Analysis finds government has invested £75 million in alternative protein innovation since 2021 National Food Strategy

A new analysis has found that the UK government has invested £75 million in developing sustainable new foods – more than half of the amount recommended by a landmark review of England’s food system.

5 February 2025

UK Parliament
The UK Parliament

A new analysis has found that the UK government has invested £75 million (€90 million) in developing sustainable new foods – more than half of the amount recommended by a landmark review of England’s food system.

Nonprofit and think tank the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) has carried out the first assessment of progress made since Henry Dimbleby highlighted the importance of building a strong alternative protein ecosystem in 2021’s National Food Strategy (NFS).

GFI Europe now says the government’s new food strategy – which secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Steve Reed has pledged to develop in the first half of this year – represents a unique opportunity to boost food security, drive green growth and create new opportunities for food producers by accelerating protein diversification.

The analysis found that rapid progress has been made in boosting public investment in alternative protein research.

Dimbleby’s report recommended a £125 million (€150 million) funding injection for UK scientists and startups developing plant-based foods, cultivated meat and fermentation-made ingredients to address concerns that the UK could fall behind other countries – an issue that GFI Europe says is no longer the case.

The analysis found that 60% of this total has been allocated to alternative protein innovators, meaning the UK is now Europe’s second-largest public research funder in this field.

GFI Europe praised the creation of four major new UK research centres, backed by public and philanthropic investment, which will drive collaboration between scientists and entrepreneurs. However, it said it was premature to describe any of them as a “cluster” as envisaged by the NFS.

The analysis also found: 

  • Positive but slow progress has been made in modernising regulations for foods such as cultivated meat and precision fermentation. This includes the Food Standards Agency (FSA) creating a regulatory sandbox enabling them to work with businesses to address issues that could inhibit the path to market. However the FSA has still not published detailed guidance and information for alternative protein startups, first proposed in 2022. 
  • Mandatory reporting of protein sales has not been implemented for large food companies – as proposed in the NFS to increase transparency and encourage protein diversification. According to the Food Foundation, only 16% of 36 large food companies voluntarily report on this metric.

GFI Europe says policymakers should now consider addressing wider issues, including helping provide the larger scale-up facilities entrepreneurs need to commercialise UK scientists’ findings and develop domestic supply chains that can create opportunities for food producers.

Linus Pardoe, Senior UK Policy Manager at GFI Europe, said: “Successive UK governments have made impressive progress in this area and a solid foundation is now in place on which scientists and businesses can build a thriving alternative protein sector. 

“But the job is only halfway done and ministers must use the new food strategy as an opportunity to write the next chapter in the UK’s protein diversification leadership by 2030. With ambitious plans, they can unlock alternative proteins’ potential to deliver innovation-driven economic growth and provide people with healthier dietary choices.”