Expanding plant-based options in daily food choices presents fresh advantages for the environment, animal welfare, and personal health nutrition, as outlined in Policy Information Report No. 72/2025.
The Scientific Advisory Board for Agricultural Policy, Nutrition, and Consumer Health Protection (WBAE) in Germany has published a groundbreaking report on alternative proteins, emphasising their potential role in creating a more sustainable food system.
The study, co-led by Prof. Dr. Britta Renner from the University of Konstanz and Prof. Dr. Justus Wesseler from the University of Wageningen, analyses the potential of plant-based, biotechnological, and hybrid alternatives to animal-based foods.
The report proposes a 3-R strategy for reducing animal product consumption: Reduce, Remix, and Replace. This strategy aims to help reduce negative environmental impacts of livestock farming without fundamentally changing eating habits.
Prof. Dr. Achim Spiller, University of Göttingen, explains that alternative products often have a better greenhouse gas balance. They offer a new way to protect the environment, animals, and strengthen social coexistence.
The WBAE advocates for fair competitive conditions, including ending the fiscal disadvantage of alternative products in value-added tax. They also recommend targeted measures to promote research and development of alternative products, and a series of measures to secure the preservation of biodiversity-rich cultural landscapes.
The study suggests that alternative products offer new choices for people with ethical, ecological, or health reasons. In regions with intensive livestock farming, positive environmental effects could unfold through the change. However, in regions with predominantly extensively used grassland, there is a risk of losing nature conservation-relevant permanent grassland areas from use.
The report calls for a fact-based, inclusive debate on the future of food, avoiding ideological conflicts, which supports social coexistence at the shared table by acknowledging different dietary choices without polarization.
Key recommendations include stronger public investment in innovation and research, such as creating a long-term technology roadmap, supporting basic sciences, and building coordinated research centres to bring stakeholders together — all to accelerate development and market readiness of alternative proteins.
The WBAE's emphasis on alternative proteins implicitly addresses animal welfare by promoting protein sources that do not rely on traditional animal farming, thus reducing animal suffering and environmental impacts linked to livestock production.
The report also stresses removing market barriers through fair regulation and competition to facilitate consumer access to these sustainable products.
The study recommends that the federal government actively support these technologies. Photos from the report handover will be available soon at: https://owncloud.gwdg.de/index.php/s/jsTYuVOSYVuPoBe. The report is available for download at: https://www.bmel.de/DE/ministerium/organisation/beiraete/agr-veroeffentlichungen.html.
A public virtual expert event is being held today, July 22nd, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM for key statements from the report. Registration link: https://uni-goettingen.zoom-x.de/webinar/register/WN_bBiaLrCCQWmT1tdDUhmdBA. For more information about the report's authors and WBAE members, please visit their respective contact information provided.
- The report published by the Scientific Advisory Board for Agricultural Policy, Nutrition, and Consumer Health Protection (WBAE) in Germany highlights the potential of alternative proteins in contributing to a more sustainable health-and-wellness lifestyle, as well as in the field of environmental-science.
- The University of Konstanz and the University of Wageningen, led by Prof. Dr. Britta Renner and Prof. Dr. Justus Wesseler, respectively, have analysed the potential of plant-based, biotechnological, and hybrid alternatives to animal-based foods in the realm of fitness-and-exercise and nutrition.
- The WBAE proposes a 3-R strategy – Reduce, Remix, and Replace – aimed at reducing the negative environmental impacts of livestock farming while allowing individuals to grow personally and professionally in the education-and-self-development sector.
- The study reveals that alternative products often have a better greenhouse gas balance, which could potentially contribute to the protection of the environment, animal welfare, and social harmony in the lifestyle category.
- The WBAE's focus on alternative proteins encompasses the support of fair competitive conditions in the food-and-drink industry, including ending fiscal disadvantages in value-added tax, promoting research and development, and ensuring the preservation of biodiversity-rich cultural landscapes.
