The New Food Sector Has Huge Potential. It Needs Help to Scale.

 ...Food production is a major contributor of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And while advances in digitalization, productivity, and resource efficiency related to food production progress, global food demand is growing strong. Not only is the world population projected to surge toward 10 billion by 2050, the global middle class is expected to expand to five billion people by 2030, according to projections by the United Nations and The Brookings Institution, respectively. 

One effect of this is that demand for meat and other protein-rich foods continues to accelerate. To feed the world more sustainably in the future, we need to focus on producing proteins that have a significantly lower impact on climate and the environment. Alternatives to conventional meat, fish, eggs, and dairy are gaining ground around the globe. Proteins based on plants, cells, and microorganisms are a central component of setting the world’s food system on a more sustainable, climate-friendly path. Those techniques include cultivated meat, which is grown from cells without raising farm animals. As just one example, land use for cultivated meat is up to 95% lower than for conventional meat. And with efficient production processes powered by renewable energy sources, cultivated meat can also mean vastly lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The emergence of alternative proteins complements other nutrition-related strategies to reduce environmental pressures, such as vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian diets. While conventional food will continue to co-exist alongside new food, the new food sector has tremendous potential. Cell-based agriculture in particular holds the promise of being able to decouple food production from land use and climate. Cell-based agriculture in particular holds the promise of being able to decouple food production from land use and climate. 

...But for all the promise of the new food sector, it faces two core challenges. First, it needs to generate sufficient volumes at industrial scale in a safe and reliable manner. And second, it needs to do so at affordable price points. This is where mechanical engineering companies enter into the global food equation...more