GPC Coverage/
The Good Food Conference : Alternative proteins and the future of food

This year's virtual Good Food Conference brought together scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers, who are all on a mission to transform and elevate alternative proteins on the global stage.

From explaining consumer insights and exploring costs to discussing emerging markets and future alt protein leaders, the conference was the Good Food Institute's deepest dive into alt proteins yet.

Charting the global roadmap for alternative proteins

• The conference kicked off with a number of diverse voices, including Linda Blevins from the NFS, Lisa Feria from Stray Dog Capital and Lisa Sweet from the World Economic Forum.
• This session focussed on the urgency with which we must find ways to address climate change, population growth, and food insecurity.
• A great emphasis was placed on investing in alt protein research, and the stage also explored the challenge of achieving sustainable growth for the alt protein market. Fundamentally, the speakers underlined the power that food and agriculture have to overcome the world's problems.

Insights on consumer perceptions of alternative proteins

• Thomas Rossmeissl from Eat Just, Inc., Irina Gerry from Change Foods, Vikas Garg from abillion, and Jeff Crumpton from SPINS, came together to discuss consumers' responses to alt proteins and how Covid-19 has changed the landscape of food.
• Covid-19 was pinned as the reason behind increased consumer awareness of zoonotic diseases and renewed attention towards the planet's fragility. It was outlined that this has encouraged more people to think about what’s on their plate.
• That said, again and again, it was stressed that while the younger generation is an early adopter that prioritizes sustainability and animal welfare in buying decisions, enhancing the taste of alt proteins should be a central focus to capture a wider audience.
• Regarding cultivated meat, both Rossmeissl and Gerry explained that transparency will be central to establishing consumer trust going forward. Meanwhile, pricing and scaling issues were highlighted as current obstacles to expansion.

Bringing down costs and increasing access

• In this session, Fengru Lin from TurtleTree, Christie Lagally from Rebellyous and Bryan Kreske from Hormel addressed how to overcome alt protein's pricing barriers for greater consumer accessibility.
• The solutions brought forward by the panelists were tech-focused and centered around collaboration.
• Lagally explained how novel food production techniques, such as those employed through Rebellyous' own machinery, can reduce costs, labor and required floor space and increase the amount of alt protein created in that space.
• It was noted that incumbents in the animal protein sector must partner with emerging companies in the plant-based space to enable sustainable expansion.

The China-US mixer breakout

• Led by Viola Chen and Doris Lee from GFIC, this breakout session explored the role that alt proteins can play in China as an emerging market.
• This session highlighted that while alt proteins were not big players in the Chinese market before the pandemic, appetite has grown.
• Chen and Lee explained that new products must differentiate themselves due to soy already being an essential ingredient in the Chinese diet.
• When marketing alt proteins in China, it was emphasized that health is currently a bigger priority for consumers than animal welfare or climate change; localisation was also underlined as an essential marketing factor to get right.
• Regarding food preferences, in this session, it was explained that there's more of a trend towards ready-to-eat plant-based meat.

A future where alt proteins are no longer alternative

• Elizabeth Gutschenritter from Cargill, Celeste Holz-Schietinger from Impossible Foods and Eugene Klerk from Credit Suisse took to the stage to review what the landscape will look like in 2030.
• This session explored how the younger generations and flexitarians will continue to drive the alt protein market forward.
• Klerk explained that the shift to plant-based will be 10 per cent over the next few years, while Gutschenritter projected that demand for alt proteins will double in the next thirty.
• There was much discussion around the need for conversation rather than polarization regarding animal protein and alt protein. That said, there was some disagreement from panelists over whether an entirely animal protein-free future is possible, but all agreed that the current food system is unsustainable.
• Regarding expanding alt protein's market share, partnerships and continued innovation were spotlighted. It was also explained that accelerated growth is possible with more refined products, better taste and cleaner labels.
  
  

Brazil: The next global leader in alt proteins?

• In this session, Katherine Helena, Alexandre Cabral, Gustavo Guadagnini, and Guilherme Vilela from GFIB outlined how Brazil has gone from storehouse to supermarket of the world.
• Brazil's rich biodiversity took center stage, and it was emphasized that, fundamentally, global food security relies on the country.
• The speakers catalogued GFIB's journey from its founding in 2017 to now, where Brazil has over fifteen companies in the plant-based meat sector and over fifty companies in the plant-based dairy/egg arena.
• The talk's stats revealed some significant changes to consumer habits in Brazil, where 50% of the population have reduced their meat consumption, 37% have tried/eat plant-based, and only 7% reject plant-based protein as a food option.
• From a regulatory perspective, there were discussions around the anti-label censorship wave and the need for an entirely new regulatory framework for alt proteins.
• Regarding the work of GFIB in the research of alt protein, Helena explained the two biome projects launched in Amazonia and Cerrado. There, GFIB is analysing seven different plant species for their contributions to plant-based meat.
  
  

Keeping our eyes on the road

• On the final day of the conference, Jess Krieger from Ohayo Valley, Johnny Ream from Stray Dog Capital and Amy Chen from Upside Foods talked about getting on the right path to achieve 2050's sustainability goals.
• Krieger discussed her research experience over the last eleven years and her company's focus on creating cultivated beef to eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions, which account for 41 per cent of the total. For smaller farms 'left behind' as the cultivated meat market grows, financial incentives for tissue biopsy were discussed.
• Looking ahead, there was an emphasis on prioritizing climate-friendly startups, and research funding was deemed essential. Meanwhile, the improved product quality of alt proteins and price parity with animal proteins were identified as critical components for transforming the food system.
• Once again, speakers underlined that consumers vote with their taste buds, and as a result, this will be a central focus moving forward.
• Ultimately, the panel agreed that the next few years will be busy to reach our climate targets and rethink how meat makes it to the table.