Sustainability of Key Proteins in Plant-Based Meat Analogs Production: A Worldwide Perspective

Bernardo Romão (), Maximiliano Sommo, Renata Puppin Zandonadi, Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda, Vinicius Ruela Pereira Borges, Ariana Saraiva and António Raposo ()
Additional contact information
Bernardo Romão: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Maximiliano Sommo: Department of Nutrition, University Center IESB, Brasília 70830-404, Brazil
Renata Puppin Zandonadi: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda: Department of Computer Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Vinicius Ruela Pereira Borges: Department of Computer Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Ariana Saraiva: Research in Veterinary Medicine (I-MVET), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lisbon University Centre, Lusófona University, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal
António Raposo: CBIOS (Research Center for Biosciences and Health Technologies), Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: The market for plant-based analogs for meat is growing exponentially. In addition to motivations related to the search for health benefits, the consumption of such products is justified by the sustainability of their production since the use of non-renewable resources and the emission of polluting gases is lower than their animal-origin equivalents. However, little information regarding the global panorama of the sustainability of plant-based meat analogues is available, mainly due to the diffuse distribution of food matrices used across the planet. In this sense, this narrative review aimed to describe the state of the art regarding the use of resources and sustainability of the inputs used as protein sources in the manufacture of plant-based meat analogues. From the review carried out, it was possible to observe that the biggest problem in producing these plant-based alternatives lies in using inputs that are not native to the countries where the products are marketed, especially in the case of South American countries. Ingredients widely used in the production of these analogues find better cultivation conditions in the northern hemisphere, as in the case of lentils, peas and chickpeas; thus, South American markets depend on imports, reducing the sustainability of the products.

Keywords: carbon dioxide equivalent emissions; water usage; meat analogues; plant-based; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/2/382/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/2/382/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:2:p:382-:d:1561494

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().