Plant-based proteins typically have a much lower environmental impact than animal proteins, as they generally require less water and land, and produce fewer carbon emissions. Another key difference is how they’re used in the food system: instead of using plant proteins to feed animals and then consuming the animal protein, the plant-based proteins themselves are consumed.

Rearing animals for meat and dairy products involves feeding them compound feed that’s partly made from byproducts and soybeans. Data shows that, for example, 15% of a cow’s diet consists of soy. Most soybeans come from South America, where their cultivation is often linked with deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats. This is driving a loss of biodiversity in some of the world’s most precious and fragile environments, such as the Amazon and Cerrado regions of Brazil.

Here’s what’s currently going wrong:

• Expanding agricultural land for food production is currently the main cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss. A global shift to a plant-based diet could cut agricultural land use by 75%.
• Today, less than half the world’s cereals (48%) are consumed by people, with 41% used for animal feed and 11% in biofuels.
• With soy, it’s even more extreme, with only 7% consumed directly by humans, with the majority processed into animal feed and oil.

So while feeding crops to animals does provide meat and dairy, it’s a very inefficient way of converting calories and protein. Most of the energy is used up simply keeping the animal alive. A shift to consuming plant-based proteins will reduce meat consumption and with it the need for land-intensive animal farming. This in turn will free up vast areas of land, allowing forests and ecosystems to recover.

Plant-based ingredients contribute to:

• Healthier diets
• Improved animal wellbeing
• Feeding a growing global population
• Decelerating deforestation
• Reducing carbon emissions

Meelunie is working to help change the food system and accelerate the protein transition by offering an alternative to animal proteins (see also What’s the difference between animal and plant-based proteins, and why does it matter?).

All Meelunie’s products are plant-based. This means they are, generally speaking, far more sustainable than animal-based ingredients. Within our plant-based assortment, our fava beans and peas have the lowest environmental impact in terms of land and water usage, and carbon footprint.

To understand the difference in environmental impact of animal-based and plant-based proteins, see What’s the difference between animal and plant-based proteins, and why does it matter?). For more detail see our Responsibility Report.

Yes, fava bean ingredients are ideal for plant-based products. Fava beans are high in protein and packed with fiber. So you can eat these plant-based products without having to compromise on your protein intake.

According to the EU food allergen list, the following plant-based ingredients that we offer allergen-free:

• Fava Bean
• Pea
• Potato
• Corn
• Tapioca
• Rice

This means the majority of our ingredients can be used in a wide range of products without concerns about common allergens such as gluten or lactose.

Meelunie supplies ingredients that are organic-certified by independent bodies such as SKAL and OTCO. This means they’re grown and processed without the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or GMO, all of which benefits local biodiversity.

Meelunie supplies ingredients that are non-GMO. This means they’re cultivated without the use of genetically-modified seeds or organisms, and our products are certified by the Non-GMO Project.

We see a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an effective tool for assessing the environmental impact of our products, in terms for example of climate impact, water use and land use. All Meelunie LCAs use a cradle-to-gate approach.

To date, we’ve conducted LCAs on our four fava bean ingredients, and then compared the results with animal-based and other plant-based protein sources. We’re now working to extend our LCAs to all Meelunie products.

We work together with our industry stakeholders, such as our suppliers and customers. In addition, we have partnered with Food Valley on initiatives such as the Protein Community, Green Protein Alliance and Plant Based Food Association. We stay in continuous contact with our stakeholders, to learn from them and to adopt their great ideas where possible. So that together we can have the maximum Plant Based Positive Impact.

By shifting our industry and consumer patterns to make them more plant-based. We can only achieve this and make a real difference if we work together with all our partners in the value chain and across our industry.

If you have further questions or suggestions, or want to join us on our sustainability journey, we’d love to hear from you. Just mail us at positiveimpact@meelunie.com.