The food systems sustainability framework has 4 domains: nutrition, economics, environment, and society. To qualify as sustainable, individual foods and total diets need to be nutrient-rich, affordable, environmentally friendly, and socially acceptable. Pork is the most consumed meat globally, providing high-quality protein and several priority micronutrients. With research attention focused on plant -based diets, it is time to assess the place of pork meat protein in the global sustainability framework. First, not all proteins are equal. The United States Department of Agriculture category of protein foods includes meat, poultry and fi sh, eggs, beans and legumes, and nuts and seeds. These protein sources have different protein digestibility pro fi les, different per-calorie prices, and different environmental footprints, measured in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Second, most analyses of animal-source proteins combine beef, pork, and lamb into a single category of red meat. Beef, pork, and lamb have different nutrient pro fi les, different protein costs, and different impacts on the environment. Future analyses of nutrient density and monetary and carbon costs of alternative diets would do well to separate pork from beef, lamb, and chicken. There are also different pro fi les of global food demand. Prior analyses of global Food and Agriculture Organization Statistical Database food balance sheets joined with World Bank country incomes have consistently shown that rising incomes across lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC) create a growing demand for meat to replace traditional plant proteins. Most of the observed increase has been for pork and chicken rather than beef. This ongoing LMIC protein transition toward more animal proteins may be irreversible as long as incomes grow. The present analyses explore the place of pork in sustainable healthy diets worldwide, given the need for high-quality protein and the predictable patterns of global food demand. Statements of Significance Most studies on sustainable healthy diets do not distinguish among different types of red meat. Separating pork from other red meats, this Perspective explores the place of fresh pork in the sustainability framework, looking at protein content, affordability, and greenhouse gas emissions based on analyses of publicly available data from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Bank.
