DATA AND ESG
The sustainability of alternative proteins
Brazil can feed more people with fewer natural resources by promoting the development of the alternative protein sector. Learn how the inclusion of plant-based, fermented, and cell-cultured products can be part of the solution to this global challenge.
Credit: Upside Foods
A continuous journey of adaptation and innovation
01. How to promote Safety
alimentar for 10 Billion people
The concept of 'Food Security' is defined as the condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to safe, nutritious food that is sufficient to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. This is the core mission expectation of our food system.
When analyzing the year 2022, 735 million people around the world faced hunger and approximately 30% of the global population was in a situation of food insecurity¹. In Brazil, the scenario is no different; in that same year, 10 million people faced hunger and more than 70 million experienced food insecurity¹.
Projections still indicate that the global population is expected to reach 9,7 billion people² by 2050, there are almost 2 billion more people to be supplied by the global food system that already has operated above planetary limits⁹.
To meet the growing demand for food with the same global consumption pattern, based mainly on animal products, the food system will demand 49% more land, consume 34% more water and emit 46% more greenhouse gases³.
In addition to the high consumption of natural resources needed to sustain the food system, another major challenge is the significant losses that occur throughout this process. To give an idea of the scale of this situation, a study mapped the fate of 41 major crops: 41% of the calories produced by these crops are lost within the food system itself⁴. A significant part of this loss occurs in the production of foods of animal origin, where 89% of the calories initially available are wasted during the conversion of plants into products of animal origin⁴.
Even though it presents high losses in the production process, which contributes to the intensity of its environmental footprint, global meat production is expected to increase by 13% by 2034, reaching 406 million tons of carcass/year¹³. When we look specifically at beef — the most resource-intensive meat compared to other types of meat produced on a large scale — Brazil is expected to account for 21% of global production in the next 10 years⁵, consolidating its position as the largest exporter and second largest producer of this product, which could further overload the use of natural resources in the country.
Cristina Ambiel
Director of Science and Technology
Food can't be viewed from just one perspective; we need to go further, understanding that the planet's sustainability and our health are strongly connected and associated with both food production and dietary choices. In a recent study on the nutritional quality of plant-based meat products, we saw that these foods are increasingly viable as healthy substitutes for meat products and offer consumers the opportunity to make informed and conscious choices. Therefore, protein diversification is one of the keys to the future, contributing to our health and that of the planet.
Promoting human health and reducing the risk of new pandemics
Most new diseases that have emerged in humans in recent decades, such as COVID-19, have animal origins and are related to the search for food, including wild meat and livestock products⁶.
The rapid growth of large-scale livestock production also brings public health threats associated with the transfer of pathogens from animals to humans, which implies pandemic risks and challenges to food safety⁶.
The preventive measure widely adopted for this production model is the widespread use of antibiotics, mainly in animal farming, which can lead to the formation of superbugs resistant to the treatment methods used in modern medicine. It is estimated that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was directly responsible for approximately 1,27 million deaths in 2019⁷.
The vast majority of all antibiotics produced today in the United States and worldwide are used for conventional animal agriculture and contribute to 2050 projections where It is estimated that these superbugs could kill 10 million people/year and cost the global economy US$100 trillion⁸.
By eliminating the need for large-scale animal production, alternative proteins contribute to reducing the impacts of AMR and new pandemics while promoting better health for their consumers. In comparative research conducted in 2022 and 2023, which sampled meat products of animal origin and their plant-based analogues available on the Brazilian market, the plant-based analogues presented a nutritional value comparable to and, in some aspects, superior to that of items of animal origin, with reduced saturated fat and sodium content and higher fiber content¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹².
SOURCE:
1 FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (2023). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023.
2 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects 2022.
3 Credit Suisse Research Institute (2021). The global food system: Identifying sustainable solutions.
5 ABIEC (2024). Beef report 2023: Livestock profile in Brazil.
6 FAO (2013). World Livestock 2013: Changing disease landscapes.
8 O'Neill, Jim (2016). Review on AMR: Tackling drug-resistant infections globally.
9 FAIRR (2024). Tackling the Climate-Nature Nexus.
10 Ambiel, Cristiana; Pinho, Lorena (2022). Nutritional study: comparative analysis between meat products of animal origin and their vegetable analogues.
02. Land use and the flow of your products
in the food system
Today, animal production is at the heart of the global food system and, even though 80% of arable land is occupied by pasture and feed crops, animal foods account for only 17% of the global calorie supply and 38% of the global protein supply¹. In contrast, using 16% of arable land, the cultivation of agricultural crops for human consumption accounts for 83% and 62% of the global calorie and protein supply, respectively¹.
In Brazil, agriculture has grown more than 50% in the last 38 years, occupying 33% of the national territory³. Approximately 64% of this expansion is due to deforestation to open new pasture areas³. In 2023, approximately 19% of the national territory is occupied by pastures, however 76% of this area has a productivity level below the national average (65,8 kg of carcass per hectare/year)⁷.
In addition to pastures, soybean cultivation was also another protagonist in the expansion process of Brazilian agribusiness, which since 2019 has occupied first place in the list of countries producing this grain⁴. Between 2002 and 2022, while global soybean cultivation recorded a 92,8% increase in production and 69,5% in cultivated area, Brazil almost tripled its soybean production (+186,5%) and area cultivated with this monoculture (+150%)⁴.
The main destination of soybean production is animal feed, accounting for 76% of global consumption⁴. In the year 2023, it is estimated that Brazil produced more than 83 million tons of feed and concentrates using about 53 million tons of corn and 18 million tons of soybean meal⁵.
In this context, it is estimated that around 41% of calories and 79% of proteins produced in the cultivation of the main agricultural crops are supplied for animal feed in Brazil⁶.
Luciana Fontinelle
Science and technology specialist
Research that investigates the potential of native species of Brazilian biodiversity is crucial for the conservation of our biomes. It not only contributes to the preservation of the environment, but also creates sustainable, healthy and tasty solutions for the alternative protein sector and socioeconomic development opportunities for local communities, showing that it is possible to combine innovation and conservation for the benefit of all. Visit the Biomas Program landing page now to learn more about the research that is shaping the future of this transformation.
Challenges for the conservation of the Amazon Rainforest and the Brazilian Cerrado
Despite the Amazon Rainforest's essential role in regulating the global climate—a topic that has been widely discussed for over 50 years—in the last 39 years, there has been a 363% increase in pastureland in the biome. During this same period, practically 100% of the Amazon's soybean cultivation areas were established, currently totaling approximately 5,9 million hectares⁸ ⁹. The Cerrado, considered a hotspot (region with a high concentration of endemic species) by Conservation International, had 26% of its entire area occupied by pastures and is currently the biome with the largest agricultural area and area planted with soybeans in the country, accounting for around 48% of the area planted with this monoculture in Brazil in 2022³.
On the other hand, the search for new ingredients from Brazilian biodiversity to boost the alternative protein sector is a current reality and reinforces the importance of conserving these biomes, in addition to encouraging the creation of new production chains based on the value generated by standing forests.
SOURCE:
1 Ritchie, Hannah; Roser, Max (2024). Half of the world's habitable land is used for agriculture.
2 ABIEC (2023). Beef report 2023: Livestock profile in Brazil.
3 MapBiomas (2024). Annual mapping of land cover and use in Brazil from 1985 to 2022 – Collection 8.
4 Ritchie, Hannah (2024). Drivers of Deforestation.
5 Sindirações (2023). Industry newsletter – September 2023.
7 ABIEC (2024). Beef report 2024: Livestock profile in Brazil.
03. Adaptation of the food system for production of more environmentally efficient foods
By replacing 50% of the main animal products (pork, chicken, beef and milk) with plant-based products, global agricultural area could be reduced by 12%, water use would decrease by 10% and the net reduction of forests would be almost completely halted¹. This is due to the greater efficiency of alternative proteins in the process of converting consumed natural resources into the final product, making analogous products less impactful to the environment than their animal-based versions ² ³ ⁴ ⁶.
To explain some of these results, it is necessary to understand that raising an animal requires energy (calories) for basic metabolic functions, such as walking and breathing, and growth of parts not used for human consumption. This means that a large part of the inputs used in raising these animals are not converted into the final product (meat). For example, it is estimated that the chicken, the most efficient among the animals used on a large scale in livestock farming, still needs 9 calories of feed to produce 1 calorie of meat⁵.
When we analyze the Feed Conversion Rate (FCR) from the perspective of dry matter consumed, such as feed, grass and silage, to produce 1 kg of final product (meat), meat grown from cells has a conversion rate close to 1, which is equivalent to saying that approximately 1 kg of resources are needed to produce 1 kg of final product. When compared to conventional meats, cultivated meat is 5,8 times more efficient than cattle in converting food, 4,6 times more efficient than pork and 2,8 times more efficient than chicken². The lower the conversion rate of inputs into final product (meat), the greater the demand for natural resources to make up for the inefficiency of this system.
SOURCE:
04. The role of the food system
nose climate changes
Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019 were estimated at 52,6 Gt CO2 eq, without considering emissions from forests and other land uses¹. This estimate covers up to 95% of global GHG emissions in the reference year and was recently published in the summary report of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the 195 signatory countries of the Paris Agreement (international treaty signed during the United Nations Conference on Climate Change with the aim of limiting global warming to 1,5°-2°C above pre-industrial levels)¹.
That same year, concentrations of methane (CH4), a greenhouse gas with a warming potential 34 times greater than CO2 over 100 years, were higher than at any time in the past 800 years². Currently, around 60% of methane emissions from human activities are related to the food system, with livestock being the main source of emissions³. This activity accounts for half of methane emissions in the food system, with 45% originating from enteric fermentation in ruminants and approximately 4% from the management of animal waste³.
In Brazil, it is estimated that the food system contributed 73,7% of total gross GHG emissions in 2021⁴. During this period, Beef was the product responsible for the largest part of GHG emissions, accounting for 77,6% of total food system emissions, equivalent to 57,2% of Brazil's emissions⁴.
Alternative proteins can contribute to the decarbonization of the food system
Even if all emissions from other sectors were halted in 2020 and remained at zero until 2100, emissions from the food sector would already exceed the 1,5°C limit in the increase in global temperature between 2051 and 2063⁵. Global methane emissions need to be reduced by 34% by 2030 and by 45% by 2050, to achieve projections that limit global temperature rise to 1,5°C³.
In the search for solutions to deal with this challenge, alternative proteins rank second among the most promising interventions for mitigating GHG emissions in the agri-food sector and have 9 times more mitigation potential than the second most promising intervention to reduce emissions from meat production⁶. Some projections indicate that with an 11% share of the global protein market, the transition to Alternative proteins could decarbonize the equivalent of 95% of aviation industry emissions⁷. With the replacement of 50% of the main animal products with plant-based products, GHG emissions from agriculture and land use would decrease by 31% by 2050⁸.
SOURCE:
1 UNFCCC (2023). Nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement.
3 Climateworks Foundation (2023). Reducing Methane Emissions in the Global Food System.
4 SEEG-OC (2023). Estimation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Food Systems in Brazil.
7 BCG (2022). The Untapped Climate Opportunity in Alternative Proteins.
05. Opportunities for Brazil in diversification
of agribusiness chains
Brazil plays a crucial role in global food security, being one of the largest exporters of agricultural products such as soybeans, corn and beef. This position was achieved through a combination of factors that include technological advances, adaptation of crops and agricultural practices to the tropical climate, logistics infrastructure and policies to encourage agribusiness.
In recent years, a new race has begun for leadership in the production of alternative proteins, an emerging sector that has been recognized as one of the most promising paths for adapting the food system to the reality of climate change and the risk of new pandemics. In addition to increasing the resilience of the global food system, the transition from a diet based on livestock products derived from ruminant animals to alternative proteins has the potential to create 83 million new jobs and generate around US$688 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) for the sector by 2050¹. To unlock all benefits, global public funding for Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) and commercialization needs to increase to US$4,4 billion and US$5,7 billion per year, respectively².
Camila Lupetti
Corporate Engagement Specialist
"The plant-based products market in Brazil has been growing rapidly in recent years, driven primarily by consumers seeking healthier alternatives for their daily lives. However, there are still many challenges this category must overcome to gain a foothold on consumers' tables. Competitive pricing, a satisfying sensory experience, and convenience at the time of purchase are among the main barriers to be overcome. Recent research conducted by GFI Brasil with consumers across the country points to some paths that can help the sector on this journey."
In the year 2023, it is estimated that o Global public funding to advance R&D and commercialization in the alternative protein sector was US$523 million, totaling US$1,67 billion invested to date by countries around the world with the aim of leading this emerging sector³. In Brazil, through the work of The Good Food Institute, efforts are being made to foster scientific production, consolidate innovation ecosystems, strengthen advocacy and engage stakeholders in the sector's agenda.
Want to know more?
In the full fact sheet, you'll find data related to the environmental, social, and economic impacts of alternative proteins. They are divided into environmental performance, climate changes, food safety, health, production and consumption, natural resources e saving.
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