Animal Welfare and Meat Alternatives

Plant-based and cell-cultured meat alternatives offer the potential to dramatically reduce farmed animal welfare harm while meeting protein demand.

Key Facts

Plant-based meat alternatives are now available in over 35,000 retail and food service locations in the US
Cellular agriculture produces actual animal cells without the full animal being required
Life cycle assessments show plant-based alternatives use significantly less land and water than conventional meat
Consumer acceptance of plant-based meat has grown substantially in the past five years
Cost parity between cell-cultured and conventional meat is projected within the next decade

Welfare Considerations

Meat alternatives represent one of the most transformative potential welfare interventions available. If plant-based and cell-cultured proteins can displace significant portions of conventional meat demand, the welfare benefits in terms of animals not suffering in intensive production systems would be enormous. The welfare argument for supporting meat alternative development — through purchasing, investment, and advocacy — is among the strongest available in animal welfare strategy, as it addresses welfare at scale rather than improving conditions within existing systems.

What You Can Do

Try and incorporate plant-based alternatives into your diet regularly
Support policy frameworks that fund alternative protein research and development
Choose restaurant options with plant-based alternatives to build market demand
Advocate for institutional food service to expand plant-based offerings
Donate to organizations working on cellular agriculture and alternative protein development