A new analysis by GFI Europe has found that the UK government has invested £75 million in alternative protein innovation. This is more than half the total amount recommended by the National Food Strategy, a 2021 report led by businessman Henry Dimbleby.
When the National Food Strategy was first published, there were concerns that the UK was at risk of falling behind other countries; however, GFI Europe says this is no longer the case. The analysis finds that rapid progress has been made towards boosting public investment in plant-based foods, cultivated meat, and fermentation-made ingredients. 60% of the £125 million recommended by Dimbleby has already been allocated to alternative protein innovators, making the UK Europe’s second-largest public research funder in this field.
GFI Europe has praised the creation of four alternative protein innovation centres in the UK — the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein (BCSP), the Microbial Food Hub, the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA), and the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC). Backed by public and philanthropic investment, these centres recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to address challenges such as cost reduction, scalability, and consumer acceptance. However, GFI Europe says they cannot yet be regarded as a “cluster”, as was recommended in the National Food Strategy.
Regulatory progress
The analysis also reports some progress towards modernising regulations for foods made through cell cultivation and precision fermentation. The changes are described as “positive but slow”, and include the Food Standards Agency’s creation of a regulatory sandbox enabling it to work with cultivated meat companies to address issues that could inhibit their path to market.
On the other hand, GFI Europe notes that the agency still has not published detailed guidance and information for alternative protein startups, a step that was first proposed in 2022. Furthermore, mandatory reporting of protein sales for large companies, as suggested in the National Food Strategy, has also not been implemented.
GFI Europe now recommends that policymakers address wider issues, including helping to provide scale-up facilities for entrepreneurs and developing domestic supply chains that can create opportunities for food producers.
“The job is only halfway done”
Overall, the UK government’s support for alternative proteins has been mixed; in recent years, positive steps such as working to accelerate the approval of cultivated meat have been combined with seemingly contradictory ones like backing a campaign promoting red meat consumption and failure to take action to reduce meat sales.
Steve Reed, the , has pledged to develop a new food strategy in the first half of this year. According to GFI Europe, this represents a “unique opportunity to boost food security, drive green growth, and create new opportunities for food producers by accelerating protein diversification”.
“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,” said Linus Pardoe, senior UK policy manager at GFI Europe. “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.”
