Global socioeconomic systems and climate change exacerbate disparities that leave a huge proportion of the human population malnourished. This condition will be further worsened by intensive food production like livestock that produces affordable protein but contribute to increasing greenhouse gases, making conventional food sources such as animal livestock unsustainable at global scales, in a vicious cycle.Thus, food systems have come under pressure to meet global food demands, whilst having to meet economic and ecological targets.The trend towards meatless diets has been gaining momentum, as consumers increasingly prioritize health, animal welfare, and cultural values in their food choices. Beyond environmental benefits, consumers are motivated by a desire to reduce their risk of non-communicable diseases which have been linked to high consumption of animal products. Others are motivated by empathy towards animals and concerns about animal welfare. Still others may be driven by cultural or religious traditions that promote vegetarianism or veganism, or by a desire to not conform to social norms and peer pressure. Nevertheless, meatless diets can pose unintended nutritional consequences, which could be particularly pronounced for protein intake. In fact, rather than the quantity the issue of protein quality is often overlooked, therefore research is needed on how innovative products will meet the need of reducing meat and providing an adequate diet even to non-expert consumers.The trend of meatless diets is likely to continue growing in popularity in the coming years, opening newer avenues also for scientific investigation in alternative protein sources, including traditional legumes, ancient cereals, fungi, plant-based processed food, and edible insects, that would make human nutrition more effective and sustainable.The aim of this Research Topic is to assess the state of the art and new frontiers of this field of research to create a platform to share information and stimulate new thoughts around this theme.This collection welcomes all the types of papers accepted by the journal: Original Research, Review, Mini-review, Perspectives, Policy and Practice Reviews, Conceptual Analysis, and Data Reports, that address the following yet not limited topics:● Assessment of alternative protein sources' production sustainability at a local and global scale● Nutritional value of ancient cereals and legumes and their cultivation● Alternative proteins nutritional values effectiveness in human diets: nutritional recommendation of alternative intake● New products development of alternative proteins-based foods● Marketing of foods innovations based on alternative proteins
Global socioeconomic systems and climate change exacerbate disparities that leave a huge proportion of the human population malnourished. This condition will be further worsened by intensive food production like livestock that produces affordable protein but contribute to increasing greenhouse gases, making conventional food sources such as animal livestock unsustainable at global scales, in a vicious cycle.Thus, food systems have come under pressure to meet global food demands, whilst having to meet economic and ecological targets.The trend towards meatless diets has been gaining momentum, as consumers increasingly prioritize health, animal welfare, and cultural values in their food choices. Beyond environmental benefits, consumers are motivated by a desire to reduce their risk of non-communicable diseases which have been linked to high consumption of animal products. Others are motivated by empathy towards animals and concerns about animal welfare. Still others may be driven by cultural or religious traditions that promote vegetarianism or veganism, or by a desire to not conform to social norms and peer pressure. Nevertheless, meatless diets can pose unintended nutritional consequences, which could be particularly pronounced for protein intake. In fact, rather than the quantity the issue of protein quality is often overlooked, therefore research is needed on how innovative products will meet the need of reducing meat and providing an adequate diet even to non-expert consumers.The trend of meatless diets is likely to continue growing in popularity in the coming years, opening newer avenues also for scientific investigation in alternative protein sources, including traditional legumes, ancient cereals, fungi, plant-based processed food, and edible insects, that would make human nutrition more effective and sustainable.The aim of this Research Topic is to assess the state of the art and new frontiers of this field of research to create a platform to share information and stimulate new thoughts around this theme.This collection welcomes all the types of papers accepted by the journal: Original Research, Review, Mini-review, Perspectives, Policy and Practice Reviews, Conceptual Analysis, and Data Reports, that address the following yet not limited topics:● Assessment of alternative protein sources' production sustainability at a local and global scale● Nutritional value of ancient cereals and legumes and their cultivation● Alternative proteins nutritional values effectiveness in human diets: nutritional recommendation of alternative intake● New products development of alternative proteins-based foods● Marketing of foods innovations based on alternative proteins