It’s not often that environmental, animal welfare and consumer nonprofits team up with business. But in recent weeks, companies from Unilever to IKEA, as well as leading NGOs such as WWF and Greenpeace, have taken a stand for Europe’s thriving plant-based sector.
They called on Members of the European Parliament to reject plans to ban companies from using everyday terms like burger, steak and sausage to describe their plant-based products. Faced with a proposal that undermines the EU’s climate commitments and defies the wishes of consumers, businesses and nonprofits found common ground.
For The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe), this initiative isn’t a one-off. We’re working to build a healthier, more sustainable and more humane food system by accelerating Europe’s transition from conventional animal products to plant-based, fermentation-derived and cultivated meat, eggs, dairy and seafood. We’re a nonprofit, but we believe in the potential of markets to drive change – and now, we’re hiring a Corporate Engagement Manager in Europe to expand our work with businesses.
We’re on a mission to make plant-based and cultivated proteins the cheapest, tastiest and most convenient options – so that they become the default choice for consumers. The incredible success of plant-based companies, from Quorn to the Vegetarian Butcher, is already drawing the attention of the conventional meat industry. Around the world, meat industry players like Tyson are reinventing themselves as protein companies, while companies like Nestlé are investing heavily in plant-based innovation. In the UK just last week, chicken restaurant Nando’s launched plant-based peri-peri.
The rise of specialised plant-based companies is always exciting, but when the world’s biggest providers of animal products begin to realign their business models, it’s game-changing. Most demand for new plant-based products isn’t driven by vegans and vegetarians – it’s driven by meat-eaters looking for more sustainable, healthy and just versions of their favourite foods.
Recruiting a Corporate Engagement Manager will increase GFI Europe’s engagement with leading companies to help accelerate this exciting transition. Our new recruit will work with companies at all stages of the production process, from entrepreneurs to established multinationals. Drawing on business expertise and market insights, they’ll encourage and support the development of new plant-based foods and help get existing products onto restaurant menus and supermarket shelves.
The most effective way to transform Europe’s food system is to provide the food people love, made in healthier, more sustainable and more humane ways. If you believe in the power of business to deliver change, join us in building a sustainable, healthy and just food system.
For enquiries about The Good Food Institute Europe’s Corporate Engagement Manager role, please reach out to Alex Mayers, Head of Operations for GFI Europe, on [email protected].
