The State of Global Policy on Alternative Proteins
As policymakers recognize the power of alternative proteins to protect their environments, boost their economies, and ensure their food security, governments have adopted a range of policies affecting the field. This report tracks the investment, support, and regulation enacted across the globe.
Read the full report
Key findings
- Alternative proteins enjoyed another year of impressive commitments and groundbreaking developments from governments and regulatory agencies in 2023.
- Two companies sold cultivated meat in the United States for the first time, with regulatory green lights from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- Public entities across the globe stepped up their investments in developing the alternative protein sector, including in much-needed infrastructure.
- Altogether, GFI estimates that newly announced global public funding for alternative proteins amounted to $523 million in 2023, for an all-time investment total of $1.67 billion.
- Of 2023’s total, governments announced $190 million for research and development, $162 million for commercialization, and $170 million for initiatives that mixed elements of both.
- This level of investment represents continued growth in support for alternative proteins across the globe.
- Despite alternative proteins’ benefits for people and the planet, 2023 also brought challenges to producers’ rights to create, sell, and advertise alternative proteins on the free market.
- Overall, government support for alternative proteins continued to expand and diversify in 2023. However, even more support is necessary to deliver the benefits that alternative proteins promise. Governments need to invest $10.1 billion in alternative proteins on an annual basis to realize their economic and climate benefits. The estimated $348 million spent in 2023 satisfies less than 4 percent of this need.
“Foodtech, including cellular foods, is an important technology from the perspective of realizing a sustainable food supply. We have to support efforts that contribute to solving the world’s food problems.”
Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida
Emerging leaders
Stars of 2023
These countries dramatically increased their investments in alternative proteins in 2023, rising above their peers:
- The United Kingdom announced a new cellular agriculture research hub, funded over 20 research projects, and included cultivated meat in a national biotechnology plan.
- Germany announced a €38 million program to develop alternative protein production capacity and incentivize alternative protein uptake among consumers and producers.
“We can see that the market is growing, in Denmark we are not only farmers but also businessmen.”
Jacob Jensen, Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries
Leading public investment
These governments invested in alternative proteins with world-leading R&D and commercialization funding:
Canada
European Union
Denmark
Leading in regulation
These countries are leading the development of thorough, fair, and timely regulation of alternative proteins:
Israel
Singapore
United States
“Collaborations in the field of alternative proteins can increase sustainable food production, strengthen corporate competitiveness, provide new job opportunities, and develop future skills supply. It might enable increased export opportunities as well as a higher rate of self-sufficiency, resilience, and preparedness.”
Food tech call on alternative proteins for R&D and innovation projects between Sweden, Israel, Switzerland and Singapore
Powering plant-based
These countries support the development of plant-based proteins, boosting local agriculture and manufacturing:
Australia
France
New Zealand
“Our aim is to support the arable crop processors of Aotearoa. We want to inspire entrepreneurs in the emerging proteins sector to become successful international suppliers of high-value plant-based food ingredients.”
AgResearch senior scientist Alistair Carr
Advancing cultivated meat and fermentation
These countries are building up biotechnology, supporting the future of food with research and infrastructure:
Finland
Israel
The Netherlands
Singapore
South Korea
United States
“This initiative aims to ensure that cutting-edge products resulting from biotechnology invented in the United States are manufactured in the United States. By doing so, we will create jobs at home, build stronger supply chains, and lower prices for American families.”
The White House “Building the Bioworkforce of the Future” report
Countries to watch
These countries are laying the groundwork for significant investment:
Brazil
China
India
Japan
South Africa
Spain
“At the end of the day, producing in China means having that infrastructure at a relatively lower cost and this is a key advantage. It’s really going to be about leveraging that supply chain and going overseas, that’s the story as we see it.”
Ziliang Yang, CEO of Shanghai cultivated meat company CellX
Public funding tracker
Browse our database of all known public investments in alternative proteins through the end of 2023. GFI’s topline figures include information provided confidentially to GFI on public funding, including from governments not listed in this report; therefore, the publicly-available data provided in this tracker will not equal the sum of the listed subtotals.
Hear from our experts
This webinar covers the current landscape of public investment in alternative proteins, providing a global analysis of government action and investment in plant-based, cultivated, and fermented foods. Join our experts from around the world to learn more about global public funding for alternative protein R&D, product commercialization, capacity building, and more; regulatory updates from 2023 and the state of global regulation; trends in alternative protein investment by region, sector, and strategy; and deep dives on major governments from local GFI affiliates.
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