Protein Transition: Animal Welfare and Alternative Proteins

The global protein transition — shifting consumption from conventional animal products toward plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived proteins — has profound welfare implications for billions of farm animals.

Key Facts

Global demand for animal protein is projected to increase 70% by 2050 as populations grow and emerging economies develop
Plant-based meat sales have grown significantly but still represent under 1% of total meat sales globally, showing both opportunity and the scale of transition needed
Cultivated meat — grown from animal cells without slaughter — has received regulatory approval in the US and Singapore and is approaching commercial scale
Precision fermentation can produce animal proteins including egg and dairy proteins without animals, at potentially lower cost than conventional production
The protein transition could significantly reduce the number of animals in industrial farming if widely adopted, representing the largest potential welfare improvement available
Consumer barriers to protein transition include taste, price, habit, and cultural associations that welfare messaging alone does not overcome

Welfare Considerations

The protein transition represents the most structurally significant opportunity to reduce farm animal suffering in the coming decades. Unlike campaign-by-campaign corporate welfare commitments, a genuine market shift away from conventional animal products would reduce the total number of animals in welfare-poor farming systems. The welfare movement has a role to play in supporting this transition: by making the welfare dimension of food choices visible, by supporting the development and adoption of alternatives, and by creating demand for products that reduce animal suffering at scale. At the same time, the transition must be designed carefully — if it is driven primarily by intensive production of a narrow range of alternative proteins without welfare consideration for the animals involved in hybrid products, some welfare harms may persist.

What You Can Do

Reduce conventional meat and dairy consumption and replace with plant-based alternatives, reducing demand for factory-farmed animal products
Support Good Food Institute and cultivated meat research that is developing the technologies needed for a genuine protein transition
Advocate for government investment in alternative protein research and development comparable to conventional agricultural subsidies
Engage food companies about their alternative protein strategies and whether these strategies are genuinely reducing animal use