Many climate and health experts have been advising Americans for decades reduce their red meat intake, but this has barely moved the needle. In fact, demand for ground beef hit a record high in 2025, leading the industry to turn to imports. Source: bit.ly/4fKU8bf

📣 Big news for alt protein researchers: Coefficient Giving has expanded their R&D funding opportunity from $10 million to $30 million—and added a second application round. Here's what's new ⤵

Europe has already experienced 2 unprecedented heatwaves this summer—and it's been straining food production. The problem cuts both ways: our food system is not only especially exposed to climate change, it’s also one of its major drivers. More from @gfieurope.org: bit.ly/4fxu6Xi

For plant-based meat and other sustainable proteins to reach their full potential, innovation must move faster and with more precision. A new paper in @natfood.nature.com, co-authored by GFI’s Bianca Datta, examines how AI could help researchers speed progress across every stage of food innovation 🧵

Scientists have found a promising way to turn food and farm sidestreams into useful fats—and a new study suggests it could eventually compete with existing products on price. Details from @gfieurope.org: bit.ly/4wf5UQD See highlights below 👇🧵

In this piece, Caroline E Christophersen, a PhD student in food biomanufacturing, takes an in-depth look at how fermentation science is evolving and how it could be used to transform food waste into high-value proteins, support emergency food production, and strengthen domestic biomanufacturing.

From beer and bread to soy sauce and sauerkraut, once the power of yeast was discovered, it never left the kitchen. Precision fermentation is now expanding the menu, offering a way to produce proteins, fats, and other ingredients using far fewer resources. Read more: bit.ly/4vDB5UN

Want to learn about the strategic role plant-based can play in foodservice and how to tap into this growing opportunity? Check out our newly updated "Plant-based foods in foodservice" page for the latest consumer research, sales data, and strategies 👉 https://bit.ly/4fycnQQ

🎯 A new cultivated meat milestone points to an important pathway for scaling the industry. French company PARIMA successfully produced their cultivated duck using Vow's 22,000-liter commercial bioreactor. Why does this matter? 🧵

America's food system is under growing biological pressure. Diversifying how we produce protein can make it more resilient 💪 No single solution eliminates this risk, but protein innovation simply means that fewer eggs—quite literally—are in one basket. Read more: bit.ly/4ffYZAI

⏰ Less than one month left to apply for GFI's Advancing Alternative Proteins Planning Grants program! 💸 Up to $25K per project ✅ U.S. & Canadian nonprofits + public institutions eligible 📅 Applications due July 20 at 12 p.m. EDT Learn more and apply: gfi.org/researchgrants/

As climate shocks intensify and protein demand rises, many countries must figure out how to improve nutrition, support agricultural livelihoods, and expand food production without exacerbating environmental pressures. These pressures are particularly acute for countries in the global south 🧵

The U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest level in 75 years. Beef prices continue to climb. Now, a parasite that USDA estimates could cost the country more than $10 billion in damages threatens to further strain an already vulnerable system.

🤔 As the alternative protein field moves from possibility to reality, you may be wondering—what comes next? In our new Substack, GFI experts from around the world look beyond the milestones of the last decade and imagine what the next one could hold 👉 https://bit.ly/44jI8GQ

Some of the most important developments in sustainable protein innovation aren't the ones making headlines. Our latest Substack contextualizes the key bright spots and challenges for the plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived protein sector in 2025: https://bit.ly/3RMN1p6

Our ocean is already under tremendous pressure from the conventional seafood industry, yet demand continues to rise. Better fisheries management matters—but it won't be enough on its own. We need to invest in new methods of seafood production.

The ocean gives us so much—from clean air and climate regulation to nutrition and livelihoods for millions. In return, we must to protect its health for the future. Global demand for seafood puts this future at risk. 🌊 This #WorldOceanDay, let's imagine more fish in the sea AND on our plates.

🎓 Since its inception in 2020, GFI's Alt Protein Project (APP) has generated more than 350 alumni—many of whom continue to work in the protein innovation space. Julia Krausz, Brown University's outgoing APP president, reflects on her experience as a student leader in a new Substack: bit.ly/3RBt30l

⚠️ Today, demand for our RGP exceeds what we can support. That means promising research that could help meet rising growing demand for protein in more secure & sustainable ways is getting left behind. We’re seeking 300 donors to help keep this critical program going. Will you join us: bit.ly/49tb2HD

Learn more about the program here → grants.gfi.org Join our informational webinar on June 9 at 12:00 p.m. EDT → bit.ly/4dyqZik

📣 New funding opportunity for U.S. and Canadian researchers Developing a strong proposal for a major research grant requires significant upfront work before the application is submitted. To support that need, GFI is offering a new program: Advancing Alternative Proteins Planning Grants. Details👇

When it comes to protein innovation, there's no lack of ideas. But there IS a lack of early-stage funding. ❌ Industry invests when technologies are close to market. ❌ Governments must allocate funding across many competing priorities & often prioritize research that fits into existing categories.

The conversation around ultra-processed foods isn’t going away, but it requires nuance. Where does plant-based meat fit in? Our Substack dives into recent consumer research about health perceptions, ingredient concerns, and what drives product purchases: bit.ly/4rgvod8

This month, we're seeking 300 donors to help us: 🔬 fund promising early-stage alternative protein research projects 🌱 engage with policymakers to ensure protein innovation is included in the next wave of global biotech investment Please consider making a gift today 👉 https://bit.ly/4deUmov

Spain is one of the world’s major food producers—and also one of the most vulnerable to climate change. Threats like droughts, floods, and animal disease outbreaks are already causes losses amounting to €550MM for farmers each year. Protein diversification should be part of its solution 🧵

A new report by @systemiq.bsky.social models how the China's innovation-to-mass-adoption playbook could fundamentally reimagine global meat production over the coming decades. GFI APAC has the highlights: bit.ly/4tYJ7HY

✍ Many proposals are scientifically strong, but still don’t get funded. Why? Join us for a half-day virtual workshop designed to help researchers (U.S.-based early-career faculty) develop more competitive grant proposals in alternative protein research. Save your spot ➝ https://bit.ly/49abCd4

#EarthDay is a reminder that the future of our planet isn’t fixed. It’s something we build and shape through the the systems we design and the bold ideas we’re willing to imagine. 💭 What if if we could produce the meat people want in ways that are better for the planet and all who call it home? 🧵

📢 Our annual State of the Industry series—spanning the cultivated, fermentation, and plant-based protein sectors—is here! Funding constraints, regulatory roadblocks, and a handful of high-profile company mergers and closures drew headlines in 2025. But those only tell part of the story 🧵

Protein diversification is becoming a core strategy for major food producers to manage risk, meet demand, and unlock new value. Our new piece looks at what a four recent investments signal about where protein is headed next: https://bit.ly/4mHC9Em