When you shop with sustainability in mind, there are many things inside and outside of the grocery store to think about. Most of the time, what you eat or the food you choose is more important than where your food comes from when it comes to sustainability. Animal protein, for instance, is responsible for up to 51% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The majority of this percentage is attributable to raising cattle and producing beef. Some meat (and non-meat) alternatives can help you eat less carbon-intensively if you want to be more environmentally friendly.
Many people are making efforts to eat more sustainably and reduce the environmental footprint of their diets. When it comes to red meat two options often compared are beef and lamb. But which one is actually better for the planet? Here we’ll examine the sustainability of lamb versus beef production to see how they differ.
Overview of Lamb and Beef Farming
Lamb refers to the meat from young domestic sheep under one year old. Beef comes from cattle (cows). Here is some background on how each are raised:
Lamb
- Raised on pasture or rangeland
- Feed is grass, hay, grain
- Market weight reached in 6-8 months
- Ewes produce 1-2 lambs per year
Beef
- Started on pasture then finished in feedlots
- Feed is grass, corn, soy, supplements
- Market weight reached in 15-20 months
- Cows produce 1 calf per year
So lambs grow faster and sheep reproduce more often than cattle. This gives lamb an advantage when it comes to sustainable production.
Comparing the Environmental Impacts
Raising livestock for meat production has a significant environmental impact. Let’s look at how lamb and beef stack up in key areas:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The digestive system of ruminant animals like cattle and sheep produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Lamb generates less methane per pound than beef.
- Lamb: About 22 lbs CO2 equivalents per lb
- Beef: Around 30 lbs CO2 equivalents per lb
Land Use
Pasture and cropland are needed to raise farm animals. Lambs require less land.
- Lamb: 0.4 acres per animal
- Beef: 1-2 acres per animal
Water Consumption
The amount of water needed for drinking, servicing facilities, and growing feed crops is another consideration. Beef again tops lamb.
- Lamb: 628 gallons of water per lb
- Beef: 1847 gallons of water per lb
Feed Efficiency
Lambs convert feed to body weight more efficiently.
- Lamb: Require 7-8 lbs of feed per 1 lb gain
- Beef: Require about 9-11 lbs per 1 lb gain
So in all measures, lamb has less environmental impact than beef.
Lamb’s Lower Impact Explained
The reasons lamb comes out favorably against beef largely come down to biological differences:
- Sheep are naturally smaller animals with lower feed requirements
- Lambs grow to market weight faster than cattle
- Sheep eat a wider variety of grasses and plants
- Sheep reproduce at a higher rate than cattle
These traits make the sheep species more efficient to raise overall. Less land, water, and feed is needed to produce the same quantity of meat. And greater reproduction rates provide more animals to harvest.
Is Lamb Considered Sustainable Meat?
While lamb has less impact than beef, it is still resource intensive to produce compared to plant proteins.
However, lamb is viewed as a greener choice within the red meat category. Major organizations have ranked lamb as follows:
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The Environmental Working Group rates lamb in the second highest tier for sustainability, below mussels and sardines but above all other meats.
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The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch lists lamb as a “Good Alternative” from an environmental standpoint.
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Greenpeace determined lamb production has much lower impact than beef in measures like land use, water consumption, and pollution.
So experts widely agree that lamb is one of the more eco-friendly meats.
How to Eat Lamb Sustainably
To maximize sustainability when eating lamb, here are some tips:
- Enjoy lamb in moderation as part of a varied diet, not daily.
- Choose grass-fed, free-range lamb when possible.
- Eat lamb raised in your region to minimize transport miles.
- Use all parts of the animal like bones for broth.
- Save lamb for occasional meals rather than routine cooking.
- Balance lamb with plant-based proteins like beans and tofu.
While lamb has a lower footprint than beef, restraint is still needed to reduce its environmental impact. Think of lamb as an occasional treat food.
The Bottom Line
Raising livestock irrefutably comes at an environmental cost. But among red meat options, lamb is recognized as a greener choice compared to beef.
Due to biological factors, significantly less land, water, and feed resources are required to produce the same quantity of lamb versus beef. The emissions, pollution, and water usage footprint is also lower.
However, restraint is still needed when eating lamb or any meat. Lamb in moderation, balanced by plant proteins, is the most sustainable approach. This allows enjoyment of occasional lamb meals while supporting greener eating habits overall.
WHAT MAKES FOOD MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY?
Resources such as water, land, fertilizer, feed, and even packaging are all elements of any foods environmental impact. What makes foods eco-friendly is a combination of two things; the ratio of product yield to GHG emissions, and the effect the production process has on the soil, air, and water around it. Below you can find some sustainable food sources to fulfill a healthy and happy diet.
THE MOST SUSTAINABLE PROTEIN SOURCES
Many people who want to follow a meat-free diet, like veganism, worry about how they will get enough protein. However, there are some incredibly protein-rich and sustainable plant-based options out there. These options include:
- Beans—Legumes and beans are great plant-based sources of protein. One cup of black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas has 14 grams of protein. One cup of chickpeas has 12 grams of protein. Planting legumes and beans can make the soil more fertile, and they only need a quarter of the water that beef does to grow the same amount of meat.
- Chia Seeds—These seeds can be added to smoothies, hot cereals, salads, and even desserts. They don’t need much water to grow. With 4 grams of protein per ounce, they are a high-protein ingredient.
- Nuts and Seeds: Nuts are a good source of protein, and Our World In Data says that they also make better use of land. The reason for this is that croplands are being replaced by nut trees, which store carbon. Peanuts have 38 grams of protein per cup, which is the most of any nut and is the same amount of protein as half a pound of ground beef.
- Lentils: Brown, green, red, yellow, and specialty lentils are the four main types. They are all different sizes and tastes. Every kind of lentil is high in protein. One cup of cooked lentils has about 17 grams of protein. Lentils and other pulses need little water and make their own fertilizer, which lowers the amount of nitrogen that plants produce.
Because meat is pretty bad for the environment, you might be wondering if you should even eat it. However, if you are a meat lover, there are a lot of sustainable options out there. These options include:
Carbon dioxide emissions from plants and plant-based products can be 10 to 50 times lower than animal products, according to charts at Our World in Data. Since farming produce is generally lower maintenance livestock production, vegetables also consume far fewer resources. The most sustainable produce items include:
- Tomatoes — Tomatoes produce 1. 4 GHG emissions per kilogram of food, making them one of the more environmentally friendly fake vegetables (they’re actually fruits!) with a yield-to-emissions ratio that’s pretty close to fair.
- Peas — At 0. Our World in Data shows that peas have very low GHG emissions, at only 9.9 kg per kg of food. Plants in the legume family, like peas, use nitrogen from the air to make their own fertilizer in the roots. This makes them a great sustainable vegetable option.
- Root Vegetables—On the Our World in Data charts, root vegetables have a positive yield to emissions ratio, putting out 0 4 kg of GHG emissions per kilogram of food product. Root vegetables are great for the environment because they don’t harm the soil. Some examples are potatoes, yams, onions, carrots, and beets.
- Apples — Apples have a positive yield-to-emissions ratio, at 0. 4 kg of greenhouse gas emissions for every kg of food Apple trees produce fruit every year because they are perennials. This saves water and land and puts carbon back into the soil, making them a carbon sink.
- Bananas— About 0 grams of carbon dioxide are released by bananas. 4 kg per kg of product. Also, bananas are a great low-plastic fruit choice in many grocery stores because they grow their own packaging.
- Citrus Fruits—With a score of 0, citrus fruits are one of the worst things on the Our World in Data chart. 3 kg of greenhouse gas emissions for every kg of food Citrus fruits come in their own natural packaging, like bananas. This means that less plastic is used. Citrus trees can also be drought-tolerant, requiring less irrigation.
Grains are also low maintenance when it comes to water and energy consumption. Upping your whole-grain intake is a great way to start eating more suntainably. The most sustainable grains include:
Lamb vs. Beef — Which One Is Healthier?
FAQ
Is lamb or beef better for the environment?
What meat is the most sustainable?
Why is lamb unsustainable?
Is lamb more environmentally friendly?
Is Lamb better than beef?
Many people think beef is the worst type of meat for the planet, but lamb—aka baby sheep less than one year old—is even worse. The EWG says it has the highest carbon footprint of all meats—one that’s “50% higher than beef.” And there’s a reason for why cows and lamb have such a high environmental impact compared to chicken and turkey.
Why does Lamb outweigh beef?
According to the EGW, the reason lamb outweighs beef in terms of environmental impact is because lamb “produces less edible meat relative to the sheep’s live weight,” the study reads. Here’s everything you need to know about the environmental impact of meat, including the best and worst meat options for the planet.
What is sustainable meat?
Enter: Sustainable meat. What makes a meat “sustainable”? “Sustainable” isn’t an FDA-approved term for food. McQuillan says the meaning can vary between products, ranging from meaningless marketing buzzwords to genuine changes in the entire way the meat is produced, sold and consumed.
Is Australian lamb a good choice?
Given the broad environmental benefits of pastured meat, choosing pastured lamb is a better choice than a grain-finished animal, so grocery store Australian lambisn’t the worst option. However, even if food miles aren’t the biggest contributor to a carbon footprint, there are plenty of other reasons to choose a local product over an imported one.