Sustainability of Alternative Meats: Aimutis Weighs In

Bill Aimutis, Executive Director of the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab (NCFIL), was recently quoted in “How sustainable are fake meats?” in Knowable Magazine, the digital publication from Annual Reviews. 

The Environmental Impact of Plant-based Meats

Plant-based meats are generally touted for being more environmentally-friendly when compared to their animal-based counterparts. Beef, for instance, is criticized for having the highest level of greenhouse gas emissions and land use among food proteins. Alternative meats “aim to improve on that dismal environmental performance,” the author writes, but with so many variable factors, it isn’t easy to directly compare the two. 

Aimutis points out that formulating plant-based proteins and meat requires significant processing, which begs the question of whether they are truly reducing the environmental footprint. However, studies reveal that plant-based meats are a better option for environmentally-conscious meat-eaters. And with the global demand for meat expected to increase significantly over the next decade, sourcing sustainable alternative proteins will be of utmost importance.

Find Out More 

To read the full discussion of the environmental impact of plant-based meats, read the article from July 20, 2022 here. 

And if you’re interested in working with NCFIL in the rapidly-growing plant-based foods industry, please get in touch with us!