Horizon Europe to invest in sustainable proteins
The research and innovation programme includes three projects directly covering cultivated meat and fermentation based foods.
Horizon Europe tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and helps to boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth.
It facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges.
Cultivated meat
Horizon Europe said that compared with conventional meat production, cultivated meat can cut the climate impact of meat by up to 92% and use up to 95% less land and 78% less water, while research has shown replacing 20% of beef with fermentation-made meat could halve global deforestation.
There are dozens of other projects within the multi-billion Euro funding programme that are also relevant to researchers who want to develop delicious and affordable sustainable proteins.
Acacia Smith, senior policy manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, said: “Europe is home to some of the world’s best scientists, and this funding will help spark real innovation in cultivated meat and fermentation, making sure these sustainable foods are delicious and accessible to nearly half a billion Europeans.
Expertise
“It’s great to see the EU is investing in the continent’s incredible research expertise to accelerate Europe’s shift to a sustainable, secure and just food system and make sure farmers are part of this transition. We now need to see national governments following this example and investing in the research and infrastructure needed to advance these foods.”
There are sustainable protein projects place including those covering cultured meat and seafood, the impact of the development of novel foods based on alternative sources of proteins and the impact of the development of novel foods based on alternative sources of proteins.
Meanwhile, in this exclusive podcast interview, ReNewFood entrepreneurial lead Matthew Hutchinson and Dr Kang Lan Tee, chemical and biological engineering lecturer at the University of Sheffield, discuss the potential of alternative proteins as a replacement for animal agriculture.
