The Good Food Institute (GFI)

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Politics & Law

Tofurky Continues Pushback on Alternative Meat Censorship Laws in the United States

In recent months, a growing discussion has emerged in the United States surrounding the enforcement of alternative meat censorship laws. These laws, designed to regulate the labeling of plant-based and cultivated meat products, have faced legal challenges from advocacy groups and plant-based food companies, with Tofurky, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), and the Good Food Institute (GFI) taking the lead in opposing them. In Texas, the governor signed a labeling law for plant-based and cultivated meat in May. This law, which went into effect on September 1, 2023, mandates that products resembling traditional animal-derived items are prominently labeled with their nature as plant-based or lab-grown. Tofurky, represented by ALDF and GFI, has filed a legal challenge against this law, arguing that its requirements are …

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A tray with vegan steak skewers

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Studies & Numbers

Report: US Purchasers of Plant-Based Meat Spend $400 More and Visit Restaurants 30X More Than Average Consumer

Among several key highlights, a new GFI report on the performance of plant-based proteins in US foodservice in 2022 shows that consumers who purchase plant-based meat spend approximately $400 more than the average consumer and make over 30 more visits to cafes and restaurants.  According to the report, these engaged foodservice customers are vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, and meat-eaters looking to replicate the animal-meat experience with sustainable options. The report says that younger (18-24) male and Black, Hispanic, and Asian consumers are more likely to purchase plant-based meat in restaurants than the average consumer, mirroring customer segmentation trends in retail. Besides plant-based meat; plant-based chicken, pork, and seafood sales have experienced significant growth since 2019 and continue to capture larger shares of the overall plant-based protein …

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a cultivated meat hamburger

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Cultivated Meat

World’s First Cultivated Beef Burger Marks Tenth Anniversary

This week marks ten years since Dr. Mark Post (CSO and co-founder of Mosa Meat) and his team unveiled the world’s first cultivated beef burger, which took over two years to develop and cost €250,000. The burger, created by growing stem cells from cows, was showcased at a tasting event in London on the 5th of August, 2013.  To celebrate this watershed moment in food history, the Good Food Institute has shared some of the most significant milestones of the cultivated meat industry on its path to becoming a reality. Ten years later “Cultivated meat is very much a European innovation. Its foundations were laid by French and Dutch scientists, and this week marks ten years since the Netherlands’ Dr. Mark Post traveled to London …

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A pasta dish with mycoprotein

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Studies & Numbers

GFI Report: Europe Holds Potential to Lead in Fermentation-Derived Food Production

Europe has the potential to become a world leader in sustainable food production since the continent holds nearly 50% of the global fermentation capacity, says a new report released by the Good Food Institute (GFI) and Integration Consulting. According to the report, of 89 companies located worldwide, 47% are in Europe and 34% in the USA — 48 are producers with in-house manufacturing capabilities and 41 are food-exclusive CMOs (not pharma or industrial). The global fermentation-derived product manufacturing capacity is approximately 16 million liters to produce ingredients for meat, seafood, and dairy alternatives. The Fermentation — A Global Climate Solution report explores and analyses the growing mycelium and microbial fermentation sector and provides businesses and governments with insights on production challenges and alternative food developments to replace animal agriculture. Carlotte Lucas, senior corporate engagement manager at the …

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GOOD Meat & Chef José Andrés debut cultivated chicken dish in historic US first-sale

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Studies & Numbers

GFI 2022 State of Global Policy Report: Policymakers Urged to Increase Funding for Alternative Proteins

The Good Food Institute (GFI) has released its annual State of Global Policy report covering the landscape of public investment, support, and regulations of plant-based, cultivated, and fermented foods in 2022, including global highlights from the first six months of 2023. Governments, understanding the positive impact that alternative proteins can have on the environment, economy, and food security, have invested and implemented policies that impact the alt protein industry’s development necessary to feed a growing population on a planet with limited resources.  The report’s most significant findings are summarized here. Global public support for alt proteins Public funding for alternative proteins increased significantly worldwide, with governments doubling their investments in 2022 alone, reaching a total of $635 million: approximately $180 million in R&D, $290 million in commercialization, …

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New Culture pizza slice

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Politics & Law

White House Report Names Precision Fermentation as Key Part of Expanding US “Bioworkforce”

The White House has released a new report, “Building the Bioworkforce of the Future”, detailing the Biden-Harris Administration’s plans to expand US biomanufacturing capacity and infrastructure. In the report, the administration specifically names precision fermentation as a major area of focus for the emerging bioeconomy.  In 2022, President Biden signed Executive Order 14081, which directed the US government to increase training and education opportunities for all Americans in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. The new “Bioworkforce” report builds on this and additional reports, while also including input from stakeholders across government, business, education, and community-based organizations. The report identifies three major sectors of the emerging bioeconomy: Biomedical, Agricultural, and Bioindustrial.  Under “Agricultural”, the White House lists “Food ingredients made with precision fermentation” as a key component of …

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GOOD Meat chicken breast

GOOD Meat chicken breast © Eat Just
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Cultivated Chicken Approved for Sale to US Consumers: Industry Figures Respond

This week, as the majority of vegconomist readers will be aware, the USDA gave final approval to both UPSIDE Foods and Eat Just’s GOOD Meat division, for the sale of their novel foods to US consumers under the label cell-cultivated chicken. This regulatory approval means that the public should be able to order slaughter-free chicken within weeks. The restaurant selected for launch by UPSIDE is Bar Crenn in San Francisco, a restaurant owned by the three Michelin-star chef Dominique Crenn. And renowned restaurateur Chef José Andrés, owner of José Andrés Group, which operates more than 30 restaurants, will be the first in the country to serve GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken at a yet-to-be-disclosed restaurant in Washington DC. Here’s what the GFI, ProVeg, and Meatable have to say …

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a graphic of a brown cow and a mark on its back that measures the wound inflicted to take a live cells sample

© Mosa Meat
Cultivated Meat

GFI Report Highlights Challenges of Sourcing Cell Lines for Cultivated Meat

The latest GFI cultivated meat report offers insights into cell line availability, desired qualities, sourcing issues, regulatory hurdles, and religious certifications — all challenges cultivated meat manufacturers face since there are very few commercial cell lines available. GFI experts conducted an industry-wide survey to address the lack of publicly available data on cell lines in the cultivated meat industry. They analyzed answers from 44 companies, providing “a first-of-its-kind portrait” of the progress, preferences, and hurdles of the industry as it seeks to scale up. “A deep dive into the companies’ responses also illuminates a regrettable reality: There is almost certainly significant duplication of effort with similar species, cell types, and product characteristics being pursued by many companies, and cell line development largely being conducted through resource-intensive …

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The UK Government invests £12M in Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub to cultivate meat at scale

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Cultivated Meat Officially Approved by USDA: Here’s What This Means for Europe

It was revealed yesterday that, in the USA, cultivated meat companies UPSIDE Foods and Eat Just’s GOOD Meat have both received USDA label approval for their cultivated chicken products.   The Good Food Institute Europe welcomes the news, which follows the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing a “no questions” letter to both companies as part of the pre-market review process for the companies’ cultivated chicken products.   Cultivated meat coming soon to Europe? The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently held an event to review the latest data on cultivated meat and precision fermentation-derived products, while an independent report to the FSA suggested recommendations to pave the way for a more innovative approach to regulation. Before a cultivated meat product can be sold …

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Politics & Law

UK Considers Reforming Novel Foods Regulations to Expedite Approval of Alt Proteins

A report by Deloitte has advised the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) to reform novel foods regulations, allowing sustainable proteins to come to market more quickly. The report suggests several changes, such as speeding up the approval process for products that are considered low-risk or have been lawfully sold elsewhere in the world. A conditional authorisation and supervision model, such as that used in the pharmaceutical industry, could be used to allow evidence about safety to develop over time. Deloitte also recommends providing clear frameworks to allow pre-market tastings to take place. The suggestions have been welcomed by GFI Europe, which said the changes would improve the process without requiring an entirely new regulatory system for products such as cultivated meat and fermented proteins. The …

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bright green report

Image courtesy of Bright Green
Studies & Numbers

New GFI Manufacturing Report: Factory Retrofitting Can Accommodate Growing Demand for Plant-Based Meat

A new manufacturing report released by the Good Food Institute and Bright Green Partners, a global alternative protein consultancy, suggests that companies should reuse existing food-industry infrastructure (buildings and equipment) to save money, expand capacity, and avoid shortages in the face of future plant-based meat demand. The industry’s capacity is currently coping with the market, but a moderate increase in demand could lead to shortages, says the report. Retrofitting is 80% less expensive than constructing a new building, offering a cost-efficient, faster alternative to expand capacity in days or months. Floor Buitelaar, managing partner at Bright Green Partners, commented: “Limited capacity and substantial capital requirements hinder the future growth of the plant-based meat industry.” Retrofitting could bolster economic growth The Plant-based Meat Manufacturing Capacity and Pathways for Expansion report provides recommendations for …

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Plant-based Pepperoni - Investing in alt proteins reduces methane emissions and creates jobs.

© Before the Butcher
Studies & Numbers

Investing in Alt Proteins Reduces Methane Emissions and Creates Jobs, Says GINA

The recently launched Global Innovation Needs Assessment (GINA) report, Food Systems Methane Innovations, highlights the vital importance of investing in sustainable protein, such as plant-based and cultivated meat, to reduce methane emissions and grow the world economy drastically.   Developed by the US public charity ClimateWorks Foundation and the Global Methane Hub, a philanthropic organization dedicated to reducing methane emissions globally, the study provides new data and projections on how the food and agriculture sectors can reduce methane emissions to limit climate change while continuing to feed the world. The problem of methane In 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that past methane emissions from human activity account for almost a third of global warming. Methane traps more heat in the atmosphere per molecule than carbon …

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Plantbased Business Hour

ESG Frameworks for Plant-based Innovation: GFI’s Sharyn Murray

Sharyn Murray, Investment Engagement Manager at the Good Food Institute, discusses how ESG frameworks can assist plant-based businesses in communicating their positive impact data to the outside world.  It’s a tactical knowledge drop today on the Plantbased Business Hour with Elysabeth Alfano. Specifically, they discuss, What are the ESG frameworks exactly and what have GFI and FAIRR set out to do with the frameworks? Why does the sector need ESG reporting? Who does the framework serve/benefit? Is employing the framework an offensive move for companies or a defensive move? How hard are the ESG frameworks to employ? How long do they take to implement and how expensive are they to implement?  Below is a short clip and transcript from their conversation. Podcast here. Display content from YouTube …

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Nobell cheese platter

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Protein

Plant Molecular Farming: A Fourth Emerging Alt Protein Category?

GFI has released its trio of State of the Industry reports, discussing the pillar categories of plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-enabled proteins. The reports also hint at a fourth emerging category — plant molecular farming (PMF). PMF works in a similar way to fermentation, but the process takes place inside plants instead of bioreactors. This could eliminate the scaling challenges of producing proteins in large fermentation tanks, with the process instead taking place in greenhouses or even open fields. According to GFI, there are already 12 known companies working in this area. These include the US’ Nobell Foods, which uses soybeans to grow animal-free casein, and New Zealand’s Miruku, which uses this method to produce dairy proteins, sugars, and fats. Similarly, Israel’s BioBetter uses tobacco plants …

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Hemp-based meat burger with cheese

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Studies & Numbers

70% of US Population is Now Consuming Plant-Based Foods

Despite inflation, US consumer demand for plant-based foods remained strong in 2022, according to a newly released report, The Plant Based Foods State of the Marketplace. The report found the number of Americans consuming plant-based foods increased to 70%, while several categories, including plant-based creamers and eggs, saw markedly strong growth last year.  Compiled by the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and GFI using data from SPINS, the report shows that plant-based food dollar sales grew 6.6% in 2022 to $8 billion. According to PBFA, consumer research demonstrates that, despite challenges of scaling, lack of subsidies, and shrinking retail space, US demand for plant-based foods remains strong and is growing. Research reveals 70% of the total US population is consuming plant-based foods, an increase from …

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German sausage

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Market & Trends

Germany: Meat Consumption Drops to Record Low, Plant-Based Sales at Record High

Data published this week by Germany’s Federal Information Centre for Agriculture reveals that, in 2022, per capita meat consumption fell by around 4.2 kg to 52 kilograms per person compared with 2021, lower than at any point since calculations began in 1989. The report states that Germans consumed about 2.8 kg less pork, 900 grams less beef and veal, and 400 grams less poultry last year. Encouragingly, this translates to net production of animal meat: 9.8% less pork and 8.2% less beef and veal were produced domestically compared to 2021, while net production of poultry meat was down 2.9%. Why Germany? Germany’s meat consumption has been steadily in decline over recent years, with the country’s interest in meat-free living further bolstered by Health Minister Karl …

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HEURA-chorizo on baguette

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Studies & Numbers

European Plant-Based Food Sales Grow by 22%, Reaching a Record $5.7Bn

According to a report by GFI, European plant-based food sales have increased by 22% since 2020, taking the total value of the category to a record $5.7 billion. The research analysed sales figures from 13 countries — Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. It found that while plant-based sales have increased significantly, the prices of these foods have been much less affected by inflation than conventional animal products. Plant-based meat sales grew by 21% between 2020 and 2022, while conventional meat sales decreased by 8%. Growth was significantly slower in 2022 than in 2021, but still positive; this is supported by recent market research, which found that growth is expected for the global alt meat …

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Italy proposes a ban on cultivated meat

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Politics & Law

Italy Proposes Ban on Cultivated Meat to Protect Food Heritage from Tech Innovations

Georgia Meloni’s right-wing government approved a bill yesterday to ban the production and sale of “synthetic foods” in Italy. The move aims to protect the country’s culture and food heritage from technological innovations, reportedly citing a lack of studies on the effect of synthetic foods, particularly on cultivated meat. If the proposal is passed by parliament, the Italian industry will not be allowed to produce any food or feed produced by cellular agriculture tech involving animal cells, which includes cultivated meat. The country’s agriculture lobby praised the government move, reported Reuters. Holding back scientific progress The draft law states that “meat which is the result of a cell cultivation process” would receive a fine of €10,000 – €60,000 for any violation of the proposed ban, …

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Cultivated chicken FDA approval

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Politics & Law

In Historic Milestone, GOOD Meat Receives US Regulatory Approval for Cultivated Chicken

In a historic milestone, cultivated meat startup GOOD Meat, a subsidiary of Eat Just, announces it has received a No Questions letter from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as part of the agency’s pre-market review process. The decision marks the first time a cultivated meat product has received regulatory approval on multiple continents, as GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken previously received approval in Singapore.  The move comes just months after Berkeley startup UPSIDE Foods received the FDA’s first regulatory greenlight to sell cultivated meat, poultry or seafood.  According to the Good Food Institute (GFI), the GOOD Meat decision marks only the second time cultivated meat has received US regulatory approval, and signals a major food system transformation.   “Today’s news is more than just another …

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Plant-based milk requirements

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Politics & Law

“Imposes New Burdens”: FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Plant-Based Milk Labels

Today, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released draft guidance on plant-based milk labeling. According to the agency, the draft guidance, when finalized, is non-binding and will represent the current thinking of the FDA on the topic of naming and voluntary nutrient labeling of plant-based milks. In summary, the agency now says plant-based milk alternatives can be called “milk”, but recommends such products to identify certain nutritional differences from cow’s milk on their front-of-package labeling.  In the guidance document, the FDA notes it has not established compositional requirements for plant-based milk alternatives, and that such products comprise a wide diversity of ingredients and methods of production.  Consumers not confused The agency also acknowledges that, as evidenced by numerous consumer studies and its own focus …

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