A new report compiled by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Bold Goals for U.S. Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing, calls for actions to boost and support US Bioeconomy. The report includes R&D goals around innovation and development of the alternative protein sector to improve the country’s sustainability, strengthen food security, and support economic innovation.
Harnessing biotechnology
In September 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order (E.O.) calls federal departments and agencies to harness biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation to “further societal goals and transform industries” related to five topics: climate change solutions, food and agriculture innovation, supply chain resilience, human health, and cross-cutting advances.
The report, which responds to the E.O., presents in five chapters the goals needed to transform the country’s bioeconomy.
“These goals are intended to provide a broad vision for the US bioeconomy and what can be achieved with concerted action from industry, academia, nonprofits, the Federal Government, and other organizations,” reads the report.
Novel food sources
In its Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing R&D to Further Food and Agriculture Innovation chapter, the report sets the R&D goals to support the development of new food and feed sources. Among various, the following involve alt proteins:
- Expand research into food components that make novel foods more palatable, affordable, easier to prepare, and more easily incorporated into manufactured foods.
- Research the structural design and food architecture of alternative protein (plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cell-cultured) products, including how plant and microbial materials compare to animal-based products.
- Identify and conduct feasibility studies for high-volume, low-cost protein and fat sources that could be used in food or feed, including products resulting from precision fermentation and coproducts or waste streams from other industries
“In addition to increasing productivity, biotechnology and biomanufacturing can spur the development of novel food sources with improved sustainability, including new crops and protein sources, which can augment our current food system and help provide equitable access to nutritious foods. Such innovation can also equip farmers and food manufacturers to reduce foodborne illness and meet changing consumer demand,” reads the report.
Infrastructure and innovations centers
In other chapters, the report mentions additional goals to be achieved in the following decade, which are pertinent to the alt protein sector:
- Build sufficient shared pilot facilities, intermediate-scale infrastructure, and an ecosystem of biomanufacturing facilities close to feedstocks and workforce development opportunities, as well as standardized measurement systems and life cycle analyses for industry use.
- New Centers of Excellence that would innovate new products and processes train the next-generation workforce and enable information exchange between academia and the private sector through Industry Advisory Boards.
The Good Food Institute said: “We applaud the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, USDA, and Department of Energy, for this groundbreaking report that identifies alternative proteins as a critical component of the bioeconomy!”
