NEW TECH FOODS

New analysis reveals that the number of studies published on plant-based foods, cultivated meat and fermentation has tripled over the past five years.

Reports by non-profit think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe have found that 798 academic research papers examining these topics were published in 2024, up 282% compared to 2020.

Public funding for the field also expanded from just over €80 million in 2020 to reach a record €320 million last year – a 296% increase.

This acceleration means research and innovation funding has grown by an average of 44% per year, and scientific publications have increased by 30% per year in the first half of this decade.

Germany has led Europe with 368 publications, followed closely by the Netherlands (363) and UK (349). Denmark published the highest number of papers per million inhabitants, followed by Ireland and Finland.

New funding

The UK funded more research than any other country, having invested €127 million since 2020. This included establishing a series of alt-protein research centres, such as the £15 million National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre.

Denmark closely followed at €126 million, largely due to a 2021 announcement to advance the development of plant-based foods.

The Netherlands came third at €77 million, including €60 million of public funding announced in 2022 to help build a network of university-based cultivated meat and precision fermentation researchers working with businesses.

The European Commission is the region’s largest funder, having invested €308 million since 2020. Most of this has come from the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme, but the European Innovation Council (EIC), which aims to identify and scale up new technologies, has stepped up alt-protein funding in recent years.

The reports also revealed new sources of funding are opening up for alt-protein researchers. Investment has come from more than 67 independent bodies, representing 22 countries across Europe, as well as global funders – 12 of which made their first investment in 2024.

While western European countries are currently dominating, analysis predicts an increase in scientific output from central and eastern European countries. Estonia and Poland were the sixth and seventh-highest investors per capita in Europe over the last five years, with most of this funding awarded in 2024.

Fermentation growth and industry roadblocks

Since 2020, most of Europe’s research funding has gone toward developing plant-based foods at €441 million.

However, research into foods produced by modern fermentation methods – such as precision fermentation – was the highest funded area last year, receiving more than €100 million.

Funding for fermentation research has also grown fastest year-on-year at 77%, compared to 27% for plant-based foods.

The analysis found that many of the technical roadblocks preventing alt-proteins from competing with traditional meat are being overlooked.

A broad range of these remain underfunded, GFI noted – including improving plant-based meat’s taste and texture, and designing the fermenters needed to scale up cell-based meat and precision fermentation production.

David Hunt, senior research support manager at GFI Europe, said: “This analysis paints a picture of a sector on the rise – with a rapid increase in both public funding and publications across Europe. With most of these investments having been made in the last three years, we can expect to see researchers publish an even greater volume of innovative findings in the near future.”

He added: “Europe is home to some of the world’s best universities, and the region’s scientists are well-placed to tackle the challenges preventing these sustainable foods from coming to the market. To make sure the region becomes a global leader in this field, governments and funding bodies need to provide dedicated funding into overlooked areas.”