Plant-Based Proteins – The Key to a Sustainable Future?
On November 25, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, together with PAN Sweden, hosted a symposium that brought together researchers from Sweden and across Europe to discuss one of the most pressing questions of our time: Are plant-based proteins the key to a sustainable future? During the afternoon, the topic was explored from three perspectives – global, health-related, and technological – with insights from five international experts.
Climate change, public health, and food security are among the greatest challenges of our time. Plant-based proteins are increasingly highlighted as an important part of the transition toward a more sustainable food system. But how do these proteins affect our health? What technological barriers exist to make them both nutritious and palatable? And how do they relate to the UN’s global sustainability goals? These questions were at the heart of the symposium organized by Plant-based Proteins for Health and Wellbeing (PAN Sweden) and the National Committee for Nutrition and Food Science at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The program was divided into three themes:
- Global Perspective: Line Gordon from the Stockholm Resilience Centre presented insights from the EAT-Lancet report and how plant-based proteins can contribute to more sustainable food production.
- Health Perspective: Anne-Maria Pajari from the University of Helsinki highlighted nutritional challenges, while Paul de Vos from Maastricht University discussed the impact of plant-based dietary patterns on immunity and metabolism.
- Technological Solutions: Kati Katina from the University of Helsinki described the challenges of transforming the food industry, and Bettina Wolf from the University of Birmingham provided an overview of how processes and microstructures influence the quality of plant-based products.
The symposium proved to be a rewarding day with many interesting insights and questions. The discussions clearly showed that plant-based proteins are a complex area and that research is essential to create sustainable solutions for our future food system. By combining research in global sustainability, health, and food technology, we can take important steps toward a more resilient and climate-smart future for both humanity and the planet.
All presentations were recorded. Those that can be shared will be published here shortly.