Global Poultry Feed Protein Sources: Trends, Challenges, and Sustainability Perspectives Using FAOSTAT Data

ABSTRACT

The global poultry industry is one of the fastest‐growing livestock sectors, with worldwide chicken stocks exceeding 32 billion heads and meat production surpassing 144 million tonnes in 2024 (FAOSTAT, 2026). Conventional protein sources, particularly soybean meal (SBM) and fishmeal, underpin most commercial poultry diets but face mounting challenges related to environmental sustainability, supply‐chain volatility, and land‐use pressures. This systematic review evaluates global trends in poultry feed protein sources using FAOSTAT production and trade data (2000–2024), alongside evidence from 57 peer‐reviewed publications identified through a PRISMA‐compliant, multi‐database search. A structured literature search was conducted across Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and PubMed using consistent search logic combining poultry, protein‐source, and sustainability/nutrition/feed terms. Searches yielded 122 (WoS), 5920 (Scopus), and 1827 (PubMed) records (7869 total; 6215 unique after removing ineligible document types and DOI‐matched duplicates). The qualitative synthesis presented here is based on the original WoS‐driven screening pipeline (57 included studies); the wider Scopus/PubMed pool was used as a supplementary coverage check rather than fully re‐screened, a limitation discussed in Section 4.6. FAOSTAT data sets on chicken stocks, meat production, soybean production, and soybean trade were analysed for 2000–2024. Global chicken stocks grew from ~14.8 billion head in 2000 to ~32.2 billion in 2024, while global soybean production increased from 161 Mt to 418 Mt over the same period. Alternative protein sources—particularly black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), mealworms, single‐cell proteins (SCP), microalgae, and co‐products such as distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS)—demonstrate high potential as partial or full substitutes for SBM and fishmeal in poultry diets. However, challenges including regulatory restrictions, inconsistent nutritional profiles, anti‐nutritional factors (ANFs), and production scalability remain significant barriers. Transitioning to diversified, locally sourced, and circular‐economy‐based protein ingredients is essential to ensure long‐term sustainability of the global poultry industry. Policy harmonisation, technological innovation, and consumer acceptance research are critical priority areas for future work.