Climate change and the Earth's population growth threaten the nutritional security of many populations, says the World Economic Forum (WEF) in an article published on January 17. However, the organization remains optimistic and offers dietary solutions such as plant-based meat alternatives, insects and "meat grown directly from animal cells".
Global food systems were responsible for 34% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2015, according to the scientific journal Nature Food. Couple this with the growing number of humans on the planet, which has surpassed eight billion, and the WEF stressed that "we urgently need sustainable technologies and methods to improve our current food systems and land use for agriculture."
The organization warned that we have reached the limits of our "planetary boundaries" and that the heart of the problem lies in our "dietary preferences for livestock-based foods." Biotechnology - a broad category ranging from DNA modification to livestock vaccines - may be the solution.
WEF's warnings to move away from meat consumption have been met with stiff opposition among many in the United States.
"The globalists are at it again," Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) tweeted on Jan. 19. "Pushing their plans to shift the world to a vegan diet while dreaming of ending meat production."
"If WEF wants to learn how to feed more people more efficiently," Flood added, "they should visit Nebraska, where it happens, so the people doing the work can show them how it's done."
In addition to plants, WEF is looking to biotechnology as a possible solution.
Humans have manipulated nature to their advantage throughout history, WEF argued, breeding certain plants and animals to select for desirable traits. Advances such as genome editing are simply the latest iteration of this process.
One company mentioned in the article, BIOMILQ, has developed "the first lab-grown infant milk derived from mammary cells." According to the company's website, mammary cells are placed in "a microenvironment that recreates breast-like conditions," within which the cells organize into a structure that allows the creation of milk.
BIOMILQ is owned by women and ensures that the milk is "cultured in safe conditions."
Lab-grown meat
Roslin Tech is another biotech company mentioned by the WEF that is working on growing edible meat in the lab. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, the company has developed a technology to "reprogram" animal cells into pluripotent stem cells, i.e., cells that are capable of regenerating themselves and can "give rise to all the cells in the body's tissues."
After receiving $13.6 million in Series A funding last November, the startup claims to be in production and is currently distributing its product in North America, Europe and Asia, though not to retailers. Billionaires Bill Gates and Richard Branson have invested in several lab-grown meat companies.
This alternative to meat production, once extremely expensive, has become considerably cheaper. For example, the first cultured beef burger in 2013 cost more than $210,000 to produce. It has since dropped to just under $10 as of 2019.
We may soon see these products hit the market.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for example, recently approved the first cell-grown food product, specifically lab-grown chicken. Approved in November 2022, the FDA determined that the food is safe through a series of tests regarding shelf life, nutritional value and methods of genetic alteration.
In response to concerns about possible unforeseen genetic effects, the agency stated that the risks are "acceptably low and well understood" and that no serious side effects have yet emerged in the past 20 years of genomic editing research.
The WEF praised the FDA's decision for "paving the way towards a new environmentally friendly diet". In contrast, the organization criticized the European Union (EU) approach for being too cautious.
"Despite growing public interest and emerging companies in this field, the lengthy pre-market authorization process has led to a situation where no company has applied for approval of meat products grown in Europe," the WEF said.
A spokesman for the European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) denied these claims, stating that cultured meat companies can apply through its novel foods program, which has attracted a great deal of interest from other companies. However, at the time of writing, ESFA had not received a single application for cultured meat products.
The EU limits the amount of genetically modified foods that can be imported and grown in the country. Many U.S.-made agricultural products are banned in the EU because of the additives they contain.
Insects
Another livestock alternative offered by the WEF is one that the organization is famous for pushing: insects.
In an article published last February, titled "Five reasons why eating insects could reduce climate change," the organization argued that insects should be adopted as a substitute for traditional animal proteins because of their more moderate ecological footprint. The article also highlighted the high protein content of some insects, specifically caterpillars, which, according to one study, exceeds that of beef cattle.
Citing Amrou Awaysheh, professor of operations and supply chain management at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, the WEF argued that the higher protein concentration of caterpillars may be necessary to sustain the world's growing population.
"By 2050, the Earth will have nearly 10 billion inhabitants. The demand for protein will exceed our ability to obtain it."
Some environmentalists have criticized the WEF for proposing outlandish solutions to climate change, while many of its elitist attendees refuse to curb their own carbon emissions.
"Europe is experiencing the hottest January days on record, and communities around the world are facing extreme weather events supercharged by the climate crisis," Greenpeace campaigner Klara Maria Schenk said in a statement on Jan. 13. "Meanwhile, the rich and powerful flock to Davos in ultra-polluting and socially unjust private jets to debate climate and inequality behind closed doors."
"The researchers found that all private jet flights to and from airports serving Davos during the 2022 World Economic Forum caused a total of 9700 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the emissions of about 350,000 cars on average in a week."
