PNAS Special Feature on Sustainability of Animal-Sourced Foods and Plant-Based Alternatives

PNAS Special Feature on Sustainability of Animal-Sourced Foods and Plant-Based Alternatives

Together with US colleagues, ZEF Director Matin Qaim organized a Special Feature on "Sustainability of Animal-Sourced Foods and Plant-Based Alternatives" with 12 articles on the broader topic, which has just been published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

This PNAS special issue reports on some of the latest scientific findings from a variety of relevant fields and geographical contexts to contribute to a constructive research and policy debate on the sustainability of meat, other animal-sourced foods (ASFs), and plant-based alternatives. The authors of this special issue explore technical, environmental, nutritional, health, and socioeconomic dimensions; address the challenges of building supply chains for alternatives to traditional ASFs; and assess the acceptability and accessibility of these alternatives in different global social and cultural contexts.

The introduction and overview article for the PNAS Special Feature “Sustainability of Animal-Sourced Foods and Plant-Based Alternatives” is available here: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2400495121

All 12 articles of this PNAS Special Feature are available open access here: https://www.pnas.org/topic/561

Direct links to each article here:

• Qaim M, Barrangou R, Ronald PC: Sustainability of animal-sourced foods and plant-based alternatives. 
• Beal T, Manohar S, Miachon L, Fanzo J: Nutrient-dense foods and diverse diets are important for ensuring adequate nutrition across the life course. 
• Khonje MG, Qaim M: Animal-sourced foods improve child nutrition in Africa. 
• Van Eenennaam A: Addressing the 2050 demand for terrestrial animal source food. 
• Meo-Filho P, Ramirez-Agudelo JF, Kebreab E: Mitigating methane emissions in grazing beef cattle with a seaweed based feed additive: Implications for climate-smart agriculture. 
• Etzbach L, Gola S, Küllmer F, Acir I-H, Wohlt D, et al.: Opportunities and challenges of plant proteins as functional ingredients for food production. 
• Springmann M: A multi-criteria analysis of meat and milk alternatives from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives. 
• Aimutis WR, Shirwaiker R: A perspective on the environmental impact of plant-based protein concentrates and isolates. 
• Jahn S, Guhl D, Erhard A: Substitution patterns and price response for plant-based meat alternatives. 
• Katare B, Zhao S: Behavioral interventions to motivate plant-based food selection in an online shopping environment. 
• Gu X, Bui LP, Wang F, Wang DD, Springmann M, Willett WC: Global adherence to a healthy and sustainable diet and potential reduction in premature death. 
• White RR, Hall MB: Estimates of optimal supplies of animal-sourced foods differ by food system goal and socioeconomic context.

Media coverage

• Press release from the University of Bonn on the article Khonje MG, Qaim M: Animal-sourced foods improve child nutrition in Africa: https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/237-2024?set_language=en.
• PNAS Podcast: https://www.pnas.org/post/podcast/plant-based-meat-alternatives