SMART PROTEIN and GIANT LEAPS projects target sustainable plant-based protein shift across Europe

On Marianne Mulhall’s organic dairy farm in southeast Ireland, this year’s winter wheat crop is looking healthier than usual. Traditionally, the crop begins to yellow by spring due to nitrogen deficiency, but the field remains green and vibrant. The difference, Mulhall explained, is that it was previously planted with fava beans and peas, which fix nitrogen into the soil naturally.

“This is good for farmers as fertilizer prices have gone through the roof in recent years,” said Mulhall, an adviser with Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Teagasc.

Mulhall is one of several farmers participating in EU-funded trials aiming to diversify the sources of protein in Europe’s food system. Researchers are looking to alternatives like chickpeas, lentils, fava beans and quinoa to replace or reduce the need for animal-based protein. Their efforts are part of a wider strategy to address climate and sustainability concerns linked to current food production methods.

“We need to find alternative sources of protein to reduce the environmental burden,” said Professor Emanuele Zannini, based at University College Cork in Ireland and coordinator of the SMART PROTEIN project, which concluded in June 2024.

According to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, food systems are responsible for around one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, with meat and dairy production accounting for a significant share. Research from Our World in Data shows poultry generates nearly seven times more carbon dioxide per 100 grams of protein than pulses like lentils or beans, while milk and beef are approximately 10 and 60 times more carbon intensive, respectively.

As part of SMART PROTEIN, scientists from nine EU countries and beyond collaborated to explore new food applications from chickpeas, lentils and fava beans. These crops have a long tradition of consumption in the Mediterranean region, although their use has declined in recent decades as meat became more affordable and widely consumed.

The project also examined quinoa, a grain native to South America that is now grown in some parts of Europe. “From a nutritional point of view, quinoa is a super grain,” said Zannini. “The plant’s seeds contain all the essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce and are rich in minerals, vitamins and healthy fats.”

Field trials were conducted with farmers in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain to test different crop varieties and growing conditions. Climate change presented challenges, with increasingly unpredictable weather patterns making cultivation less reliable. Researchers experimented with reintroducing older European crop varieties, some of which showed greater resilience.

“With intensive breeding, you are forcing a few characteristics, for instance, high yield, weed resistance and high protein content, but potentially you miss traits that can make a difference when the plant faces extreme weather conditions,” Zannini explained.

In Ireland, researchers found particularly promising results for fava beans, with yields approximately double those observed in southern parts of the continent. This points to opportunities for farmers to diversify their rotations while improving soil fertility and potentially generating higher returns. “Farmers in Ireland could diversify their crop rotations and make their businesses more resilient,” said Zannini.

Mulhall is already planning further trials with different pea and bean varieties, noting that crops intended for food often offer higher financial returns than those grown for animal feed.

SMART PROTEIN also explored how to integrate plant-based proteins into appealing new food formats. Researchers experimented with combining plant proteins with fungi and yeasts, as well as fermenting surplus grains and baked goods from breweries, pasta factories and bakeries. These blends produced a range of products including plant-based yoghurts, cheeses, crab meat, burgers, mincemeat and even infant formula.

The idea was to enhance flavor, texture and nutritional content by mixing different protein sources. According to Zannini, the results showed that it was possible to develop more complex and palatable products compared to those made from a single plant protein source.

The work is being continued under GIANT LEAPS, another EU-funded initiative led by Dr Paul Vos of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. This project is focused on scaling up the use of alternative proteins and making them a core part of everyday European diets.

“Our approach is to focus on products and protein sources that can be consumed at scale,” said Vos.

Currently, 60% of protein consumed in the EU comes from animal sources. GIANT LEAPS aims to reach a 50:50 split between animal and plant protein by 2030, with a longer-term goal of shifting the majority to plant-based sources by 2050.

The project is studying consumer behavior across all 27 EU member states to identify the best strategies for dietary change in different regions. It is also focused on improving the quality and availability of plant-based alternatives, selecting ingredients such as fava beans, oats, quinoa, lentils, rapeseed and chickpeas.

“As with the SMART PROTEIN project, we are combining multiple protein sources using smart processing techniques that are energy-efficient, safe, and aim to retain nutrients and optimise nutritional value,” said Vos.

A major barrier remains consumer acceptance. Vos emphasized the importance of improving the appeal of plant-based alternatives rather than criticizing meat consumption. A 2023 survey by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich found that people were more open to plant-based products made from familiar ingredients such as peas or potatoes than to less familiar sources like seaweed or lab-grown meat.

Pricing is another issue. GIANT LEAPS researchers analyzed 10,000 food products across Europe and found that some meat substitutes were more than twice as expensive as conventional meat. Milk alternatives were up to 58% costlier than cow milk.

“To make products at an affordable price, you need scale, and to achieve scale, you need consumer acceptance,” said Vos.

The GIANT LEAPS team is continuing its efforts to find a combination of factors – nutritional value, taste, safety, and environmental benefit – that will make alternative proteins an appealing and accessible part of future European diets.