The EU is set to invest €50 million in 2024, aiming to facilitate the scaling up of alternative protein production by supporting start-ups. This initiative will employ innovative technologies, including precision fermentation.
As part of the European Innovation Council (EIC)’s Work Programme 2024, the €50 million investment is allocated under the EU’s flagship Horizon Europe program.
The objective is to enhance the sustainability, efficiency, and resilience of the European supply chain by offering assistance to small businesses operating in the alternative protein sector.
Precision fermentation is an innovative fermentation technique in which microorganisms, like yeast, are harnessed to generate authentic animal proteins, such as whey and casein, eliminating the need for animal involvement in the process.
These proteins frequently play a crucial role in imparting the taste and texture found in foods such as cheese, meat, and eggs. This enables companies to develop animal-free alternatives that successfully emulate the familiar qualities of their traditional counterparts.
Products like meat, eggs, dairy, and seafood produced through precision fermentation offer a substantial reduction in carbon emissions and are additionally free from antibiotics.
European companies employing precision fermentation for animal-free protein production include Paleo, a Belgium-based firm dedicated to creating species-specific myoglobin proteins for meat alternative applications. Recently, Paleo revealed plans for expansion into the plant-based pet food market.
The financial support, within the scope of the EIC’s Accelerator Challenge, is intended to bolster the creation of “viable alternatives that complement agriculture.” These alternatives aim to produce foods abundant in protein and other essential nutrients.
The work program emphasizes that these foods can be manufactured utilizing existing agricultural sidestreams, offering advantages such as alleviating pressure on natural resources like land and water.
Acacia Smith, senior policy manager at non-profit think tank the Good Food Institute Europe, said, “It’s excellent that the EIC has recognised precision fermentation’s game-changing potential to feed Europe’s growing population, improve public health and reduce our reliance on imports”.
She added, “It’s also very welcome that this funding aims to develop new ways of scaling up production – tackling Europe’s lack of infrastructure – and to look at other critical areas such as consumer acceptance, regulatory approval and supporting the entry of these foods into the European market.”
