EU food research strategy puts fermentation scale-up and protein diversification on agenda

The European Commission has placed protein diversification and expanded fermentation manufacturing capacity among the priorities of its new agri-food research and innovation strategy, with greater attention also given to financing the scale-up of emerging food technologies.

• The European Commission’s new agri-food research strategy supports protein diversification and identifies industrial fermentation capacity as an area requiring further investment.
• The Commission plans to explore private investment in open-access infrastructure and highlights regulatory sandboxes as a potential tool for supporting pre-market approvals.
• GFI Europe welcomed the focus on fermentation scale-up but said dedicated research funding is still needed to improve alternative proteins on taste, texture and price.

Published in September, the strategy is expected to influence EU food research funding decisions under the Horizon Europe program between 2028 and 2034, although it does not itself set out specific funding commitments.

Among its priorities is support for diversification of protein sources as part of efforts to encourage healthy and sustainable diets. It also calls for greater public awareness of ingredients produced using biotechnology.

For fermentation companies, one of the most significant elements is the Commission’s recognition of the difficulties involved in moving technologies from early-stage development into industrial production.

The strategy notes that Europe performs strongly in financing early innovation but identifies a need for additional financial support when sustainable food ingredients reach the scale-up stage. It describes this financing gap as a “second valley of death.”

Industrial fermentation capacity is specifically identified as an area requiring attention. The strategy reiterates the importance of scaling advanced fermentation technologies, following similar priorities set out in the EU Bioeconomy Strategy.

These include precision fermentation, which has long been used to manufacture ingredients including rennet and is increasingly being applied to proteins such as whey, as well as biomass fermentation, where microorganisms such as fungi are cultivated to produce protein-rich biomass.

The Commission is also expected to table a second Biotech Act as part of efforts to strengthen Europe's biomanufacturing sector.

One approach under consideration is encouraging private investment in new and upgraded open-access infrastructure. Such facilities could allow startups to test processes and demonstrate production at larger scales without having to finance their own manufacturing infrastructure at an early stage.

GFI Europe said the direction was welcome but argued that public financing mechanisms would also be required to support manufacturing scale-up. The organization has previously highlighted the difficulty of relying predominantly on venture capital to finance capital-intensive alternative protein production facilities.

The research strategy also gives attention to regulatory sandboxes, controlled environments in which companies and authorities can work with emerging technologies for a limited period.

The Commission says these could be used to “support pre-market approvals and authorisations for agri-food innovations.”

For fermentation-derived foods classified as novel foods, companies seeking access to the EU market must submit an application to the European Commission, with the European Food Safety Authority assessing safety and nutritional considerations before authorization can be granted.

Regulatory sandboxes could provide companies with greater clarity over the evidence and data regulators expect while also giving authorities experience with emerging technologies before products reach the formal approval process.

Their application to novel foods remains unresolved, however. The Commission proposed excluding novel foods from regulatory sandboxes under the first Biotech Act, a decision GFI Europe has criticized.

The organization also raised concerns about what it sees as a gap elsewhere in the new research strategy.

An accompanying Commission evidence review of the existing Food 2030 agenda highlighted research into alternative proteins, including work on new plant-based protein sources. According to the review, alternative protein projects “help tackle global challenges such as climate change, natural resource scarcity, food security and sustainability, and malnutrition,” alongside potential benefits relating to zoonotic disease and antimicrobial resistance.

GFI Europe argues that the new strategy should have followed this assessment with dedicated research pathways aimed at improving the taste, texture and cost of plant-based, cultivated and fermentation-enabled foods.

“While it’s great to see a renewed focus on scaling up Europe’s fermentation manufacturing capacity, the lack of dedicated research to improve the taste and price of alternative proteins is a missed opportunity, particularly as the Commission has acknowledged their benefits in its own evidence review,” said Alessandro Gardino, Policy Officer at GFI Europe.

“Europe’s alternative protein researchers also need support to address the remaining scientific challenges around taste, texture and price, so these foods can help to realise the EU’s ambitions for a more resilient, sustainable and healthy food system.”

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