Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective.

Background In the European Union proteins for food are largely animal-based consisting of meat and dairy products. Almost all soy but also a larger part of pulses and cereals consumed in the European Union are used for animal nutrition. While livestock is an important source of proteins, it also creates substantial environmental impacts. The food and feed system is closely linked to the planetary and health boundaries and a transformation to healthy diets will require substantial dietary shifts towards healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Results Extrudated vegetable meat alternatives consisting of protein combined with amaranth or buckwheat flour and a vegetable milk alternative made from lentil proteins were shown to have the potential to generate significantly less environmental impacts than their animal-based counterparts in most of the environmental indicators examined, taking into account both functional units (mass and protein content). The underlying field-to-fork LCA models include several variants for both plant and animal foods. The optimised plant-based foods show a clear potential for improvement in the environmental footprints. Conclusions Development of higher processed and therefore higher performing products is crucial for appealing to potential user groups beyond dedicated vegetarians and vegans and ultimately achieving market expansion. The Protein2Food project showed that prototypes made from Europe-grown legumes and pseudo-cereals are a valuable source for high-quality protein foods and despite being substantially processed they could help reduce the environmental impact of food consumption. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.