Nice! Did you consider seaweed or leaf protein concentrate? The numbers I’ve seen is that PBM is still twice the price of ground beef—did that source compare to all beef?
Thanks for the comment! I did look into (micro)algae, but ultimately chose not to include them for two main reasons.
First, the vast majority of algae-based products currently on the market are supplements or ingredients (spirulina powder, chlorella tablets, etc.) rather than direct meat substitutes. There is some emerging research on using microalgae in meat analogs through high-moisture extrusion, but these efforts are still very niche.
Second, there is very little LCA literature specifically on microalgae as food protein (or studies on scalability, etc.). The studies that do exist often report high greenhouse gas emissions, primarily driven by the intensive energy requirements of cultivation, harvesting, and drying processes.
I haven’t looked into leaf protein concentrates though.
Regarding PBM pricing: the specific figures I cite in the paper and in the graph come from GFI’s State of the Industry Report on plant-based meat which indicate: “Plant-based meat prices per pound are based on frozen and refrigerated plant-based meat subcategories from SPINS year ending 12/1/24. Animal-based meat prices per pound are based on data for fresh meat subcategories from the Circana year ending Dec. 2024.”
Microalgae is fairly expensive, so I think macroalgae is more promising—most of it is low protein, but there are high protein varieties. Leaf protein concentrate (e.g. Leaft) seems promising as well.
Plant-based meat prices per pound are based on frozen and refrigerated plant-based meat subcategories from SPINS year ending 12/1/24. Animal-based meat prices per pound are based on data for fresh meat subcategories from the Circana year ending Dec. 2024.
Fresh meat typically costs more, and it seems like this includes whole muscle meat, so I think if you do a fair comparison, PBM is more like double the cost of ground beef.
Nice! Did you consider seaweed or leaf protein concentrate? The numbers I’ve seen is that PBM is still twice the price of ground beef—did that source compare to all beef?
Thanks for the comment! I did look into (micro)algae, but ultimately chose not to include them for two main reasons.
First, the vast majority of algae-based products currently on the market are supplements or ingredients (spirulina powder, chlorella tablets, etc.) rather than direct meat substitutes. There is some emerging research on using microalgae in meat analogs through high-moisture extrusion, but these efforts are still very niche.
Second, there is very little LCA literature specifically on microalgae as food protein (or studies on scalability, etc.). The studies that do exist often report high greenhouse gas emissions, primarily driven by the intensive energy requirements of cultivation, harvesting, and drying processes.
I haven’t looked into leaf protein concentrates though.
Regarding PBM pricing: the specific figures I cite in the paper and in the graph come from GFI’s State of the Industry Report on plant-based meat which indicate: “Plant-based meat prices per pound are based on frozen and refrigerated plant-based meat subcategories from SPINS year ending 12/1/24. Animal-based meat prices per pound are based on data for fresh meat subcategories from the Circana year ending Dec. 2024.”
Microalgae is fairly expensive, so I think macroalgae is more promising—most of it is low protein, but there are high protein varieties. Leaf protein concentrate (e.g. Leaft) seems promising as well.
Fresh meat typically costs more, and it seems like this includes whole muscle meat, so I think if you do a fair comparison, PBM is more like double the cost of ground beef.