Researchers in the Netherlands have secured €1.3MM in public funding to explore how to produce casein—a protein that gives cheese its distinct texture and meltability—using precision fermentation. The project could expand scalable pathways for producing dairy proteins with fewer resources.

What would it look like to focus on prevention by design? To reduce our reliance on riskier systems that undermine our global health goals?

Protein diversification can help chart that course.

Check out our latest Substack piece to learn more: bit.ly/4csHxrg

🌏 This #WorldHealthDay, @who.int is calling for science-based health policy and a #OneHealth approach recognizing that human health is inseparable from animals, plants, and ecosystems.

Our food system—especially modern meat production—is perhaps the clearest place where those connections converge.

Many people say they prioritize health when choosing what to eat, but health goes beyond the nutrients on our plates.

If a food is made in ways that contribute to the spread of zoonotic disease and accelerate antibiotic resistance, pollutes our waterways and exacerbates hunger—is it still healthy?

📣 Alt protein researchers and industry leaders: we need your input!

🔬 GFI’s scientific and technical resources support work from early-stage research to commercialization—and your input will shape what we build next.

📝 Take the short, anonymous survey → https://bit.ly/47ayUP3

Register for one of our upcoming information sessions:
April 14th at 10:00 a.m. ET: bit.ly/3PEt4Qk
April 14th and 8:00 p.m. ET: bit.ly/3Q9Bq2j

Students who join the Challenge can earn:
💡 Expert mentorship from across industry and academia
💸 Seed funding to kickstart a student-led project
🎤 A speaking slot at GFI’s Science of Alternative Protein Seminar at the Future of Protein Production conference

Details 👉 bit.ly/4m3R0sn

🎓 Teams must be based out of a university with an active Alt Protein Project group, but you don’t have to be an active group member to participate!

📣 Calling all aspiring student researchers! GFI’s Alt Protein Project is launching its first Academic Research Challenge (ARC) for students who want hands-on experience developing innovative solutions to some of the highest-impact research topics across the alt protein value chain. Check it out👇

Why don’t more consumers choose plant-based meat? For many, they're unfamiliar with the products & don’t have a strong reason to buy them, making messaging a critical tool to increase adoption.

Join us April 9 to unpack new research on which messages drive consumer interest → https://bit.ly/416mvsd

One of cultivated meat’s biggest bottlenecks is how much science remains within company silos. Drawing on lessons from biotech and AI, this new commentary co-authored by GFI APAC makes the case that sharing breakthroughs—and even failures—could help accelerate the industry’s path to scale 👇

A decade of impact: Let’s imagine more - The Good Food Institute Milestones on their own don’t mean much. It’s what they point toward that does.

For a closer look at a decade of impact and GFI’s role in the work ahead, including our refreshed mission and vision, check out these reflections from GFI senior vice president of communications Sheila Voss 👇
bit.ly/4dlS4Wk

The "why" is clearer than ever: rising demand for meat + climate and land use pressures means we must diversify protein supply chains.

To get there, we must advance technologies that solve sensory and cost challenges, scale supply chains, and ensure ready markets.

We've got a solid foundation for the work ahead.

🎤 Alternative proteins have gained massive ground at global climate summits

💰 Gov'ts have invested $2B+ in public funding

🧫 Cultivated meat science has advanced faster than expected, and products have been approved for sale in multiple countries

⌛ Ten years ago, GFI started with a simple question: What if we could give people the meat they crave, but produced in ways that are better for people, the planet, and animals?

A decade later, answering that question has become a global effort.

From fine-dining innovation to flavor fermentation, Dr. Nabila Rodríguez Valerón has taken a fascinating career path. Join us to hear about her journey and her advice for those entering the alt protein field.

Register: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

In biotech and AI, structured knowledge-sharing—including failed approaches—has helped accelerate iteration and reduce duplication. More open exchange could benefit the entire cultivated meat ecosystem by shortening the timelines to commercial scale.

Companies: share cultivated meat breakthroughs publicly—here is how Cultivated meat could satisfy soaring global protein demand while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the spread of zoonotic diseases s…

A new Trends in Biotechnology commentary highlights a persistent bottleneck within the cultivated meat industry: too much technical knowledge remains locked inside individual companies, limiting how quickly the field can solve shared challenges.

Improving GFI's technical resources: Audience survey Help us improve the value of our resources. The Good Food Institute’s Science and Technology Department produces open-access technical analyses, tools, and resources to advance alternative protein ...

🚨 Alt protein researchers & industry leaders. We need 5 minutes of your time! 🚨

Your input will help shape @gfi.org's technical resources used across the alt protein field. Please complete our anonymous survey to help us improve the accessibility & impact of our work.

forms.gle/mFZnhzhJjLmK...

Exclusive: Aleph Farms's Lab-Grown Meat Matches Beef in Consumer Taste Tests In a blind taste test, consumers rated Aleph Farms's cultivated meat just as good as beef on the flavour and texture scale, with half saying they'd order it in a restaurant.

In blind taste tests, AlephFarms' cultivated beef was indistinguishable from conventional beef on taste/texture

www.greenqueen.com.hk/aleph-farms-...

A bowl of Chinese food on a dark background with the headline "China wants to dominate the future of food. And it might succeed."

Policymakers don't always consider the strong connection between food security and national security, but they should.

As GFI APAC's Ryan Huling details in his new LA Times op-ed, that shift is well underway in China—and the implications extend well beyond its borders. Read more 👉 lat.ms/487RV58

Agriculture accounts for ~70% of global freshwater withdrawals, and within it, animal protein production is among the most resource-intensive. As water constraints tighten, how we produce protein becomes a central question for long-term resilience.

Learn more in our latest Substack: bit.ly/4sMQUrP

Yesterday was #WorldWaterDay — a reminder that water sits at the center of nearly every global challenge we face.

As water constraints tighten, how we produce protein becomes a central question for long-term resilience.

⏰ Deadline: March 25

💸 Researchers working on plant-based + fermentation-enabled proteins still have time to apply for a grant from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) in partnership w/ GFI, awarding $400K–$500K per project.

✍️ Learn more + apply → https://bit.ly/40doKcu

💡 Taken together, the data highlights a clear but underutilized opportunity: plant-based meat delivers on many of the health attributes consumers say they want, but those benefits aren’t consistently reflected in how the category is currently understood by consumers or marketed by producers.

Beyond the ultra-processed narrative Our latest research shows how nutrition and consumer perceptions alike put plant-based meat in a different category than candy, chips, and soda.

🔍 “Ultra-processed” ≠ full story. Many concerns about UPFs stem from characteristics shared by certain products—like high sugar + low nutrient density—and not the full category. Plant-based meat is better evaluated on its nutritional profile rather than its level of processing alone 👉 bit.ly/4bn3zKy

Fiber is taking center stage—and plant-based meat is ready Plant-based meat offers the protein people want, plus the fiber they need.

🌾 Fiber is a built-in advantage. Made from fiber-rich crops, plant-based meat delivers protein and gut-friendly fiber in familiar formats like burgers, nuggets, sausages, and cutlets (no behavior change required). More here 👉 bit.ly/3O1hKg4

A better protein package: How plant-based companies can capture the protein boom Consumers want protein—but new data shows many don’t realize plant-based meat delivers it

💪 Protein is top of mind, but plant-based meat is often overlooked. Many plant-based meat products meet or exceed consumer expectations for protein content, yet gaps in awareness persist. When consumers recognize its protein content + broader nutrition profile, they buy more. Dig in 👉 bit.ly/4jC9AX6

Protein. Fiber. Ultra-processed foods.

Three nutrition conversations shaping how consumers evaluate plant-based meat—and where the data is more nuanced than the headlines suggest.

In our Substack series, GFI’s Jody Kirchner unpacks how health perceptions actually influence purchasing behavior 🧵

Biochemistry Focus webinar series – Alternative protein careers for biochemists YouTube video by Biochemistry Focus webinar series

Careers! Discover how #alternativeproteins can reduce food shortage and improve public health. Our past webinar with @gfi.org explored cutting-edge career and research opportunities for biochemists in this emerging field 🧪. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSyf...