£15m of public money invested in search for meat alternatives

A research centre looking into meat alternatives at the University of Leeds is to receive £15m in funding over the next five years through the UK government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (Napic) will work to develop a supply of proteins to “futureproof the UK’s food and animal feed security” and also work towards net-zero targets.

Projects will be led at the site by the University of Leeds alongside researchers from the James Hutton Institute, the University of Sheffield, and Imperial College London.

See also: HCC Wales warns of ‘serious shrinkage’ in beef supplies

A further £23m is being put into the project by private “partners”. 

The centre will look at the feasibility of a range of alternative proteins such as legumes, mushrooms, algae, insects and cultured meat.

Prof Anwesha Sarkar, director of research and innovation for Leeds’ School of Food Science and Nutrition, said: “A phased transition towards low-emission alternative proteins which have a reduced reliance on animal agriculture is imperative to deliver sustainability and protein equity for one and all, and to ensure a sustainable planet.

“There are many challenges though, and population-level access to, and acceptance of, alternative proteins is currently hindered by a highly complex marketplace.

“There are also worries about taste, nutritional equivalence and cost, as well as health and safety concerns for consumers, and the fear of diminished livelihoods for farmers.”

Consumer and producer concerns

Napic aims to provide a collaborative platform to mitigate the risks associated with alternative proteins and address consumer and producer concerns.

The James Hutton Institute, which is co-leading the project, suggests that global demand for protein will rise significantly, with the global population projected to reach almost 10bn by 2050.

Similarly, figures from the UN environment programme estimate there could be a 50% increase in global meat consumption by 2050.

Prof Derek Stewart, director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre at the James Hutton Institute said: “The food system is responsible for around 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with agriculture and livestock systems in particular underpinning these levels. 

“Reducing these emissions will be difficult, especially given an increasing global population and the impacts of climate change.

“We need to find more sustainable sources of protein and thankfully there is a huge biodiversity in non-animal sources of protein, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of this.”

Project leaders have projected the market for alternative proteins could be worth up to £6.8bn each year and create more than 25,000 jobs.