Sustainable biosolutions require prioritization, transparency and accessibility
How can we supply a growing global population with food while simultaneously ensuring zero greenhouse gas emissions from the food system, reducing the environmental impact, creating more space for nature, and ensuring a high level of animal welfare?
In a world marked by climate change, resource scarcity, and increasing challenges to food security, the entire food sector is facing this crucial challenge.
One of the best and most effective solutions would be for the entire global population to switch to mainly plant-based diets within the near future, and for people in wealthy countries like Denmark to replace a big amount of beef and cheese with lentil patties and hummus.
But if we are not willing to rely on such extensive changes in the preferences and consumption patterns of the majority, we will need more alternatives.
A game changer
New biosolutions can be a game changer, and fermented and cell-based alternatives to traditional meat and dairy products have the potential to revolutionize the food sector and significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and land use of the food system.
Furthermore, there may be a potential in replacing agriculture's use of harmful chemicals with more gentle biotechnological solutions, including biotechnological plant breeding.
Naturally, Denmark and Europe should be a part of this development.
From CONCITO’s climate and sustainability perspective, there are three key strategic considerations which should be a part of the development and use of biosolutions in the food sector in the coming years:
Pick the low-hanging biosolutions
One of the most important potentials of using bio solutions in the food sector is the possibility of replacing traditional animal products with fermented and cell-based alternatives.
According to some of the life cycle assessments of cell-based meat published so far, the alternatives have only a fraction of the carbon footprint of beef, but not necessarily a lower carbon footprint than pork and poultry.
This means that the biggest climate benefit immediately will be achieved by developing alternatives to beef and dairy products.
However, the development of alternatives for pork and poultry may have other advantages related to better animal welfare, reduced environmental impact, reduced risk of zoonotic diseases, etc.
At the research and development stage, the purpose will naturally often be an open question.
But if we, as a society, decides to promote and invest heavily in the scaling and dissemination of specific biosolutions, we should have a clear understanding of what problems they potentially can solve.
Open research and production
Transparency is another important factor.
Companies working with development and use of biosolutions should be as transparent as possible about their processes, raw materials, and ingredients.
Documentation of health and environmental conditions is crucial in achieving consumer acceptance of new products. Without transparency and credible information about the new foods it will be difficult to convince consumers of their benefits.
Therefore, development and distribution of biosolutions require more public research, and the universities and other public authorities have a central role in testing, validating, and building shared knowledge about the pros and cons of specific solutions and foods.
This is not only to ensure that the new foods are safe, healthy, and environmentally friendly. It will also be a prerequisite for building consumer trust.
The profit must not end among a selected few
Finally, the socio-economic effects should be addressed.
If alternatives to meat and dairy products produced with biotechnology are to become a reality on a larger global scale, solutions need to be made accessible and economically affordable for many.
A scenario where a few large companies acquire the intellectual property rights and concentrate the profit among a selected few should be avoided.
Agriculture is said to be the world’s largest employer, and as a great share of the global food supply should be produced in a new and different way within a few decades, answers to the unwanted socio-economic effects of the transition must be found.
One of the answers could be targeted development and promotion of biosolutions and production systems that can be used to establish local protein factories worldwide at a reasonable cost and preferably based on local raw materials.
In addition to the expected climate and environmental benefits of this development, which must naturally be documented first, it can contribute to creating more resilient food systems that are less dependent on long supply chains than they are today.
Through this, biosolutions can also positively contribute to food security.
First published in Altinget Fødevarer on September 1st, 2023.
