Biotech breakthroughs poised to transform food systems, according to recent report

A recently published report, Harnessing the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Advanced Technology, has laid out the vast promise of advanced biotechnology in reshaping how the world produces food, highlighting how techniques like precision fermentation and cultivated meat could significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and ease pressure on land and water resources.

Published in March 2025 by the Advanced Biotech for Sustainability (AB4S), a coalition of industry-leading organizations from across the ecosystem and supported by industry players including EIT Food, Basecamp Research, the Good Food Institute Europe, and Lallemand, the report estimates that the market for advanced biotechnology applications in food could reach between US$130 billion and US$395 billion annually by 2040. The authors, who also include McKinsey & Company as analytical partner, say the sector has the potential to transform how the world feeds a growing population while curbing the environmental impact of traditional agriculture.

“Agriculture and food contribute about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, about half of global land use, and 70% of global water use,” the report notes. “Advanced biotechnology can enhance the efficiency of crops and protein production – for instance, by producing drought-resistant and nitrogen-fixing crops and by producing alternative proteins via precision fermentation, biomass fermentation, or cultivated meat.”

One of the report’s central findings is the sustainability potential of alternative proteins. According to the authors, promoting the use of fermented or cultivated proteins instead of beef could reduce emissions and land use by up to 90%, depending on the scenario. The analysis shows that precision fermentation – using engineered microbes as tiny 'cell factories' to produce specific proteins – can create animal-free alternatives for dairy proteins such as casein and whey, as well as for meat-related molecules such as heme, which provides meat’s characteristic taste and color.

In one example, the report explains how precision-fermented proteins could generate less than 5% of the emissions associated with conventional proteins and cut required water and land use by more than 95%. This could make precision fermentation a powerful tool for reducing the climate footprint of global food systems.

Cultivated meat, produced directly from animal cells without raising and slaughtering animals, is also spotlighted for its potential to replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of traditional meat while requiring far less land and water. Yet the report acknowledges that scaling up remains a major challenge. High costs of growth media, which currently rely heavily on expensive pharmaceutical-grade components, are a major barrier to achieving cost parity with conventional meat.

“The sustainability impact of such alternative production pathways can be significant,” the report states. However, it warns that achieving commercial viability will require further technological advances and cost reductions across the entire production process.

Beyond protein, the report points to the potential of advanced biotechnology to produce critical food ingredients with enhanced sustainability profiles. For instance, microbial fermentation can be used to manufacture amino acids, vitamins, and other molecules without the resource-intensive inputs associated with traditional agriculture. This could help reduce dependency on livestock and high-impact crops, and also lower exposure to supply disruptions caused by climate change, geopolitical tensions, or disease outbreaks.

Aquaculture and marine ecosystems stand to benefit as well. The report highlights the development of algae-derived oils as a sustainable alternative to fish oil, which is traditionally used as a source of omega-3 fatty acids. Algae oil production via biomass fermentation can reduce emissions and preserve marine biodiversity by lowering the demand for forage fish. One highly concentrated algae oil on the market can provide the same amount of omega-3 as up to 66 metric tons of forage fish, the report notes.

Food security and resilience are also key themes. The authors argue that advanced biotechnology can help buffer food systems against shocks such as droughts, pandemics, and supply chain disruptions by offering production processes less dependent on seasonal cycles or vast swathes of land. “Advanced biotechnology can enhance the sector’s resilience by developing drought- and disease-resistant crops and animal-free protein alternatives,” the report says.

However, significant hurdles remain. Consumer perceptions, regulatory frameworks, and high production costs continue to slow progress toward widespread adoption of biotech foods. In the USA, precision fermentation products are evaluated under the Generally Recognized as Safe framework, facilitating market entry. But in the European Union, no precision fermentation-derived alternative proteins have yet been approved, with new products falling under the Novel Food Regulations – a process that can be lengthy and complex.

The report concludes that advanced biotechnology could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by three to four gigatons of CO2 equivalent annually by 2040, free up as much as four million square kilometers of land, and save up to 500 billion cubic meters of water each year if deployed at scale across key sectors, with food and agriculture at the forefront.

While the path forward may be complex, the report paints an optimistic picture of a future where biology and technology converge to reshape food systems for both people and the planet.