Holistic Sustainability of Protein-Rich Foods: Integrating Nutrition, Environment, Economics, and Culture

Global food systems face the critical challenge of meeting rising protein demand while respecting planetary boundaries. Protein-rich foods are central to the ongoing scientific and policy debates around healthy and sustainable diets, yet sustainability assessments are often narrow in scope and siloed, focusing on single or a limited set of nutrients and environmental indicators, while overlooking broader health, ecological, and sociocultural aspects. A holistic approach is essential to capture the full spectrum of implications of our protein-rich food choices. Protein-rich foods include conventional animal products, traditional plant sources (i.e., pulses, nuts, and seeds), and a wide range of alternative proteins (e.g., plant-based analogues, fermentation-derived and cell-cultured products, insects, algae, and mycoprotein). Current discourse frequently oversimplifies the protein transition by adopting a reductionist perspective to plant-animal product comparisons, without full consideration of differences in nutritional value, processing, production practices, geographic contexts, or cultural preferences. As novel food technologies emerge alongside efforts to preserve traditional agrifood systems, multi-dimensional sustainability evaluations of protein-rich foods are increasingly needed.

The primary objective of this Research Topic is to generate evidence-based insights on the holistic sustainability of protein-rich foods, moving beyond simplistic frameworks and narrow-scope assessments. This collection aims to critically analyse the synergies and trade-offs across different dimensions: nutritional value and health impacts, environmental footprints, economic and equity implications, and sociocultural acceptability. By integrating these pillars, the Research Topic will promote systems thinking, reflect diverse global food cultures, and highlight the opportunities and challenges of protein diversification to simultaneously support environmental, public health and social equity goals. The collection will feature contributions that challenge ‘one-size-fits-all’ narratives by showing how sustainability performance varies across geographic, economic, sociodemographic, and political contexts, particularly in regions most affected by the double burden of malnutrition and environmental degradation. Ultimately, this Research Topic aims to inform data-driven policy and programmatic decision-making around protein-rich foods.

We will consider contributions focusing on the holistic sustainability of protein-rich foods , including conventional products (of plant and/or animal origin) and all types of alternative proteins. We are interested in foods across the processing spectrum – from minimally to ultra-processed – including fortified and biofortified products but excluding dietary supplements and standalone ingredients. We especially welcome studies that address complementarities and trade-offs among the Sustainable Development Goals in relation to protein-rich foods, identifying levers to reconcile nutritional, environmental, and equity priorities. We also encourage applied research that validates or challenges global sustainability frameworks – such as the Planetary Health Diet – from a nuanced perspective, examining their feasibility and relevance across different contexts and populations. Manuscripts should address at least one of the following dimensions, with preference for articles covering multiple pillars:

• Nutritional value and/or human health impacts (e.g., nutrient profile, noncommunicable disease risk, food safety concerns);

• Environmental impacts (e.g., climate change, land use, water scarcity, biodiversity loss);

• Economic and equity implications (e.g., affordability, livelihoods, labour rights);

• Cultural acceptability and/or desirability (e.g., sensory acceptance, regional relevance, food culture).

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Protein-rich foods, Alternative proteins, Protein diversification, Holistic sustainability, Nutritional value, Health impacts, Environmental footprints, Planetary boundaries, Socioeconomic implications, Social equity, Cultural acceptability, Food culture

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.