“Where do you get your protein?”
Vegans have heard it approximately seventeen billion times. The assumption behind the question is usually obvious: animal products are the serious protein sources, while tofu, beans and lentils are somehow nutritional consolation prizes.
A paper published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems makes that assumption look increasingly ridiculous.
Researchers introduced the BPI Score, a system designed to compare 20 high-protein foods across more than nutrition alone. Instead, it asks a much more useful question: which protein sources actually perform best when we consider their impact on people and the planet?
The answer was tofu.
Protein Is More Than Protein
The BPI Score divides its assessment into two categories.
The Planet Score looks at greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, land use and freshwater use. The People Score considers sodium, saturated fat, cholesterol, whether the food contains all nine essential amino acids, affordability and availability.
Tofu scored 36 points, the highest overall. Cheddar cheese came last with just 13. And this was not some freak tofu victory. Every protein source in the top 20% was plant-based: tofu, chia seeds, beans and quinoa. Every protein source in the bottom 20% was animal-based: mozzarella, lamb, beef and cheddar.
So much for plants being the inferior option. Tofu also destroys one of the favourite nutritional objections. It contains all 9 essential amino acids and therefore qualifies as a complete protein. Meanwhile, every plant protein examined contained zero cholesterol.
Then there is the environmental cost.
Producing 100g of protein from tofu required just 2.16 square metres of land, compared with 211.38 square metres for beef. The paper also reports 0.61kg of greenhouse gas emissions for tofu compared with 64.19kg for beef.
And Animals Were Not Even Included in the Score
Perhaps the most striking part is what the scoring system leaves out. The researchers acknowledge that ethical considerations were not included in this first version. They argue that including them would likely widen the divide between plant and animal proteins. Because protein does not magically appear as a steak, cheese slice or chicken breast. There is someone on the other side of that product.
So when tofu beats animal products on environmental impact, performs strongly on health, remains accessible, and provides complete protein, what exactly is left of the argument that we need to exploit and kill animals for protein?
We don’t. We simply have better choices.