerned with flavor, “mouthfeel,” and “other properties” than with matching the nutritional content of cow’s milk. The Director of the Stanford Diabetes Research Center pushed back, saying the claim that “plant milks aren’t as nutritious as cow’s milk” is “bunk.”

University of Guelph Researchers Develop More Sustainable Plant-Based Meat

Researchers at the University of Guelph have utilized corn protein called zein (a waste product of corn meal) to replicate meat texture in plant-based alternatives. Zein offers a more natural and sustainable option compared to synthetic ingredients found in existing plant-based meats. The team discovered a method to create a gooey texture by mixing zein with starch and plant protein, eliminating the need for energy-consuming extrusion. Unlike gluten or methyl cellulose binding additives, zein is digestible and gluten-free. The innovation aims to address both sustainability and health concerns associated with traditional meat consumption and synthetic meat alternatives.

Report Recommends Plant-Based Diets to Address Public Health Emergencies

A new article published in Frontiers in Nutrition finds that plant-based diets may help ameliorate public health challenges, including chronic disease and food insecurity, worsened by with climate-driven emergencies. The report determined that “plant-based diets substantially reduce risks for chronic disease and hospitalization and . . . . could also meaningfully modify climate-related and zoonotic disease risks by reducing livestock production.” The report was authored by an affiliate of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Research Shows Policies in the EU and US Preserve Animal Farming Status Quo to the Detriment of the Environment and Plant-Based Alternatives

Researchers at Stanford University published an article in One Earth finding that the EU and US have been “slow to act decisively to mitigate the environmentally damaging role played by the dominant animal production systems” and have “largely ignored the mitigation potential of niche technologies that provide viable alternatives” (such as precision fermentation and animal cell cultivation) to help curtail the vast environmental impacts of industrial animal agriculture. The article determined that “[p]ublic funding for the[se] novel technologies is smaller than that for animal products by factors of 1,200 in the EU and 800 in the US.” The authors concluded that “[a] shift in food policy is required to improve technologies to produce sustainable alternatives to animal-source products and reduce the environmental impact of the food system.”

Influence of Meat and Dairy Industries Hinders Green Alternatives against Climate Crisis, Study Reveals

A study exposes the immense power of the meat and dairy industries in the European Union and United States, obstructing the advancement of eco-friendly alternatives needed for addressing the climate crisis. The analysis of lobbying, subsidies, and regulations highlights a stark disparity, with livestock farmers in the EU receiving 1,200 times more public funding than plant-based or cultivated meat groups. In the US, animal farmers received 800 times more. The study, published in the journal OneEarth, also reveals significant lobbying expenditures by meat producers, overshadowing those of alternatives.