Plant-Based Meat Cuts Environmental Impact by 89%, Study Finds

A new life cycle assessment of plant-based meat has found that meat alternatives have an 89 percent lower environmental impact than traditional animal-based proteins. The study, conducted by The Good Food Institute (GFI) and EarthShift Global, compared the environmental impact of plant-based meat and animal-based meat production. Plant-based meat was found to have significantly lower impacts in areas such as land use, water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution.

Plant-based alternatives were also found to be healthier than animal-based meat, being lower in salt, sugar, and saturated fat. Additionally, reports from other sources have shown that plant-based alternatives are more sustainable for the planet. Another study by French biotech company Bon Vivant found that precision fermented milk proteins were significantly more sustainable than traditional animal-based proteins. If plant-based alternatives were to capture half of the global protein market, it could potentially lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.