Estimating low-opportunity-cost feed
- Select a language for the TTS:
- UK English Female
- UK English Male
- US English Female
- US English Male
- Australian Female
- Australian Male
- Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
Play all audios:
Access through your institution Buy or subscribe arising from Q. Fang et al. _Nature Food_ https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00813-x (2023) Global demand for animal feed, driven by growing
meat consumption, has resulted in deforestation, carbon emissions and biodiversity loss, underscoring the need to improve the environmental sustainability of feed production1. Fang and
colleagues2 developed a linear feed allocation optimization model and estimated that feeding more low-opportunity-cost products (LCFs), such as food waste and by-products, to animals in
China could have substantial land-use-related environmental benefits. While their study contributes to advance research on sustainable feed alternatives, we question some of the key
assumptions underpinning their model and note important discrepancies between some of their predictions and observations. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your
institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel
any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles $119.00 per year only $9.92 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on
SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about
institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES * Kozicka, M. et al. Feeding climate and biodiversity goals with novel plant-based meat and milk
alternatives. _Nat. Commun._ 14, 5316 (2023). Article ADS CAS PubMed PubMed Central MATH Google Scholar * Fang, Q. et al. Low-opportunity-cost feed can reduce land-use-related
environmental impacts by about one-third in China. _Nat Food_ 4, 677–685 (2023). Article PubMed MATH Google Scholar * Wang, D., Huang, J. & Lohmar, B. Feed conversion ratio,
profitability and farm size in China’s pig industry. In _2015 Conference of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE)_ https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.212621 (IAAE,
2015). * Sandström, V. et al. Food system by-products upcycled in livestock and aquaculture feeds can increase global food supply. _Nat Food_ 3, 729–740 (2022). Article PubMed MATH Google
Scholar * Council, N. R. _Nutrient Requirements of Swine: Eleventh Revised Edition_ (National Academies Press, 2012); https://doi.org/10.17226/13298 * Altizio, B. A., Westendorf, M. L.
& Schoknecht, P. A. Comparison of a corn/soybean diet versus a dried, recycled food waste product in swine. _Professional Animal Scientist_ 16, 254–260 (2000). Article Google Scholar *
Boumans, I. J. M. M. et al. Feeding food losses and waste to pigs and poultry: implications for feed quality and production. _J. Clean. Prod._ 378, 134623 (2022). Article MATH Google
Scholar * Sang-joon, Y. Pig residual feed 1,200 tons per day. Drafted deliberation on legislation to ban leftovers. _Daily Vet_ (17 July 2019); https://www.dailyvet.co.kr/news/policy/116442
* Froehlich, H. E., Jacobsen, N. S., Essington, T. E., Clavelle, T. & Halpern, B. S. Avoiding the ecological limits of forage fish for fed aquaculture. _Nat. Sustain._ 1, 298–303
(2018). Article MATH Google Scholar * Chen, K.-L. et al. Effect of dietary inclusion of dehydrated food waste products on Taiwan native chicken (Taishi no. 13). _Asian Australas. J. Anim.
Sci._ 20, 754–760 (2007). Article CAS MATH Google Scholar * _Reducing Food Loss and Waste & Promoting Recycling_ (MAFF, 2017);
https://pdf4pro.com/cdn/reducing-food-loss-and-waste-amp-promoting-recycling-63249c.pdf * _Food Waste not Allowed to Pigs from July 25_ (2019);
http://koreapork.or.kr/upload/AX_4238980675.pdf * Gale, F. _China’s Pork Imports Rise Along With Production Costs_ (USDA, 2017);
https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/outlooks/81948/LDPM-271-01.pdf?v=17645 * MetaFarms. _Production Analysis Summary for U.S. Pork Industry: 2017–2021_ (National Pork Board,
2022); https://porkcheckoff.org/research/production-analysis-summary-for-u-s-pork-industry-2017-2021/ * _UK Pig Facts and Figures–2019_ (AHDB, 2019);
https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/uk-pig-facts-and-figures-2019 * China’s National Development and Reform Commission (CNDRC). _Compilation of Cost-Benefit Data of National Agricultural
Products_ (China Market Press, 2020); https://www.las.ac.cn/front/book/detail?id=d0a48fa2a4197bd4957181b53ddbd6bf Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Key
Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region’s Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China Yi Gong & Yi Yang Authors * Yi Gong View author
publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Yi Yang View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS Y.G. and
Y.Y. designed the research, Y.G. conducted the analysis and wrote the first draft, and Y.Y. contributed to writing and editing. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Yi Yang. ETHICS
DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing interests. PEER REVIEW PEER REVIEW INFORMATION _Nature Food_ thanks Marica Areniello, Ling Zhang and the other, anonymous,
reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PUBLISHER’S NOTE Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published
maps and institutional affiliations. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Gong, Y., Yang, Y. Estimating low-opportunity-cost feed. _Nat Food_
6, 134–136 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-025-01116-z Download citation * Received: 14 November 2023 * Accepted: 13 January 2025 * Published: 10 February 2025 * Issue Date: February
2025 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-025-01116-z SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable
link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative