The European Commission’s latest strategy for food research includes positive references to diversifying protein supply and scaling up fermentation capacity, but fails to commit to funding the alternative protein research needed to achieve these aims.

The strategy does not provide concrete funding measures but is expected to guide food research financing decisions under the EU’s flagship Horizon Europe programme from 2028 until 2034. 

It commits the Commission to supporting diversification of protein sources to advance healthy and sustainable diets and to raising public awareness of biotech-based ingredients. 

However, it falls short of renewing support for dedicated research pathways to improve the taste, texture and price of plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-enabled foods. This is despite an accompanying evidence review of the current Food 2030 agenda that acknowledged the success of this research, including projects to develop new plant-based proteins. 

The review states that alternative protein projects “help tackle global challenges such as climate change, natural resource scarcity, food security and sustainability, and malnutrition” while reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Overcoming the valley of death

The new strategy reiterates the importance of scaling up technologies such as advanced fermentation, previously highlighted in last year’s EU Bioeconomy Strategy.

This includes precision fermentation, used for decades to make commonly used ingredients such as rennet for cheesemaking, and now used to produce proteins such as whey, and biomass fermentation, which uses a process similar to brewing to produce large amounts of proteins from fungi. 

It states that while the EU is strong in financing early-stage innovation, scaling up new sustainable food ingredients requires more financial support to help innovative startups overcome the “second valley of death” and acknowledges a need to address Europe’s lack of industrial fermentation manufacturing capacity. The strategy also confirms that the Commission will table a second Biotech Act, intended to build Europe’s biomanufacturing sector.

The Commission will explore ways to encourage private investment in building and upgrading open-access infrastructure, helping startups test and de-risk processes without needing to attract large amounts of upfront capital. 

This follows investment figures analysed by GFI, revealing that, while European alternative protein companies have attracted private investment, the sector needs new government-backed financing mechanisms to fund manufacturing at scale.

Regulatory sandboxes

The roadmap also highlights regulatory sandboxes – controlled and time-limited environments that can expand expertise about emerging innovations – to “support pre-market approvals and authorisations for agri-food innovations”. 

Companies wanting to sell new fermentation-made foods in the EU must apply to the European Commission. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) then reviews their safety and nutritional value before they can be approved for sale. 

Sandboxes are one way of supporting innovation by making the application process clearer, giving regulators a better understanding of new products and preventing lengthy authorisation delays caused partly because startups lack clarity about the type of data required.

Despite this recommendation, the Commission proposed excluding novel foods from sandboxes under the first Biotech Act. EU leaders must reverse this decision if they are to follow their own roadmap.

Alessandro Gardino, Policy Officer at GFI Europe, said: “While it’s great to see a renewed focus on scaling up Europe’s fermentation manufacturing capacity, the lack of dedicated research to improve the taste and price of alternative proteins is a missed opportunity, particularly as the Commission has acknowledged their benefits in its own evidence review.

“Europe’s alternative protein researchers also need support to address the remaining scientific challenges around taste, texture and price, so these foods can help to realise the EU’s ambitions for a more resilient, sustainable and healthy food system.”