Key findings include:
- Pork performed similarly to poultry, seafood, eggs, and legumes in terms of land use, fertilizer nutrient use, and pesticide use, with only a ±1% variation.
- The most significant environmental improvements occurred when beef was replaced with pork — reducing greenhouse gas emissions, land use, pesticide, and fertilizer needs by 11–35%.
- Substituting one to three servings of other proteins with pork was also associated with reduced refined grain intake and increased total protein consumption.
Although pork accounts for nearly 25% of daily meat and poultry consumption in the U.S., it has often been overlooked in sustainability discussions. Previous research grouped pork with other red meats, obscuring its distinct environmental footprint.
“Our study helps clarify pork’s place in the sustainability conversation,” said lead author Zach Conrad, Ph.D., MPH. “Future research should treat pork as a separate category to better assess its impact.”
Kristen Hicks-Roof, Ph.D., RDN, LDN, FAND, director of human nutrition at the National Pork Board, added:
“Consumers don’t have to completely overhaul their diets to make more sustainable food choices. Small, practical adjustments like choosing pork over beef can make a real difference.”
Real on-farm data supports the findings:
According to aggregated reports from the 2022 crop season, pork farms demonstrated net carbon emissions of -0.44 metric tons per acre across 170,660 acres. Soil erosion rates were 1.14 tons per acre, significantly lower than the U.S. national average of 4.6 tons.
Jamie Burr, Chief Sustainability Officer at the National Pork Board, emphasized the importance of this data:
“Since 2019, we’ve worked to collect on-farm data that provides insights into pork’s environmental footprint — helping health professionals, policymakers, and consumers make informed decisions.”
This study highlights pork’s potential as a sustainable, accessible protein source and underscores the importance of more precise data to guide both dietary recommendations and environmental strategies.
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