The Good Food Institute Europe

📰 November newsletter 📰 Check out this month's edition of the GFI Europe newsletter, including our first-of-its-kind analysis revealing a quarter of all European alternative protein papers were published last year, Danish scientists who worked with Michelin-starred chefs to bring mycelium to fine diners, and how the sector needs to work more closely with regenerative agriculture. All this and more here 👇

📅 Upcoming event! 📅 How can food innovators team up to accelerate cultivated food access to market? Join the upcoming State of Play Cultured Foods 2.0 event on 4 December in Zurich, Switzerland, to: 🤝 Network and share knowledge with cultivated food innovators 🏛️ Understand how the legal framework is evolving 🔬 Visit the Cultured Hub, a new “Scale-up as a service” facility dedicated to supporting startups and driving innovation in the cultivated food sector 💡 Get inspired by innovative startups 🚀 Explore how innovators can team up to accelerate progress Our Head of Industry Carlotte Lucas will give a talk on the global context of cultivated foods, focusing on the progress made in the past few years and the next steps for the sector. The event is organized by Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley and The Cultured Hub. Read more about the programme and get your ticket: https://lnkd.in/eUcrxvXT #FoodInnovation #cultivatedfood #Switzerland

🥯Last week the third alternative protein policy breakfast took place in Berlin, exploring opportunities for Germany offered by plant-based, fermentation-made and cultivated meat from field to fork. Organised in collaboration with ProVeg International and Bundesverband für Alternative Proteinquellen e.V. - Balpro alongside our Germany team Ivo Rzegotta and Lia-Alexis Hildebrandt, the event was attended by staffers from parliament, ministries and other organisations to exchange ideas on the benefits of protein diversification. Speakers included:  Benedikt Sprenker, a crop farmer from Beckum, who explained the economic opportunities and challenges he has experienced growing protein crops for human consumption, and take-aways for fellow farmers. Friedrich Büse from Irodima explained how alternative proteins can help realise a more circular economy by allowing the better utilisation of sidestreams from plants. The event concluded with an exploration of 6 key policy priorities to achieve the full potential of alternative proteins in Germany: 🗺️Developing a cross-governmental roadmap for Alternative Proteins 🔬Strengthening the new Competence Centre Proteins of the Future ✅Play a positive and proactive role in the regulation of novel foods at the EU level 💶Increase public funding for alternative protein research and infrastructure for scale-up 🚜 Support farmers to use the growth of alternative proteins to diversify their business 🥛 Creating a level playing field for plant-based products, e.g. by lowering the VAT for plant-based milk to match cow’s milk A big thank you to all attendees! To learn more about alternative proteins in Germany check out our website: https://lnkd.in/eiShb_bu #protein #plantbased #agriculture #circulareconomy

✍️ Last week to apply! ✍️ It's your last week to sign up to be a part of the upcoming UK regulatory sandbox for cultivated meat. More information on how researchers and companies can get involved, and further information on the project can be found below. Please share with your network in the UK cultivated space! 

🌱🤝 Regenerative agriculture and protein diversification – how can the two work together to build a future-proof food system? Regenerative agriculture and protein diversification are both working towards building a food system which is far less dependent on intensive systems of animal agriculture. However, despite sharing this common goal, they’ve sometimes been viewed as at odds with each other. EIT Foodʼs Next Bite event in Rome hosted a panel exploring interdependencies and potential synergies between these two movements. At the panel, our Senior Policy Manager Ellie Walden highlighted the need for more collaboration between the two sides One concrete example of how to move towards a more collaborative approach? The alternative protein sector needs to be more mindful in the language it uses, for example being specific that the focus should be on addressing the problems linked to intensive industrialised systems of animal agriculture, and making clear that regenerative systems are an important part of a sustainable future food system. Moving past misunderstandings would allow the two sectors to find common policy goals which can help move toward a more sustainable food system. Read more about the panel here: https://lnkd.in/ewM7ANeG Check out Ellie's take-homes from the event here: https://lnkd.in/dG9ezSES

This week, we held our third policy breakfast on alternative proteins in Berlin, covering opportunities along the entire value chain and policy priorities for the next legislative period. In sight of the Reichstag, The Good Food Institute Europe, ProVeg International and Bundesverband für Alternative Proteinquellen e.V. - Balpro invited staff from parliament, ministries and other organisations to our policy breakfast to exchange ideas on the benefits of protein diversification and the need for political support. Benedikt Sprenker who runs a crop farm in Beckum, explained the economic opportunities that growing legumes can offer farmers and the challenges that are associated with it. Friedrich Büse from Irodima explained how alternative proteins can contribute to the holistic utilisation of plants and the use of side streams for food production in the sense of a functioning circular economy. We then explained which measures should be implemented by policymakers in the upcoming legislation to realise the potential of protein diversification for the economy, farmers and sustainability: - Developing an Alternative Proteins Roadmap of the entire government - Strengthening the new Competence Centre Proteins of the Future - A positive and proactive role in the regulation of novel foods - Increasing public funding in the fields of R&D and infrastructure - Supporting farmers in diversifying their business - Creating a level playing field, e.g. lowering the VAT for plant-based milk We thank the participants for the good exchange! Simon Handschuh Fabio Ziemssen Jens Tuider Maike Breternitz Lia-Alexis Hildebrandt #AlternativeProteins #Agriculture #Food #Politics #Sustainability

🔎 New report from Wageningen University and Research highlights the pressing need to diversify our protein supply and shift towards more plant-forward diets to safeguard food security. The study highlights that affordability, more than availability is the most pressing threat to European food production, as currently systems are overdependent on certain things that are particularly exposed to global instability such as animal feed, fuel and fertilisers. To reduce dependence on these things, the report highlights the importance of protein diversification, and a shift away from our current overreliance on animal protein. These findings are a clear reminder of the imperative of protein diversification in Europe, but achieving this is easier said than done. Alternative proteins hold a lot of potential to address some of these pressing issues and pave the way for healthier, sustainable diets, by making these shifts easier for people to make. Governments must support research and infrastructure to scale up tasty, affordable and healthy alternatives to meat such as plant-based, fermentation-made and cultivated meat. Read more 👀: https://lnkd.in/e_hDUsGi 

📅Upcoming event 📅 What are the key considerations for health and nutrition in plant-based meat and dairy, and how can we reduce barriers to plant-forward dietary patterns? Next week, ProVeg International will present the key findings from their in-depth research of supermarket product data to understand the state of play in plant-based meat and dairy from a nutritional perspective, and explore priorities and next steps to further enhance the nutritional profiles of these foods.  The virtual session will take place on 26 November at 11 am CET. Learn more and sign up here:  ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eX3sXRZ8

❓ Europe’s exciting and diverse scientific ecosystem shows huge potential for alternative proteins – but how can we focus on the geographies and research questions that will have the most impact? Our new Q&A video asks exactly that, and other questions asked by our fantastic donor community. As a nonprofit, one of GFI Europe’s top priorities is advancing open-access research into alternative proteins to unlock the benefits for the planet, people and animals as urgently as possible. Our SciTech team focuses on creating a thriving research and training ecosystem to advance this game-changing field. If creating a more sustainable food system is important to you and you want to find out more about the impact of supporting GFI Europe, this video is for you. Our team members Emily, Seren and Stella explore the exciting scientific landscape in Europe for alternative proteins and our strategy for building it. Watch the video here: https://lnkd.in/ezMMcUvb Have any more questions for us? Interested in joining our family of donors? Get in touch or visit our website https://lnkd.in/eStwPRvU. #philanthropy #foodsystems

📅 Upcoming event! 📅 How can sustainable alternative protein sources transform the way we feed the world? Join the International Conference on Alternative Proteins for Food and Feed on 3–5 December in Berlin, Germany, to learn more about the potential of sustainable alternative proteins – including safety, consumer perception, economic success and nutritional aspects. The event is held in English and in a hybrid format. Our Senior Public Affairs Manager Ivo Rzegotta will give a talk on the economic benefits of alternative proteins with a focus on the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, where the sector is gaining momentum as governments recognise these opportunities and develop supportive regulatory frameworks. The event is co-hosted by Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), FDA, Singapore Food Agency and Matís Iceland. Read more about the programme and register: https://lnkd.in/eeHrv7j6 #AlternativeProteins