Food Solutions Action works with federal and state policymakers to ensure that American farmers, businesses, and research institutions lead the world in solving the impending global protein gap.
Throughout history, the winners in agriculture were countries that had copious fertile land and reliable water sources. But will that be enough for the next century?
Addressing Demand
Global meat consumption is projected to surge by 70% by 2050. However, over one-third of global arable land is already used for livestock feed production. If we try to meet this increased demand by expanding the land used for livestock feed, we would need two-thirds of all arable land for this purpose. That isn’t feasible nor sustainable due to water shortages, competing agricultural needs and environmental concerns.
CREDIT: UPSIDE FOODS
Embracing Innovation
Conventional meat production can’t meet soaring protein demand, and they’re struggling to adapt to climate disruptions, water scarcity, and viral outbreaks. For these food security and national security reasons, it is critical that the US expands and diversifies its protein supply by having a robust alternative protein sector capable of meeting unmet protein demand.
Tackling Inefficiencies
For every 100 calories of crops fed to chickens, you get just 11 calories back in the form of chicken meat and just 4 calories back if those crops had instead been fed to cattle for beef. In other words, 83% of the caloric input is wasted. In contrast, alternative protein technologies can convert these crops into food at substantially higher levels of efficiency.
Supporting American Farmers
Support for the AP sector supports American farmers who grow the crop inputs for these products, all of which use crops or crop derivatives in their processing and open up valuable export markets. These include peas, soybeans, corn, sugars, mushrooms, and legumes.
CREDIT: EAT JUST
Job Creation
The AP industry could create more than 8 million jobs globally by 2040, and up to 9.5 million by 2050. On average, these jobs are expected to be safer and better paying than the comparable jobs in the incumbent industry.
Importance of Federal Investment and Global Competition
The U.S. risks falling behind other nations, such as China, in this fast growing international market. Falling behind on innovation means lost jobs and growth against a backdrop of growing power amongst global competitors. It is crucial for Congress to ensure that America remains at the forefront of protein innovation, which will enhance our economic growth.
CREDIT: PRIME ROOTS