Fungi-based meat alternatives ‘could help save Earth’s forests’

Scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany say a 20 per cent reduction in real beef consumption could save the world’s forests.

Market-ready fungi-based meat alternatives are similar to meat in taste and texture but involve reduced land resources and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and land-use change.

“The food system is at the root of a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with ruminant meat production being the single largest source,” says Florian Humpenöder, researcher and lead author of a new study.

The paper points to the clearing of carbon-storing forests for cattle grazing or growing feed.

“The substitution of ruminant meat with microbial protein in the future could considerably reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of the food system,” says Humpenöder.

“The good news is that people do not need to be afraid they can eat only greens in the future.

“They can continue eating burgers and the like, it’s just that those burger patties will be produced in a different way.”

The team of researchers from Germany and Sweden included microbial protein in a computer simulation model to detect the environmental effects in the context of the whole food and agriculture system, as opposed to previous studies at the level of single products.

Their forward-looking scenarios run until 2050 and account for future population growth, food demand, dietary patterns as well as dynamics in land use and agriculture.

“We found that if we substituted 20 per cent of ruminant meat per capita by 2050, annual deforestation and CO2 emissions from land-use change would be halved compared to a business-as-usual scenario.

“The reduced numbers of cattle not only reduce the pressure on land, but also reduce methane emissions from the rumen of cattle and nitrous oxide emissions from fertilising feed or manure management.

“So replacing minced red meat with microbial protein would be a great start to reduce the detrimental impacts of present-day beef production.””