Die Zukunft im Blick: Fleisch der Zukunft

Focus on the Future: The Meat of the Future is a German-language study on three alternatives to traditional meat: plant-based meat replacements, edible insects and lab-grown meat.

The production and consumption of meat has been increasingly criticised during the past years. Meat replacements are gaining popularity in Germany and may be an alternative. The German Environment Agency has commissioned adelphi in cooperation with the Institute for Innovation and Technology as well as Ecologic to study three meat alternatives with regard to their environmental and health impacts and determine what role they might play in the future.

According to this study, plant-based meat replacements have the best environmental footprint. Compared to beef, their production causes less greenhouse gas emissions, consumes less water and uses less land. Insect-based foods have a slightly larger impact. The environmental and health impacts of lab-grown meat are currently hard to determine. In this area, more research is needed to be able to produce "clean meat" for the mass market.