Food Systems

Alternative Protein Welfare Economics

Shifting food systems toward alternative proteins — plant-based, fermented, and cultivated — could eliminate the suffering of billions of farmed animals annually, making this one of the highest-impact welfare interventions.

Key Facts

Over 80 billion land animals are farmed for food each year globally, most in poor welfare conditions
Plant-based meat substitutes avoid essentially all direct animal suffering at scale
Precision fermentation can produce dairy and egg proteins without keeping animals at all
Cultivated meat, once at scale, could replace conventional meat with only minor cellular welfare questions
The cost of plant-based alternatives has dropped dramatically and is approaching parity in some categories

Welfare Considerations

From a welfare economics perspective, each percentage point shift toward alternative proteins represents tens of millions of animals spared from suffering. Corporate investment in these sectors, consumer adoption, and policy support for research and regulation are the key levers. Welfare organisations increasingly fund corporate engagement campaigns to accelerate transitions.

What You Can Do

Integrate more plant-based meals into your weekly diet, reducing demand for farmed animal products
Invest in or support companies advancing cultivated and fermented protein technologies
Advocate for government R&D funding for alternative proteins at parity with livestock subsidies
Engage pension funds and investment portfolios to include alternative protein sector exposure