The P-Problem That's Eating the Planet

Recently I opened up about my fungal infection; now I need to tell you about my P-problem.

Actually, it’s our P-problem: protein.

It’s ironic that our pursuit of this essential building block of life – specifically animal protein – is destroying the planet.

Around half of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the global food system come from animal agriculture.

Nearly half of habitable land on Earth is used for agriculture – 80 % of that is for producing animals or animal feed. Tropical forests are being felled as I type, to make way for more of both.

So already, it’s not looking good.

But we also need to produce 50% more protein by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing world population and an apparently insatiable appetite for meat and milk.

If we don’t take serious action our P-problem is going to get a whole lot worse.

As discussed in my recent TED Talk, sustainable proteins offer ways for us to meet some of the projected demand for meat, helping to ease the tension between food and nature.

These include plant-based proteins.

While tofu and tempeh are well established, many of us will have witnessed the influx of plant-based versions of burgers and bacon (or rashers as we say in the U.K.) in recent years.

Made from soybean or pea, they mimic conventional meat products - but their environmental impact is significantly lower. They require much less land and water, and produce significantly less GHGs than animal production.

Fermentation is another way to produce protein more sustainably. The use of microorganisms (think yeasts/fungi) in food production is already something humans are really good at: we’ve been producing cheese, bread, beer and tofu this way for millennia.

But the versatility of fermentation is a huge draw when it comes to the future of food: We can use it not only to produce greater quantities of sustainable protein, but also to provide flavors, enzymes, and nutrients to enhance those proteins. It’s a win for planetary and human health.

A third alternative protein is cultured meat.

It’s not produced from cattle grazing on a pasture, but make no mistake, this is meat. It’s just produced differently, using stem cells.

Cultured meat decouples the production of animal protein from the need for land. That means it has the potential to change the ratio of land required to protein produced, giving nature a moment to breathe.

Innovation in cultured meat is already well underway, as I discovered during a trip to Singapore. There, I was able to try some cultured roast chicken. I couldn’t believe my mouth: It had all the deliciousness, aroma, and texture of real chicken. Of course, biologically, it was real chicken.

I’m told the company that developed it lightheartedly considered naming it after my own involuntary proclamation of surprise. Although, I’m not sure how many retailers would stock “F**k Me!” Chicken.

I’ve also tried cultured beef. It had everything you’d expect from a steak – the look, taste, and texture. But it was produced using cells from a cow that was happily grazing on a mountainside a few miles from where I was eating.

The Earth Fund’s Future of Food Program has funded the establishment of a series of sustainable protein centers, to support these approaches to reach their full potential. They will help to build the firm foundations for the sector to thrive long term.

And while we often refer to them as sustainable or alternative proteins, I also think of them as complementary proteins. That’s because they help to increase the range of options available to consumers, ensuring they can make a sustainable choice that speak to their tastes, preferences, and budgets.

I call this the “Yes-And” food system, and it ensures everyone, everywhere, is included. It means everyone can have a “steak” in the future of food – whether that’s a sustainably produced beef filet, one made from plants, one transformed through fermentation, or one produced from cell cultures.

And that should help move us from a P-problem into a P-solution.