The Good Food Institute

The problem

Projections show that by 2050, there will be nearly ten billion people on the planet and global milk and meat consumption could increase by up to 70%.^[1] Unchecked growth would have disastrous consequences for animals, our climate, the environment and food security.

Livestock production already accounts for around 20% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.^[2] Studies show that the Paris climate targets are unlikely to be met without a shift away from conventional livestock production.^[3]

Livestock also exacerbates global water scarcity, pollutes groundwater, and contaminates the oceans. It occupies nearly 80% of the world’s agricultural land while producing less than 20% of the world’s caloric intake.^[4]

In addition, factory farming promotes the development of multi-resistant germs through the excessive use of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance already causes over 1.2 million deaths worldwide each year, a figure that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), could rise to 10 million deaths per year by 2050 if no action is taken.^[5]

Significantly reducing the consumption of animal products would be an obvious solution. However, it is unrealistic to expect large segments of the population to give up meat and other animal products. Although meat consumption is now declining in Germany,^[6] this is the exception internationally. Global meat production continues to rise,^[7] in part because many people still associate giving up animal products with a loss of quality of life.

The solution

By producing alternative proteins directly from plants and directly from cells, the negative impacts of our food system can be drastically reduced. There are three main categories of alternative proteins:

• Plant-based replacements for meat, seafood, eggs and dairy products are made from plants and mimic the taste and texture of animal products. They are produced by studying the ingredients and flavor compounds of meat at the molecular level and searching for plant substances that mimic those properties.
• Cultivated meat is identical to conventional meat at the cellular level, but has only a fraction of the negative impact on the climate, environment and health. The desired meat or fish components are grown directly from a small sample of animal cells in a culture medium.
• Fermentation can be used in innovative ways to produce animal-free meat from mycoprotein, or to use microorganisms such as yeast to produce foods with the taste, texture and functionality of animal products.

Alternative proteins follow the same logic as renewable energies and electromobility: they are a technical solution for decarbonizing an industry. In order for plant-based foods and cultured meat to replace foods from animal husbandry, they must be equivalent in taste and price in order to be accepted by the majority of the population.

In addition to massively reducing animal suffering, switching to plant-based and cultivated meat could reduce emissions by up to 92%, and cultivated meat could use up to 90% less land than livestock.^[8] GFI estimates that alternative proteins could reduce global GHG emissions by 10 to 14 Gt CO2e per year by 2050,^[9] allowing people to enjoy their usual diets without causing animal suffering and without further exacerbating the climate crisis.

Even a small diversification away from animal products would have a significant impact. If plant-based, cultivated or fermented products achieve a market share of just 8% by 2030, they will save around 1.5% of global emissions - a saving equivalent to 95% of emissions from aviation in 2019.^[10]

So far, however, alternative proteins have led a niche existence. Their success requires a broader base of freely accessible knowledge in basic and applied research. The New York Times columnist Ezra Klein called for a “Moonshot for Meatless Meat” already in 2021.^[11] A report co-funded by the UK Foreign Office and the ClimateWorks Foundation considers an increase in global public spending on research and development and scaling in this area to around $10 billion to be necessary.^[12]

This is where GFI comes in. GFI advocates for public funding in the areas of plant-based alternatives, cultured meat, and fermentation, and lays the groundwork for further development by financing open-access research. Through its work as a think tank, GFI supports scientists, policymakers, and businesses in accelerating the development and dissemination of competitive alternatives.

Another measure to help alternative proteins achieve a breakthrough is to improve the political framework conditions—on the one hand, to ensure planning security for the development of new technologies such as cultured meat, and on the other hand, to prevent sustainable alternatives from being disadvantaged by bans and nonsensical restrictions on product labeling.

The impact

GFI has already achieved a great deal since it was founded in 2015. Back then, the ecosystem for research and education on alternative proteins was practically non-existent. There were no courses or degree programs on alternative proteins and research funding was scarce. Today, more than 20 university courses on alternative proteins are offered worldwide and the student-led Alt Protein Project, which aims to establish alternative proteins more firmly in universities, has 89 sections worldwide. In 2025, the establishment of world’s first master’s degree program on alternative proteins was announced. GFI’s Research funding program has provided more than $24 million in funding for 129 projects in 25 countries since 2019. The program is freely accessible and aims to close gaps and bottlenecks that individual companies cannot overcome on their own and pave the way for further financing, such as the €1.2 million that EIT Food has provided for the Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge in 2022.

The Good Food Institute is particularly committed to improving access to cell cultures for lab-grown meat and has acquired such cell cultures itself for this purpose in 2025. It is making this available to scientists and companies worldwide free of charge—a promising step toward accelerating the development and distribution of cultured meat.

GFI’s national-level programming in Europe aims to catalyze broader impact that advances the whole sector. Their work in the UK supporting funding bids and the initial set-up of research centers has contributed to a substantial increase in research activity in 2024. New dedicated research centers include the new National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), which was launched with UK government funding of £15 million to accelerate the commercialization of plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-made foods.

GFI also strengthens consumer rights, thereby working to facilitate market access for alternative proteins. In February, GFI Europe and Systemiq published “A Taste of Tomorrow”, the first study to quantify the economic potential of alternative proteins in Germany. It concluded that the sector could generate €65 billion in economic value and create 250,000 jobs by 2045, while also reducing emissions and improving food security. The report reached over 600 stakeholders from politics, research, and industry and became a central element in the efforts against the “veggie burger” ban. Although the European Parliament passed the ban, the majority of German MEPs voted against it—partly because of the feared economic consequences.

Our partner and expert Giving Green, which evaluates and recommends particularly promising climate nonprofits, has recognized GFI as one of six top nonprofits for addressing climate change for the fourth year in a row.