Plant-based coalition calls for US$3.3 billion research push to shift Europe’s protein balance by 2035

A coalition representing Europe’s plant-based food and protein sector has called for €3 billion (US$3.3 billion) in coordinated research and innovation funding between 2026 and 2035, setting out a structured investment blueprint aimed at reshaping the region’s protein economy.

The report, The Plant-Based Opportunity: European Innovation Investment Budget – Plant-Based Foods & Proteins 2026-2035, was launched by the European Alliance for Plant-Based Foods, Plant-Based Foods Europe, EUVEPRO – the European Vegetable Protein Association – and the FoodConNext Foundation. It outlines 75 innovation projects organized across seven pillars, covering the value chain from crop breeding and ingredient functionality to regulatory systems and consumer uptake.

• The coalition proposed €3 billion (US$3.3 billion) in public and co-investment funding for 75 plant-based innovation projects between 2026 and 2035.
• The roadmap is structured across seven innovation pillars spanning consumer uptake, crop breeding, processing, regulation and digital systems.
• The report projected a shift from a 40:60 plant-to-animal protein ratio to 50:50 by 2035 under the proposed investment plan.

The proposed €3 billion allocation represents roughly three times the funding directed toward plant-based research and innovation between 2020 and 2024, which the report cites as totaling close to €400 million (US$440 million) across Europe.

The document frames the investment as necessary to support a transition from a 40:60 plant-to-animal protein intake ratio toward 50:50 by 2035. It links this shift to public health costs, climate targets, agricultural competitiveness, food security and strategic autonomy.

The largest share of the proposed budget, €995 million (US$1.1 billion), is allocated to Sustainable Products & Circular Bioeconomy. This pillar includes projects aimed at improving taste, texture, fat systems, protein functionality, ingredient consistency and processing efficiency. It also includes investment in side-stream valorization and modular, integrated processing technologies intended to reduce energy use and waste.

Consumer Engagement & Food Environments is allocated €720 million (US$792 million). Proposed initiatives include national and municipal policy frameworks to reshape food environments, behavioral interventions designed to encourage trial and repurchase of plant-based foods, and retail and food service optimization strategies supported by data analytics.

Health & Nutrition accounts for €455 million (US$501 million). Projects include long-term epidemiological studies examining the health impacts of increased plant-based consumption, research into protein digestibility under different processing methods, and studies focused on meal quality and dietary patterns among older adults and vulnerable populations.

New Roadmaps, Supply Chains & Ecosystems receives €360 million (US$396 million). This pillar focuses on coordinated crop roadmaps, value chain alignment and ecosystem development linking breeders, farmers, processors, retailers and food service operators. It includes €25 million (US$27.5 million) for a proposed European Tofu & Tempeh Research Centre aimed at addressing research gaps in minimally processed plant-based foods.

Better Crops, Raw Materials & Crop Diversification is allocated approximately €220 million (US$242 million). The proposed investments target yield improvement, climate resilience, breeding innovation, new crop protection approaches and the creation of a European protein crop database with annual updates on varieties, protein sequences, functional characteristics and processing performance.

Harmonisation of Methods & Regulations accounts for €195 million (US$215 million). This includes development of harmonized analytical methods for plant proteins, rapid testing systems for legume quality, improved isoflavone measurement tools and accelerated regulatory pathways for ingredients such as rubisco, fungi, algae and bacterial proteins.

Digital Innovation & AI is allocated €50 million (US$55 million). The report proposes the creation of an open-access AI-driven knowledge infrastructure referred to as AlphaFood. The concept is modeled on protein structure databases and would integrate experimental datasets, predictive ingredient functionality tools, process simulation environments and formulation software systems.

A substantial portion of the report centers on commodity-level strategies, beginning with oats as a case study. The document describes oats as a crop with economic and nutritional potential that remains underleveraged in research and development. It cites projections that the oat market could reach €8.82 billion by 2032.

The oat roadmap integrates genomic breeding, AI-supported processing optimization, regenerative agriculture research and clinical nutrition studies. The report suggests similar structured roadmaps should be developed for soy, pea, faba bean and sunflower.

The coalition situates the proposal within broader economic considerations. It cites annual hidden costs of unhealthy diets in the EU at nearly €900 billion (US$990 billion). It also references estimates that the economic costs of animal-based food production and consumption, including health and environmental impacts, amount to €3 trillion (US$3.3 trillion). According to the report, a dietary shift toward healthier and more plant-based consumption could reduce 43% of those externalities.

The document notes that Europe’s plant-based retail market is valued at around €2 billion (US$2.2 billion), compared with approximately €450 billion (US$495 billion) for animal-based industries. While the plant-based sector has grown over the past decade, it remains small relative to conventional protein markets.

The report maps each innovation pillar to European Commission Directorates-General, including agriculture, research, health, environment, digital innovation and financial services. It presents the proposed investment agenda as aligned with competitiveness, strategic autonomy and climate neutrality objectives.

The coalition calls for coordination between Horizon Europe funding mechanisms, Common Agricultural Policy instruments and public-private partnerships to deliver the proposed investment scale. It describes the €3 billion allocation as a starting point for the 2026–2035 period and calls for continued annual collaboration among stakeholders.

Whether EU institutions adopt the proposed funding scale remains uncertain. However, the publication represents one of the most detailed and structured investment proposals yet presented by Europe’s plant-based food sector, spanning crop genetics, ingredient science, processing engineering, regulatory frameworks and consumer adoption strategies within a single coordinated roadmap.