Especially in Western countries, we are used to receiving our protein intake from animal-based products. Is this habit sustainable and healthy in the long run? To start with, we should remind that between 40-50% of the global grain harvested is used for animals’ feed production. This datum, combined with overgrazing and unsustainable farming practices, reduces the soil productivity (33% of soils are already unproductive) and hinders the soil’s function as a carbon sink (from 50 to 70% of the carbon stored in soil has already been released in the atmosphere). This without mentioning the well-known impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water consumption. Equally, meat overconsumption is a significant cause of several diseases. Investigating in new foods and protein alternatives not only offers consumers protein diversification but also improves proteins (and eventually nutrition) quality, without compromising taste and traditions. The importance of preserving regenerative agricultural and breeding practices and carbon-neutral approaches to grow livestock are as crucial as exploring new alternative paths.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS INVOLVED
How to guarantee food security and good-quality protein intake to a growing population?
According to the WHO, malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients. Through food and better food, we can reduce the major contributor of diseases in the world, which kills every year more than 4 billion people: malnutrition.
How can innovation be beneficial to biodiversity?
Updating infrastructures and modernizing industries to make them sustainable is a specific target of SDG 9. Traditional meat production generates substantial environmental costs, besides increasing risks for human health. Innovation in the livestock sector and the methods for protein intakes is a crucial pillar to implement SDG 9.
Can new foods and alternative proteins generate a lower ecological footprint than animal-based proteins and how can they improve consumers’ health?
11,9% of food loss comes from meat and animal products. This data, together with the widespread practices of overgrazing and intensive farming methods, prevent the achievement of SGD 12 and specifically target 12.2 that requires sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030.
How to preserve the importance of taste in the food innovation?
Innovation is a collaborative effort, therefore regenerating the whole agri-food system cannot be achieved without a conscious and collective collaborations among private and public sectors, but also coherent steps in this direction among states.
