Alternative Proteins and Global Nutrition: Why the Shift Matters

The global demand for protein is skyrocketing. Today there are 8 billion people on the planet. By 2050, the world will need to feed nearly 10 billion people. For many, meat and dairy remain staples, but the environmental and resource costs of animal agriculture are no longer sustainable, especially with the growing population and the need for housing. This is why alternative proteins are not just a trend, but a necessary pivot in how we think about nutrition and food systems.

Traditional Animal Farming and its Impacts

Traditional animal farming requires staggering resources. It accounts for roughly 70 percent of agricultural land use and is responsible for nearly 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. That is more than the emissions from every car, plane, and train combined! Water consumption is another major concern. Producing just one kilogram of beef can require upwards of 15,000 liters of water. Let’s break this down and compare it to humans. The average person uses 80 to 100 gallons of water per day. It takes up to 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef. Let that sink in - those numbers are staggering but sadly most of us eat without ever considering the full cost of what’s on our plate.  And land use? Large-scale livestock farming drives deforestation, threatening biodiversity and accelerating climate change. To put this into perspective – a 1,200 acre cattle ranch in the United States is 1/3 the size of a city with 20k inhabitants.  

Beyond environmental costs, animal agriculture can contribute to food insecurity. Humans and cattle both eat grains, fruits and vegetables.  As demand grows, so does competition for scarce resources like water and fertile land to grow grains and grass to feed livestock, the very resources that many small-scale farmers and vulnerable communities depend on. The challenge is how to feed a growing population with limited resources while protecting the planet. 

What about Chickens?

The impact on the animals themselves is another crucial piece of the puzzle. In the United States, growth hormones and antibiotics are commonly used to speed up livestock growth, especially in chickens. These chickens grow so rapidly that their size far exceeds those raised in many other countries, sometimes nearly double in weight at the same age. Between 1957 and 2005, the weight of the typical broiler chicken in the United States has quadrupled from 2 lbs to over 9 lbs. This accelerated growth comes with health problems for the animals and raises concerns about what we are consuming when we eat that meat. Hormones and antibiotics in meat have been linked to potential health risks in humans, including antibiotic resistance and hormone disruption. Even with that said, it hasn’t stopped us from eating chicken. The average person in the United States eats about 100 lbs of chicken per year, a total that has more than doubled since 1970.

We aren’t saying to eliminate animal proteins entirely. However, we need to start thinking about other options to supplement our protein intake that are not animal based or full of hormones that aren’t safe for us or the livestock that are injected with them. 

Meet the Future of Protein

Enter alternative proteins. These products, made from plants, fungi, and fermentation processes, offer a way to produce protein more efficiently and with a fraction of the environmental impact. They require less land, less water, and emit fewer greenhouse gases which help our planet. Alternative proteins have the potential to revolutionize the food supply and reverse the effects on the climate.

But this shift isn’t just about sustainability. Alternative proteins can play a transformative role in global nutrition by making protein more accessible and affordable. In many parts of the world, animal protein is both expensive and in short supply.

Take South Korea, for example. The country is roughly the same size as Indiana, yet only 17 percent of its land is used for agriculture. Much of the terrain is mountainous and unsuitable for large-scale farming, which limits the scope of animal agriculture. As a result, South Korea focuses primarily on poultry farming, with approximately 182 million chickens on farms compared to just 3.34 million cattle. Since so little land is available for animal farming, the price of animal-based proteins is significantly higher. A pound of domestic chicken can range from $4.50 to $7.50 USD, while beef often costs between $7.25 and $21.80 USD per pound. These prices may seem similar to those in the United States but the average household salary in South Korea is $2700 while the average US household salary is over $5500 a month.

Because of the costs, South Koreans rely heavily on plant-based and fermentation-derived proteins that can be cultivated in small gardens or on hillsides. Crops like cabbage, radish, and mung beans are grown and fermented to create nutrient-dense foods that can be preserved and eaten year-round. This approach not only supports year-round food access but also proves that high-quality protein doesn’t have to come from livestock. It shows that plant-based and fermented foods can deliver nutrition without the high costs or infrastructure required by traditional animal farming.

Women Feeding the Future

Women innovators are leading the revolution in the shift to plant-based proteins. They’re not simply replacing meat with plants. They’re rethinking every piece of the food system, from how we grow our ingredients to how we nourish our communities. They are taking tried and true methods from around the world and building solutions.

These women aren’t just founders. They’re systems thinkers, scientists, farmers, and advocates. Many had their diets shaped by scarcity at a young age, something most of us have never had to experience. They come from the very communities that industrial agriculture has overlooked or harmed. They’ve seen firsthand how climate change, soil degradation, and food waste disrupt both ecosystems and economies. Rather than treat these as separate issues, they’re building solutions that are connected by design.

Some of these women are working at the soil level, investing in regenerative agriculture that restores rather than continuing to deplete the land. Others are turning to precision fermentation and biotech to reduce our dependence on livestock entirely. Many are tackling food waste head on, upcycling discarded ingredients into high-value products or using AI to reduce surplus across supply chains.

Most importantly, these founders are thinking about access. They recognize that sustainability means nothing if the food isn’t within reach for everyone. Their innovations aren’t just science projects or luxury products. They’re tools meant to serve people, especially those who have historically been left out of the food innovation conversation.

The Big Shift

This isn’t just a trend. It is a global shift, and women are leading it. In fact, in the last 2 decades, there has been an increase in the number of Agtech startups with women on the founding team. In 2002, only 9% of Agtech/Foodtech start ups had a woman on the founding team. By 2021, this number had increased to 22%. 

The way we produce food is being reimagined, not just to reduce harm but to actively build systems that heal. This shift is about more than sustainability. It is about equity, access, and resilience. It is about redefining what nourishment looks like in a world where climate change, overpopulation, and resource scarcity are no longer distant concerns but present-day realities.

Alternative proteins are at the center of this change. They offer a way to feed more people with fewer resources, using less land, less water, and producing lower emissions. More importantly, they provide a way to do it without leaving communities behind. For women founders and scientists, this is not just innovation for innovation’s sake. It is innovation with intention. They are designing systems that go beyond scaling but truly include everyone.

The future of global nutrition is clear. It means moving away from extractive, resource-heavy models of animal agriculture toward smarter, more sustainable, and more equitable ways of feeding the world. This important shift is already underway and can’t be ignored.

Sources

Agtech Funder - Data Snapshot: Female founders in agrifoodtech have steadily multiplied since turn of century https://agfundernews.com/female-founders-in-agrifoodtech-have-steadily-multiplied

Our World in Data - Adopting slower-growing breeds of chicken would reduce animal suffering significantly https://ourworldindata.org/adopting-slower-growing-breeds-of-chicken-would-reduce-animal-suffering-significantly

Environmental Working Group – Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change + Health
https://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/

FAO – The State of Food and Agriculture 2013: Food systems for better nutrition
http://www.fao.org/3/i3300e/i3300e.pdf

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Food Systems and Natural Resources
https://www.unep.org/resources/report/food-systems-and-natural-resources

Vox – How chickens took over America’s dinner plates, in one chart https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22287530/chicken-beef-factory-farming-plant-based-meats