Growing market for plant-based food ingredients

The market for plant-based protein is rising and the transition from animal-based protein to plant-based protein has received a lot of attention. The increasing pressure to meet the future demand for food supporting a population of 10 billion people by 2050; combat the difficulties in sourcing additional raw materials and reduce the environmental impact concurrently has led public and private entities to search for alternative scenarios. Acknowledging the need for ‘novel’ ingredients, the environmental performance of potential innovations is an essential factor. The Protein Brewery is a developer of such innovative food ingredients. The Protein Brewery wished to gain more insight in the environmental profile of their product Fermotein™ and to understand how their products compare to ‘conventional’ alternatives, like meat and meat substitutes. We did an environmental analysis according to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, which was critically reviewed according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The innovative and sustainable profile of the products drew attention, and The Protein Brewery raised a €22 million Series A investment recently.