Environmental impacts of alternatives to animal-source foods: a scoping review

Drawing on a comprehensive systematic search of the literature, this scoping Review examined 125 studies on the environmental impacts of alternatives to animal-source foods (Alt-ASFs) compared with conventional animal-source foods. Alt-ASFs generally required fewer natural resources and produced lower greenhouse gas emissions than animal-source foods, with the most consistent advantages observed for plant-based foods. Environmental impacts of insect-based, fungi-based, algae-based, and cell-based alternatives were more variable than plant-based alternatives, reflecting differences in production methods, processing intensity, and energy sources. The evidence base was concentrated in high-income countries, with low coverage of low-income and middle-income contexts. Moreover, analyses of ecological dimensions beyond greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use—such as biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and resource cycling—were comparatively scarce. Taken together, the evidence suggests that Alt-ASFs can contribute to more sustainable food systems relative to those with higher reliance on animal-source foods (particularly in high-income settings), but the scale and consistency of benefits remain sensitive to production practices and analytical assumptions underlying comparative analyses.