? Sustainable proteins in the UK, Germany move to cut VAT on plant-based milk, and one of Europe's largest supermarkets seeks plant-based growth
The Good Food Institute Europe
Advancing plant-based and cultivated meat in Europe to build a better food system for people, planet and animals.
Featured story: mapping the UK's sustainable protein ecosystem (and 9 policy priorities that could make it world-beating)
Last month, we published our ecosystem review of sustainable proteins in the UK, including a map of hotspots of potential for sector growth across Britain. We found green shoots of growth – but more support is essential.
The report finds the UK has a host of latent advantages, from innovative universities to dynamic startups, but risks losing momentum to international competitors unless it ramps up public funding and pushes ahead with regulatory reforms.
With strong political leadership, the UK could emulate the success of other green industries?–?with research by the Green Alliance think tank finding the UK’s alternative protein industry could be worth up to ￡6.8 billion annually and create 25,000 jobs by 2035.?
Our report outlines nine key policy priorities the government must focus on to make this happen, including:
The recent announcement that two public funding bodies will fund a new ￡15 million alternative protein research hub –?the largest single public investment the UK has made in this area to date –?is a positive step.
But to maximise the potential of this groundbreaking new centre and ensure the UK can enjoy the incredible environmental, public health and food security benefits of sustainable proteins, the government must do more to enable the sector to scale up.
Top stories
Study finds sustainable protein research still only receives 'crumbs off the EU's table'
A Stanford University study revealed that government funding decisions significantly overlook the climate mitigation potential of alternative proteins. Published in the journal One Earth, it found public funding for research into plant-based, fermentation-made and cultivated meat amounted to €39 million, just 0.1% of the €41 billion spent on meat and dairy. This was also true for research and innovation spending, where 97% went to increasing yields on conventional animal?farms. Although European investment in alternative proteins has increased in recent years, this study shows the sector is still only given 'crumbs off the EU’s table'.
Slovenian startup explores new horizons for whole-cut plant-based meat with new 'bone-in' ribs
As the next generation of plant-based meat begins to emerge, products must capture more than just the taste of conventional meat: they also need its complex texture and the same 'eating experience'. This is the position of Slovenian startup Juicy Marbles, and the motivation for developing their new ‘bone-in’ ribs. Juicy Marbles are among a number of innovative European startups working to deliver this next-generation of plant-based meat products, which are key to broadening appeal to a wider group of consumers.
Cultivated meat can be halal and kosher, provided certain conditions are met
In a move that could have profound consequences for how billions of people eat in the future, a group of leading Islamic scholars has advised that cultivated meat can be halal, provided certain conditions are met. The ruling is?based on a consultation of?the process used by US company Good Meat. Just a few days prior, the largest kosher certification agency the Orthodox Union (OU) also concluded the cultivated chicken made by Israeli company SuperMeat met kosher criteria. The OU will also work to create more detailed guidance for the sector. These decisions are timely and important to ensure cultivated meat production can meet the needs of the millions of people in Europe and beyond who observe halal and kosher diets.
German MPs propose VAT reduction on plant-based milk
Two MPs from Germany’s governing parties – the SPD and the Greens – have proposed reducing the VAT rate on plant-based milk from 19% to 7% to put an end to the tax discrimination compared to cow's milk. This long overdue proposal would mark progress toward a more level playing field, bring Germany into line with most other EU countries – most of which don’t place plant-based milk at such a competitive disadvantage – and help the country meet its sustainability goals. With German plant-based milk sales growing 43% since 2020, it’s vital these sustainable options are placed on a more level playing field. Read our factsheet [in German] for more on this issue.
Listen: Electric cars and the future of cultivated meat
David Hunt, Research Support Manager from our Science and Technology team, joined Young Engineer of the Year George Amafidon – a member of Sir Lewis Hamilton’s electric racing team – and?journalist Graigagh Jackson to talk all things cultivated meat. They?discussed how the sector is overcoming the obstacles to scaling up production, how these challenges are similar to those facing the engineers who developed electric cars, and whether cultivated meat will one day be sold in food service outlets.
领英推荐
How pilot plants can help plant-based startups go for gold: a case study
The National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering (NCEFE), part of Sheffield Hallam university in the UK, specialises in optimising the health and sustainability of foods. Using its infrastructure and academic expertise, it works with companies to scale up production and take the risk out of research and development. We visited the centre to learn more about the Sustainable Healthy Food Accelerator, expected to open in the coming months, which will support up to 10 companies annually and provide seed funding and access to equipment, workspaces and labs. Facilities like this have huge potential to upskill and scale the nascent alternative protein ecosystem but remain rare across Europe.?
One of Europe's largest supermarkets launches new initiative to grow plant-based offering
A group of major food manufacturers including Unilever and Danone are teaming up with Carrefour, one of Europe’s largest supermarket chains, to collaborate on innovation and best practice in the production of plant-based foods. The stated ambition of the initiative is to create more sustainable and healthy plant-based products that are also tasty and affordable. Underpinning this, Carrefour are targeting a 65% increase in sales of plant-based proteins by 2026. While the plant-based sector and wider food industry currently face?economic headwinds and inflation, this move is reflective of a longer-term view of plant-based food's?role?in Europe’s food future.
Three Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge research projects awarded additional €1.8 million to commercialise cultivated meat
Three companies?from Germany, Israel and the UK, have received a total of €1.8 million from EIT Food to develop innovative products to reduce the cost of producing cultivated meat. The funding was awarded to research teams working on slashing the cost of cell culture media – one of the most significant barriers to commercialising this food – after their plans were originally put forward in our Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge. It’s exciting to see these innovative ideas, which include ‘teaching’ plants to produce growth factors and scaling up production of a formula made from upcycled agroforestry sidestreams, turned into plans that could be brought to the market within two years. These innovations could help cultivated meat companies worldwide drive prices down and turn this more sustainable way of making meat into a commercial reality.
Meet the Researcher
The science of milk is surprisingly complex, something which has long posed a challenge to researchers in the alternative protein field. Dr Etske Bijl, Assistant Professor at Wageningen University & Research has spent her career getting to grips with the chemistry of milk, and is now pioneering new cheesemaking techniques using precision fermentation to make authentic cheese with a fraction of the environmental footprint. Read more about her work in our latest meet the researcher piece.
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1 年Hopefully, the proposed VAT reduction will succeed since Germany is a large country population-wise ??