When emissions from agricultural supply chains, feedstock growth, land use change, and other factors are taken into account, global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are estimated to be twice those of plant-based foods.
- View Highlight
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Animal agriculture raises serious ethical concerns, particularly as it has industrialised and farming has become more intensive. 80 billion livestock animals are slaughtered each year for meat. Over 90% of farmed animals globally are living in factory farms. Most of these experience extreme levels of suffering over the course of their lives due to intense confinement and the removal of body parts. Global meat production is experiencing a rapid increase as nations industrialise. This suggests the number of farmed animals and intensity of their farming will increase without other effective interventions.
- View Highlight
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Plant-based meats, one of the alternative protein products discussed below, presently emit 30% to 90% less greenhouse gas than conventional meat per kilo. Another alternative protein product, cultivated meat, is projected to contribute much less to climate change than beef per kilo. Cultivated meat could contribute even less to climate change if a large share of the energy used in its production comes from renewable sources.
- View Highlight
- alternative proteins, climate emissions,

Early research on this topic is sparse and paints a mixed picture. Some research suggests that increasing availability of animal product alternatives prompts an uptake in their purchase, but does not reduce demand for animal meat. Other research points to limitations of present alternative protein products in their resemblance to their animal product counterparts and familiarity with alternative protein products as the primary factors preventing them from replacing meat consumption. As both of these factors improve, this may prompt greater replacement of animal products with alternative proteins. Historical examples demonstrate how technological advances that present distinct advantages can reduce animal suffering: such as cars replacing the horse and buggy in the rich world and new rennet sources being adopted in cheesemaking.
- View Highlight
- alternative proteins,

(highlight:: Tälist's research-based impact calculator provides interesting metrics on the impact of individuals working to replace various animal products.
)
- View Highlight
-

the alternative protein industry appears to have a significantly lower risk of inadvertently causing harm (e.g. through information hazards or dual-use technology, which are common in some areas of Biorisk and Biosecurity, for example). Therefore, pursuing work in the alternative protein industry may be considered a safer choice for engineers concerned about the potential negative consequences of their work.
- View Highlight
- dual-use technology, information hazards, alternative proteins,

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture also create selective pressure on bacteria, favouring the growth of resistant strains over non-resistant ones, and making the treatment of humans and animals more difficult. A 2016 UK government-commissioned report found that there are 700,000 deaths per year due to antimicrobial resistance and projected that this would rise to 10 million per year without intervention, surpassing deaths from cancer.
- View Highlight
-

Factory farm workers are exposed to significant workplace hazards, such as hydrogen sulphate from manure, exposure to pathogens, and noise levels that damage hearing. A survey of farmers in the UK found that poor mental health amongst farmers was higher for those keeping livestock than those farming plants.
- View Highlight
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- View Highlight
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- View Highlight
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- View Highlight
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- View Highlight
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- View Highlight
- fermentation, alternative proteins,

(highlight:: Despite their novelty in the West, in many parts of the world eating insects is commonplace. There may be opportunities to intensively farm these animals at an unprecedented industrial scale and to process their carcasses into more palatable meals.
Despite renewed research interest, we would not recommend working in this category of alternative protein. The industrial scale of these farms would require a vastly greater number of animals to die per kilo of protein produced. As there is much uncertainty of the sentience of these animals and their capability to suffer, this could have disastrous ethical implications.)
- View Highlight
- alternative proteins, insect farming, insect welfare,

it is difficult to maintain sanitary farming conditions and produce safe food products derived from insects. Research on 300 insect farms detected parasites in 81% of examined farms, and parasites potentially pathogenic for humans in 30% of the farms, which is relatively high for animal farms.
- View Highlight
- insect farming, factory farming, biorisk,

There are plenty more bottlenecks in the industry, many of which are detailed on the Good Food Institute website and in their post on technical talent. This very detailed career guide for ending factory farming is also a great resource on the broader range of roles in the field.
- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

Present methods of protein extraction from bulk plant matter are based on methods used in other food production industries, namely twin screw extrusion, and haven’t seen widespread changes in recent years. New methods such as shear cell extraction and electrospinning have the potential to more efficiently extract protein of equal or greater quality from plant inputs.
- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

Efficient bioreactors are key to producing both cultured meat and fermentation-based products at scale. These huge pieces of equipment are widely used in the pharmaceutical and food production industries, but adapted designs will be needed for these new applications.
- View Highlight
-

Much of the high-impact work in scaling up the manufacture of cultured meat and fermentation-based products will involve the implementation and production design surrounding bioreactors in manufacturing facilities. This is another area where processes and automation engineers are in high demand.
- View Highlight
- bioreactors, cultured meat, fermentation-based products, automation,

While sanitary conditions are needed in all food production, this bottleneck is most relevant for producing cultivated meat. Contamination can be disastrous for cell cultures and this becomes a more prevalent issue in large-scale production where ensuring sterility is complex and expensive.
- View Highlight
-

Work to mitigate this contamination would include cleanroom design, HVAC system design, implementation of sterilisation equipment into production, and development of new sterilisation technology such as UV-based methods.
- View Highlight
-

Fermentation-based products are less vulnerable to contamination and mitigation measures are better established in this industry. However, maintaining the sterility of key equipment is still crucial in this industry and work here would still be valuable.
- View Highlight
-

Working on niche and novelty alternative protein products such as oyster, caviar, and quail analogues should be avoided for the time being when trying to maximise impact by growing the share of alternative protein in the market. Since such animal products are seldom consumed, their alternative counterparts are unlikely to replace large amounts of animal product consumption. Their niche nature means that they are likely to remain luxury products, and are unlikely to benefit from the economies of scale that comes with mass consumption.
- View Highlight
-

A more proactive way to find a job in the alternative protein industry is to reach out to start-ups. Often start-ups have little budget for recruitment, so making yourself visible by asking for an informational interview is a good strategy. The GFI database of alternative protein companies and proteindirectory.com are good places to find suitable companies. Available roles at these companies can then be found on the startup’s website or a large job search site (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.) — keep in mind that these companies may have talent needs that aren’t listed, so reaching out to understand their needs could help you land a role.
- View Highlight
-

When emissions from agricultural supply chains, feedstock growth, land use change, and other factors are taken into account, global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are estimated to be twice those of plant-based foods.
- View Highlight
-

Animal agriculture raises serious ethical concerns, particularly as it has industrialised and farming has become more intensive. 80 billion livestock animals are slaughtered each year for meat. Over 90% of farmed animals globally are living in factory farms. Most of these experience extreme levels of suffering over the course of their lives due to intense confinement and the removal of body parts. Global meat production is experiencing a rapid increase as nations industrialise. This suggests the number of farmed animals and intensity of their farming will increase without other effective interventions.
- View Highlight
-

Plant-based meats, one of the alternative protein products discussed below, presently emit 30% to 90% less greenhouse gas than conventional meat per kilo. Another alternative protein product, cultivated meat, is projected to contribute much less to climate change than beef per kilo. Cultivated meat could contribute even less to climate change if a large share of the energy used in its production comes from renewable sources.
- View Highlight
- alternative proteins, climate emissions,

Early research on this topic is sparse and paints a mixed picture. Some research suggests that increasing availability of animal product alternatives prompts an uptake in their purchase, but does not reduce demand for animal meat. Other research points to limitations of present alternative protein products in their resemblance to their animal product counterparts and familiarity with alternative protein products as the primary factors preventing them from replacing meat consumption. As both of these factors improve, this may prompt greater replacement of animal products with alternative proteins. Historical examples demonstrate how technological advances that present distinct advantages can reduce animal suffering: such as cars replacing the horse and buggy in the rich world and new rennet sources being adopted in cheesemaking.
- View Highlight
- alternative proteins,

(highlight:: Tälist's research-based impact calculator provides interesting metrics on the impact of individuals working to replace various animal products.
)
- View Highlight
-

the alternative protein industry appears to have a significantly lower risk of inadvertently causing harm (e.g. through information hazards or dual-use technology, which are common in some areas of Biorisk and Biosecurity, for example). Therefore, pursuing work in the alternative protein industry may be considered a safer choice for engineers concerned about the potential negative consequences of their work.
- View Highlight
- dual-use technology, information hazards, alternative proteins,

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture also create selective pressure on bacteria, favouring the growth of resistant strains over non-resistant ones, and making the treatment of humans and animals more difficult. A 2016 UK government-commissioned report found that there are 700,000 deaths per year due to antimicrobial resistance and projected that this would rise to 10 million per year without intervention, surpassing deaths from cancer.
- View Highlight
-

Factory farm workers are exposed to significant workplace hazards, such as hydrogen sulphate from manure, exposure to pathogens, and noise levels that damage hearing. A survey of farmers in the UK found that poor mental health amongst farmers was higher for those keeping livestock than those farming plants.
- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
- fermentation, alternative proteins,

(highlight:: Despite their novelty in the West, in many parts of the world eating insects is commonplace. There may be opportunities to intensively farm these animals at an unprecedented industrial scale and to process their carcasses into more palatable meals.
Despite renewed research interest, we would not recommend working in this category of alternative protein. The industrial scale of these farms would require a vastly greater number of animals to die per kilo of protein produced. As there is much uncertainty of the sentience of these animals and their capability to suffer, this could have disastrous ethical implications.)
- View Highlight
- alternative proteins, insect farming, insect welfare,

it is difficult to maintain sanitary farming conditions and produce safe food products derived from insects. Research on 300 insect farms detected parasites in 81% of examined farms, and parasites potentially pathogenic for humans in 30% of the farms, which is relatively high for animal farms.
- View Highlight
- insect farming, factory farming, biorisk,

There are plenty more bottlenecks in the industry, many of which are detailed on the Good Food Institute website and in their post on technical talent. This very detailed career guide for ending factory farming is also a great resource on the broader range of roles in the field.
- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

Present methods of protein extraction from bulk plant matter are based on methods used in other food production industries, namely twin screw extrusion, and haven’t seen widespread changes in recent years. New methods such as shear cell extraction and electrospinning have the potential to more efficiently extract protein of equal or greater quality from plant inputs.
- View Highlight
-

- View Highlight
-

Efficient bioreactors are key to producing both cultured meat and fermentation-based products at scale. These huge pieces of equipment are widely used in the pharmaceutical and food production industries, but adapted designs will be needed for these new applications.
- View Highlight
-

Much of the high-impact work in scaling up the manufacture of cultured meat and fermentation-based products will involve the implementation and production design surrounding bioreactors in manufacturing facilities. This is another area where processes and automation engineers are in high demand.
- View Highlight
- bioreactors, cultured meat, fermentation-based products, automation,

While sanitary conditions are needed in all food production, this bottleneck is most relevant for producing cultivated meat. Contamination can be disastrous for cell cultures and this becomes a more prevalent issue in large-scale production where ensuring sterility is complex and expensive.
- View Highlight
-

Work to mitigate this contamination would include cleanroom design, HVAC system design, implementation of sterilisation equipment into production, and development of new sterilisation technology such as UV-based methods.
- View Highlight
-

Fermentation-based products are less vulnerable to contamination and mitigation measures are better established in this industry. However, maintaining the sterility of key equipment is still crucial in this industry and work here would still be valuable.
- View Highlight
-

Working on niche and novelty alternative protein products such as oyster, caviar, and quail analogues should be avoided for the time being when trying to maximise impact by growing the share of alternative protein in the market. Since such animal products are seldom consumed, their alternative counterparts are unlikely to replace large amounts of animal product consumption. Their niche nature means that they are likely to remain luxury products, and are unlikely to benefit from the economies of scale that comes with mass consumption.
- View Highlight
-

A more proactive way to find a job in the alternative protein industry is to reach out to start-ups. Often start-ups have little budget for recruitment, so making yourself visible by asking for an informational interview is a good strategy. The GFI database of alternative protein companies and proteindirectory.com are good places to find suitable companies. Available roles at these companies can then be found on the startup’s website or a large job search site (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.) — keep in mind that these companies may have talent needs that aren’t listed, so reaching out to understand their needs could help you land a role.
- View Highlight
-