Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever

Page created by Glenn Gilbert
 
CONTINUE READING
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
Plant proteins:
a key lever to accelerate food
system transformation
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
2 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
Contents

1   Introduction | 5
    A key lever to reduce environmental impacts is a dietary
    shift to more plant-based foods					                                     7
    What is protein?							8

2   State of the world and outlook for plant protein
    production and consumption | 9

3   Hurdles and levers to scaling up plant proteins globally | 13
    1. Supporting a healthy and sustainable transition to plant protein production              13
    2. Increasing global demand for diverse plant proteins				                                  13
    3. Reorienting policies and regulations						14
    4. Reflecting the true value of food with a long-term perspective			                        14

4   Mapping of existing initiatives | 16

5   Solution spaces | 24
    ENABLE: Engage investors, businesses and policy-makers to support dietary shifts 24
    PULL: Create the market conditions to increase plant protein demand		                       24
    INSPIRE: Develop and promote a global narrative to positively position plant proteins 25
    CULTIVATE: Build a thriving, sustainable supply of plant proteins from the ground
    up using sustainable agriculture							25

6   Conclusion | 26

                                       Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 3
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
About FReSH
   Food Reform for                         •   Healthy and sustainable, from    This report is a call for action
   Sustainability and Health                   fork to farm;                    for the business community
   (FReSH) is a project of the             •   Food loss and waste;
                                                                                and beyond to understand that
   Food & Nature Program                                                        business as usual is no longer
   of the World Business                   •   True value of food;              an option and to find ways to
   Council for Sustainable                 •   Policy and advocacy.
                                                                                scale up plant proteins to deliver
   Development (WBCSD).                                                         healthy, enjoyable diets for all.
                                           The healthy and sustainable
                                                                                We will complement these
   We take a ’fork to farm’                from fork to farm workstream
                                                                                documents with a FReSH
   approach, starting with what            accelerates the development
                                                                                roadmap to be launched at the
   people consume and focusing             of business-led solutions with
                                                                                Global Nutrition Summit in Tokyo
   on the dietary and production           the biggest positive health and
                                                                                containing a concrete action plan
   shifts that are required, to            environmental impacts – as
                                                                                for positive nutrition, protein and
   develop, implement and scale            outlined in FReSH’s sustainable
                                                                                plants.
   transformative business solutions       and healthy diets report
   that are aligned with science-          published in 2018, as well as
   based targets. FReSH emerged            international publications issued
   from the WBCSD and EAT                  the following year. We do this by
   Partnership.                            focusing on the following topics:

   FReSH facilitates the pre-              •   Accelerating the delivery of
   competitive collaboration of                positive nutrition by the food
   over 30 member companies                    industry;
   to accelerate transformational
   change in the food system               •   Scaling-up healthy and
   in order to reach healthy,                  sustainable protein
   enjoyable diets for all, produced           production and consumption;
   responsibly within planetary            •   Stimulating the healthy and
   boundaries. We focus on areas               sustainable production and
   where business can have                     consumption of a diversity of
   the most impact, along four                 nutrient-rich plants.
   transformational goals:

      Defining key terms:
      •   A plant-based diet is a diet comprised of foods mainly sourced from plants.
      •   A plant-based food is a food coming from any part of a plant; an animal-based food is a food
          sourced from animals, including meat, fish and dairy products.
      •   A plant-based product is a processed product derived from plant ingredients.
      •   A plant protein is a protein found within a plant-based food or product.
      •   A plant-based protein is a protein derived from plants that can be isolated and added to another
          product.

4 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
1   Introduction

              Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 5
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
1                                                              Introduction
   A KEY LEVER TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
   IS A DIETARY SHIFT TO MORE PLANT-BASED FOODS
   The global food system provides                                                                                  agriculture (see figure captions                                              Thus, rebalancing diets with
   billions of people with energy,                                                                                  for more details).                                                            more plant-based foods
   protein and other nutrients to                                                                                                                                                                 – especially in countries
   support daily life. Yet it is also a                                                                             Animal-based foods tend to have                                               dominated by Western diets
   major source of greenhouse gas                                                                                   higher environmental impacts                                                  where animal proteins are
   emissions, it is depleting natural                                                                               than plant-based foods.12,13,14                                               overconsumed – provides
   resources and fails to secure                                                                                    Regardless of the production                                                  an opportunity to reduce
   healthy diets for all communities                                                                                system, livestock are major                                                   greenhouse GHG emissions,
   around the world.1,2,3,4 We have                                                                                 emitters of greenhouse gases.                                                 the amount of land required for
   an urgent need to transform                                                                                      They represent about 14.5%                                                    agriculture, natural resource
   our food system to achieve the                                                                                   of all human-induced GHG                                                      consumption, chemical input
   Sustainable Development Goals                                                                                    emissions (which would                                                        use and biodiversity loss.19, 20
   (SDGs).                                                                                                          be roughly equivalent to                                                      To ensure the realization of this
                                                                                                                    7.8 gigatons carbon dioxide                                                   opportunity and a balanced and
   Consensus is increasing on the                                                                                   equivalent (CO2e) in 2018) and                                                diverse market of plant-based
   best pathways to transform the                                                                                   about 50% of emissions from                                                   foods will require both farm-
   global food system to ensure a                                                                                   agriculture.15,16 As discussed                                                level (e.g., to improve nitrogen
   sustainable and healthy future.                                                                                  in the FReSH “People, Planet,                                                 conversion efficiency from
   Thought leaders from the                                                                                         Protein – What’s the Plan?”                                                   fertilizer to plant protein) and
   scientific community and civil                                                                                   Science to Solutions Dialogue,17                                              system-level interventions.
   society highlight the opportunity                                                                                these high GHG emissions
   to improve health and promote                                                                                    are attributable to the fact
   global sustainability by shifting to                                                                             that it is necessary to feed
   plant-based diets.5,6,7,8,9                                                                                      animals throughout their life
                                                                                                                    and ruminants such as cows
   Figure 1 presents in graphic                                                                                     release large quantities of enteric
   format the respective impacts of                                                                                 methane, a potent greenhouse
   potential of business solutions to                                                                               gas.18
   mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG)
   emissions from land-use and

   Figure 1: Mitigation potential of business solutions on land and agriculture GHG emissions in GtCO210

                                                                                 2010
                                                                               IPCC/FAO                         Government action
      Total GHG emissions from land and agriculture (GtCO 2e)

                                                                9

                                                                8   2010 FAO                                                                                                    Business leadership

                                                                                          2030    Zero land
                                                                7                         FABLE   expansion

                                                                                                              A orestation
                                                                6                                                              Diets
                                                                                                                                       Waste      Crop
                                                                                                                                                               Ruminant
                                                                                                                                               productivity                                Arable land
                                                                5                                                                                             productivity    Animal
                                                                                                                                                                                           regenerative
                                                                                                                                                                             precision
                                                                                                                                                                                            practices     Pastureland
                                                                                                                                                                             feeding
                                                                4                                                                                                                           (incl. SOC    regenerative
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          “On-farm
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        “On-farm
                                                                                                                                                                                            sequestr.)     practices
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          insetting”
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        insetting”
                                                                                                                                                                                                           (incl. SOC
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ruminant
                                                                3                                                                                                                                          sequestr.)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         biogas
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           enteric
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         fermentation                2030
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         biofuel
                                                                2                                                                                                                                                                                    Target

                                                                1

                                                                0

6 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
WHY FOCUS ON PLANT PROTEINS?
Central to the discussion on          In developed countries, there is       As such, any strategy to achieve a
transforming the global food          a clear need – and a tremendous        transformational shift in the food
system is protein. Proteins are       opportunity – to reach the             system provides an opportunity
essential for the human body;         right protein intake levels and        to address social issues such
therefore, consuming adequate         rebalance the protein mix by           as access to healthy foods and
protein is vital to ensuring basic    promoting the production and           securing farmer income and
human health. Moreover, foods         consumption of plant proteins.         livelihoods. In the transition to
containing proteins are an            Increased plant protein offerings      a more diverse plant protein
important part of what makes          can help balance and diversify         offering, it is essential to include
food appealing in terms of aroma,     diets, thereby fostering good          farmers to ensure there is no risk
taste and texture. The amount         health and nutrition, decreasing       of income instability.
of protein an individual person       environmental damage and
requires depends on many              improving social factors such          A sustainable global food system
factors (e.g., gender, weight,        as food security and farmer            will require work to ensure the
physical activity) but generally      livelihoods.                           accessibility and availability of
falls in the range of 40-70 grams                                            a variety of high-quality and
per day for adults across the         Pathways to achieving optimal          nutritious plant proteins for
globe.21 In Europe, North America     protein intake and balance differ      people across different cultures
and an increasing number of           according to the development           and incomes.
developing regions, many people       level and sociocultural habits
                                      of different regions. In many          In the plant protein
today consume more protein
                                      developed regions, like the            workstream, we identify and
than biologically necessary. This
                                      Europe and United States,              support the best solutions
overconsumption of proteins
                                      balancing protein intake requires      to scale-up a variety of plant
parallels a greater consumption
                                      a reduction in animal protein          proteins globally, promoting
of animal proteins instead of plant
                                      consumption. In other regions,         a sustainable and healthy
proteins.
                                      such as Africa and India, which        balance of plant and animal
In Europe, the share of protein       have a high plant protein intake,26    proteins. Together with
from animal sources (meat, eggs,      the challenge is to ensure the         our members, we focus on
dairy) compared to total protein      population can maintain or             driving the specific solutions
increased from 48% in 1960            improve access to an optimal           where we can achieve the
to over 60% in recent years.22        mix of protein sources along with      highest potential impact
Rising levels are also occurring in   socioeconomic growth.                  through collaboration.
China, with an enormous global
impact.23 Generally, the dietary      From an agricultural perspective,
share of animal protein – and         data shows sufficient global
specifically meat protein – grows     protein production to satisfy
in step with increasing GDP;          the basic needs of the world’s
the various socioeconomic             growing population; however,
explanations for this are related     important issues remain,
to higher per person income,          including diversity of available
urbanization and accessibility.24     foods, food waste across supply
With this increase in protein         chains, maintaining farmer
consumption, and specifically         livelihoods in rural areas, as well
proteins from red meats, come         as equity and access to high-
higher environmental impacts –        quality protein in low-income
on climate, land and biodiversity     populations.27,28,29
– and can have a detrimental
impact on health.11,25

                                               Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 7
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
WHAT IS A PROTEIN?
   A protein is a molecular structure           absorption by the body. Plant          extract and purify isolated plant-
   built out of amino acids that                products can be complete               based proteins and then use them
   is fundamental to life. Protein              proteins on their own (e.g., quinoa    as an ingredient in a plant-based
   provides nitrogen, energy and                or soy) or act as complementary        product. Extracting proteins
   amino acids that are essential               protein sources. This is important     from plants can help facilitate
   to building and maintaining the              for diets high in plant proteins       digestibility and absorption
   functioning of cells, tissues and            because different types of plants      by the body.
   organs. There are 20 amino acids             have different amino acid profiles
   that are the building blocks for all         and digestibility. Thus, consuming     A trade-off to protein isolation is
   proteins. There are nine essential           diverse plant foods can help           that, depending on the food that
   amino acids that the human body              to obtain complete amino acid          receives the protein, it may not
   cannot make and thus that we                 profiles, for example by combining     provide other nutrients contained
   need to obtain from food. Both               legumes with cereals, such as          in whole plant-based food,
   animal and plant proteins provide            lentils with rice.30 Whole plants      such as fibers, antioxidants
   all 20 amino acids, including the            (e.g., whole grains, nuts and seeds,   and micronutrients.
   nine essential ones.                         fruits, vegetables and legumes)
                                                                                       In the recently published
                                                can also offer beneficial fibers,
   A “complete protein” refers to a                                                    Food and Land Use Coalition
                                                phytonutrients, antioxidants and
   source of protein that contains                                                     report (FOLU),33 health aspects
                                                other micronutrients; diets high in
   all essential amino acids that                                                      related to food consumption
                                                these whole plant-based foods are
   the human body can adequately                                                       and food production dominate
                                                associated with decreased risks of
   digest and absorb to meet its                                                       externalities (see Figure 2).
                                                non-communicable diseases.31,32
   needs. Plant products have                                                          However, environmental aspects
   different amino acid profiles                Another way to consume proteins        related to biochemical flows
   and different digestibility and              from plants is as plant-based          of phosphorous and nitrogen
                                                protein isolates. Food companies       exceeding planet boundaries
                                                                                       surpass the externalities
                                                                                       associated with GHG emissions.

   Figure 2: Hidden costs of global food and land use systems34
                   USD Trillions, 2018 prices

      The importance of nitrogen for the future of sustainable crops
      To produce proteins, plants need nitrogen. Nitrogen availability is a main limiting factor for crop growth,
      which is why fertilizers are key to increasing crop yield. Some plants (like most legumes) can also obtain
      nitrogen from the air through a process called nitrogen fixation, where microbes near the roots are able to
      convert nitrogen gas to a form usable to make proteins.35 There are a wide range of ways to make nitrogen
      available to crops, including: organic or synthetic fertilizers, plant engineering, and rotation with nitrogen-
      fixing plants. Diverse socioeconomic and environmental externalities can determine the methods used.
      Thus, to make plant proteins widely available and accessible, and to ensure environmental protection,
      careful consideration of nitrogen cycling and improving nitrogen efficiency is essential.36

8 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
2   State of the world and outlook
    for plant protein production
    and consumption

              Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 9
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation - Unilever
2       State of the world and outlook
             for plant protein production
             and consumption
   To understand the current              Globally, maize, rice, soy, and          10% growth between 2019
   global state of plant                  wheat make up nearly two-thirds          and 2025, reaching a nearly
   protein production and                 of crops and human calorie               USD $10 billion market size.39,40
   consumption, it is important           consumption.37,38 Producers              In Europe, plant protein intake
   to pay attention to the types          have scaled up soy, wheat,               is on the rise in many regions,
   of plant protein foods and             maize and rice production for            especially in western and
   products, as well as their             technological efficiency and to          northern regions. Particularly
   regions of production and              deliver processed foods with             promising is the market for
   consumption.                           relatively long shelf-lives, resulting   plant-based products positioned
                                          in generally high availability and       as meat and dairy alternatives,
   Plant products, such as legumes,       accessibility, along with high           with annual growth rates of 14%
   cereals, roots, nuts and seeds,        awareness and economic value             and 11% respectively between
   contain plant proteins, as do          across various markets. Moving           2013 and 2017.41 There has
   plant-based products made with         beyond these primary global              been a dramatic improvement
   protein isolates or concentrates.      crops, there is an opportunity           in the quality, nutritional profile
   Developed regions such as              to diversify plant production to         and appeal of these plant-based
   Europe and North America tend          widen the range of ingredients,          products in the last five years
   to consume more processed              promoting nutrition, health and          due to increased investment.42
   plant-based products made              the environment. Other relevant          This growth in the plant-based
   from soy, wheat and corn, while        sources of plant proteins                product market represents new
   less industrialized areas often        include nuts, pulses, roots,             business opportunities for food
   consume a more diverse protein         seeds and cereals. To scale up           companies as well as for farmers,
   mix, with a higher consumption         a more diverse array of plant            agri-food industry players, food
   of plant products.                     proteins globally – especially           service providers and retailers.
                                          in developed regions – there
   To achieve more sustainable                                                     Still, plant protein growth
                                          is a need to promote demand,
   food systems, there is a need                                                   projections show that they will
                                          availability and accessibility
   to scale-up healthy plant-based                                                 not be sufficient to meet the
                                          within the market. Today many
   products as alternatives to                                                     demands of a growing global
                                          of these plant proteins still have
   products sourced from animals                                                   population and socioeconomic
                                          relatively limited global production
   in more developed regions.                                                      development, which will
                                          and consumption, as well as
   At the same time, it is important                                               place greater pressure on the
                                          a lack of markets, distribution
   to ensure that developing                                                       environment, human health and
                                          networks and, in some cases,
   regions maintain or achieve a                                                   society. Therefore, it is necessary
                                          manufacturing facilities able to
   healthy and sustainable balance                                                 to promote a sustainable
                                          process them for large-scale
   of nutritious plant-based and                                                   balance in the production and
                                          consumption.
   animal-based foods.                                                             consumption of a wide variety
                                          There are signs of growth of the         of plant proteins.
                                          plant protein market in many
                                          developed countries. Market
                                          research predicts that plant
                                          protein sales, as alternatives to
                                          animal proteins, in the United
                                          States and Europe will achieve

10 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
3   Hurdles and levers to scaling
    up plant proteins globally

              Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 11
3       Hurdles and levers to scaling up
             plant proteins globally
   Adjusting protein intake and           1.    Supporting a healthy and             These correspond to five of the
   balancing its consumption                    sustainable transition to plant      seven pathways identified in
   present tremendous social,                   protein production                   our CEO Guide to Food System
   environmental and business                                                        Transformation:43
   opportunities. Nevertheless,           2.    Increasing global demand
   there are a range of hurdles to              for diverse plant proteins;          •   Transform agriculture while
   overcome in order to achieve                                                          restoring the environment;
   success, ranging from social           3.    Reorienting policies and
   and regulatory to technological                                                   •   Equitable value distribution;
                                                regulations;
   and financial. They impact the
   availability and accessibility of                                                 •   Shift diets to be healthy
                                          4.    Reflecting the true value                and sustainable;
   diverse plant proteins globally.
                                                of food with a long-term
   Over the past months, we                     perspective.                         •   Accelerate policy and
   have been working alongside                                                           financial innovations;
   our members and others                                                            •   Launch new business
   stakeholders, to identify four main                                                   models and value chain
   hurdles related to plant protein                                                      collaborations.
   development where joint action
   could unlock the food system:43

   Figure 3: Seven pathways to Food System Transformation44

    PRODUCTION                                                                                       CONSUMPTION

     Direct pathways
      1   Transform agriculture while restoring the environment             3 Shift diets to be healthy and sustainable

      2                                        Enhance equitable distribution of value

      4                                            Minimize food loss and waste

     Enabling pathways
      5                                            Build end-to-end transparency

      6                                    Accelerate policy and financial innovations

      7                           Launch new business models and value chain collaborations

12 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
1. SUPPORTING                          The lever: Technology,                 2. INCREASING
A HEALTHY AND                          innovation and training can
                                       help support a food system
                                                                              GLOBAL DEMAND
SUSTAINABLE                            that provides an optimized,            FOR DIVERSE PLANT
TRANSITION TO                          healthy and sustainable protein        PROTEINS
PLANT PROTEIN                          mix. Precision agriculture,
                                       censors, plant protein isolates,       Shift diets to be healthy
PRODUCTION                             processing technologies and            and sustainable
                                       product fortification are all
Transform agriculture while            examples of technologies that          The hurdle: While in developed
restoring the environment,             can help promote plant protein         countries awareness of the
equitable value distribution           production and consumption             benefits of plant proteins is
and new business models                at scale – if properly introduced      growing, the overall demand and
                                       to farmers and food value chain        appeal of diverse plant proteins in
The hurdle: There is a need to                                                foods, ingredients and products
produce a wide variety of plant        employees. Innovative business
                                       models, focusing for example           remain limited compared to
protein crops, ingredients and                                                those made with animal proteins
products that are sustainable          on regenerative crop rotations
                                       that favor agrobiodiversity, can       – particularly meat, eggs and
and nutritious, as well as available                                          dairy. Notwithstanding the critical
and enjoyable to eat. Although         help promote low-tech solutions
                                       to scaling up plant protein            cultural role that animal-based
businesses, manufacturers and                                                 foods play in many countries,
retailers are investing in research    production and consumption.
                                       But farmers require access to          the still too slow shift to more
and innovation in alternative                                                 plant-based food consumption
protein product development,           information and training, as well
                                       as to microloans and credits,          is partially attributable to the fact
from novel recipes and marketing                                              that today’s food environment
to advances in food processing         to be able to adapt farming
                                       practices to achieve sustainable       and regulations currently do not
and biotechnology, much work                                                  favor plant protein options; for
is still necessary throughout the      plant protein production.46
                                       Finally, better supply chain           example, isolated retail placement
plant protein value chain. Training,                                          and labeling restrictions often
pilot projects and resources are       organization can contribute to
                                       improving competitiveness and          lead mainstream consumers to
emerging45 but many growers and                                               believe plant protein foods and
manufacturers still have limited       the development of plant-based
                                       food innovations that overcome         products are “niche foods” only
knowledge and experience                                                      for particular consumer groups.
in developing and producing            texture and taste hurdles.
a variety of sustainable plant         Internally aligned strategies to       The lever: To increase
protein crops and products.            build up capabilities, awareness       demand for plant protein foods,
Production cost variability and        and education throughout               ingredients and products,
access to investments are also         the whole value chain, from            stakeholders should encourage
major barriers to consider when        farmers to retailers, are crucial      the development of and transition
dealing with growers. Moreover,        to achieving this. Shifting            to a food environment that
there is a lack of processing          businesses’ training priorities, as    promotes plant proteins. This
knowledge and capacity among           well as pre-competitive action to      must encompass social, physical
technological, nutrition and           meet the skills gap, will be key.47    and socioeconomic factors
marketing teams for a wider                                                   that influence the availability
variety of plant protein foods                                                and accessibility of foods, as
and products.                                                                 well as people’s perceptions
                                                                              of which foods are acceptable
                                                                              and appealing. There is a need
                                                                              for regulators to develop clear,
                                                                              accessible guidelines, such

                                              Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 13
as revised dietary guidelines          considering labelling regulations        The lever: There is a need to
   on the benefits of eating more         (e.g., fortification of organic plant-   invest in the future of food and to
   plant proteins. Furthermore            protein product).                        harness both ancient and cutting-
   governments, retailers and                                                      edge knowledge to improve
   foodservice companies                  The lever: It is necessary to            the sustainability of agricultural
   have an important role to              refocus policies to support              production. Thus, it is necessary
   play in order to drive a shift in      the transition to healthy and            to consider the true value and
   perception and behavior. Finally,      sustainable plant proteins that are      true cost of food with respect
   food companies should be               sensitive to regional economies          to both positive and negative
   driving social change through          (e.g., impact on livelihoods),           externalities of the food system.51
   product innovation, marketing          health needs and environmental           Investment may partly come from
   campaigns, appearance and taste        considerations (e.g., water              improving willingness to pay for
   improvements, labelling and sales      scarcity and greenhouse gas              foods produced more sustainably
   placement.48 For example, studies      emissions). Governments can              in countries where consumers
   show consumers are more likely         revisit and realign policies             are willing and able to do so.
   to buy a “vegetarian meal” if it is    specifically related to fortification,   Nevertheless, in order to reach
   not labelled as “vegetarian” and       food labelling, taxes and                the necessary global scaling
   is positioned as another tasty         subsidies, with a shift to diets rich    up of plant proteins, it is crucial
   option – in a restaurant or retail     in a diverse array of plant proteins.    that the financial sector directs
   shop.49                                Policies can also help change            investments to supply chains,
                                          the direction of investments in          technologies, foods and products
                                          education, business and social
   3. REORIENTING                         programs to promote plant
                                                                                   made with plant proteins while
                                                                                   concurrently realizing the benefits
   POLICIES AND                           proteins. Finally, governments           of reduced risk and more stable
   REGULATIONS                            should redirect funding and
                                          subsidies to the production and
                                                                                   long-term returns. Wherever the
                                                                                   investments come from, when
   Accelerate policy and                  distribution of more sustainable         transitioning to new production
   financial innovations                  and healthy plant protein foods          systems, supporting farmers
                                          and products, enabling them to           is crititcal. Farmers should not
   The hurdle: Regulatory and             compete more fairly with animal-         risk losing their livelihoods
   economic policies do not always        based products on the market.            if they change practices or
   support healthy and sustainable
                                                                                   shift away from commodity
   proteins. Some organizations
   have introduced sustainable            4. REFLECTING THE                        crops – otherwise this replaces
   protein public procurement             TRUE VALUE OF                            one problem (environmental
                                                                                   degradation) with another
   policies, but progress is still        FOOD WITH A LONG-                        (unemployment or poverty).
   slow overall and clear guidance
   is not yet available. Subsidies        TERM PERSPECTIVE                         This is especially true when
                                                                                   transitioning to regenerative
   and investments to expand              Accelerate policy and                    practices that may reduce short-
   sustainable protein innovation         financial innovations; launch            term yields but improve yields
   still do not sufficiently support      new business models and                  over the long term.52
   mechanisms to encourage all            value chain collaborations
   farmers to deliver a diversity of
   nutritious food and environmental      The hurdle: Today’s economic
   benefits.50 Moreover, plant-based      system focuses on short-
   product definitions and labelling      term returns on investment
   regulations are inconsistent           and commodity markets.
   across markets and often hinder        Processing crops for use in
   the visibility and placement of        plant protein-based products
   these products, such as meat or        requires significant capital
   dairy alternatives. The need to        investments and focus from both
   fortify many plant protein-based       manufacturers and governments.
   products can also put these
   products at a disadvantage when

14 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
4   Mapping of existing initiatives

              Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 15
4        Mapping of existing initiatives
    INITIATIVES

                                                                                              Considerations
    Title                    Author                      Partners
                                                                                              Social/health

    RESEARCH INSTITUTES

    Breaking habits for      Wageningen University       Unilever; Wageningen                 Research to support the change of existing food
    the better: Behavioral                               University Research, Noldus          habits or generate new food habits (e.g. from a
    change towards more                                  Information Technology,              meat to a plant-based diet)
    sustainable foods                                    Kikkoman Europe

    Sharp                    Wageningen University       Unilever, DSM, Friesland             Development of a data platform to build models
                                                         Campina                              for dietary shifts and collect case study on the
                                                                                              role and impact of plant and dairy based meat
                                                                                              replacers

    Plant Meat Matters       Wageningen University       Meyn, Avril, Givaudan, saturn        Develop new technologies for the production of
                                                         petcare, Nutrition&Nature,           plant-based products with a texture and taste
                                                         DVS, Unilever, Ingredion             that would reach the next generation consumer
                                                                                              expectations

    Alternative Meat Lab     The Sutardja Center                                              Research on “better” plant-based meat
                             for Entrepreneurship &                                           alternative products, providing consumers
                             Technology (Berkeley                                             similar taste and texture and high nutritional
                             University)                                                      products

    Menus of Change          The Culinary Institute                                           Bring attention to protein, both animal- and
                             of America (CIA) and                                             plant-based and make plant-forward dining a
                             Harvard T.H. Chan                                                mainstream concept in the culinary profession
                             School of Public Health                                          and foodservice industry

    Better Buying Lab        World Research Institute    Google, Panera, Standford            Develop strategies and a communication
                             (WRI)                       University, Trinit, Quorn, Hilton,   narrative to enable consumers to purchasing
                                                         Sodexo, Sainsbury’s, Wrap,           more plant-based foods
                                                         Unilever, Pulse Canada, USA
                                                         Dry Pea & Lentil Council

    The Cool Food Pledge     World Research Institute    UNEP, Carbon Neutral Cities          Support signatories to provide plant-based
                             (WRI)                       Alliance, Health Care Without        foods
                                                         Harm, Practice Greenhealth,
                                                         Climate Focus

    Meat: the Future         World Economic Forum                                             Accelerate the agenda for alternative proteins
    dialogues                (WEF)                                                            with healthier and sustainable solutions such
                                                                                              ase plant-based proteins a mainstream food

    Future Food Initative    Bühler, Givaudan, Nestlé, ETH Zürich, EPFL Lausanne,             Expand research and education in the area
    - A Swiss Research       coordinated by the Worls Food System Center                      of food and nutrition sciences; the fellowship
    Initiative                                                                                programme within the initiative aims at bringing
                                                                                              together competences from academic and
                                                                                              industrial research in this field.

16 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
A wide range of research projects and public-private partnerships on developing
        plant protein solutions and driving demand for plant-based diets, menus and products
        among consumers are already available. We have benchmarked the following ones in
        order to identify gaps and areas where further collaboration could drive a food system
        transformation.

                                                                                     Focus
                                                                                                                       Link
Environmental                    Economical                                Global   EU       National

Develop new and reformulated                                                                            https://www.noldus.com/projects/
(sustainably sourced and                                                                                breaking-habits-better
                                                                             X
produced) food products

                                                                                                        https://www.wur.nl/en/project/
                                                                                                        Scientific-knowledge-base-and-
                                                                                    X
                                                                                                        data-platform-for-modelling-
                                                                                                        SHARP-Diets-.htm

Develop new techologies for      Develop new techologies for                                            https://www.wur.nl/en/Research-
the development of plant-        the production of more cost-                                           Results/kennisonline/AF16011-
based analogues with a lower     effectively plant-based proteins            X                          Plant-Meat-Matters.htm
environmental impact than
animal-based products

                                 Provide the food industry new                                          https://www.foodnavigator.com/
                                 meat alternatives, including plants,                                   Article/2017/08/22/Berkeley-
                                 insects, in-vitro meat                      X                          researchers-seek-actionable-
                                                                                                        solutions-at-alternative-protein-
                                                                                                        lab

                                 Support foodservice industries and                                     http://www.menusofchange.org/
                                 the culinary professions to develop
                                 long-term strategies on plant-based
                                 proteins, integrating optimal nutrition     X
                                 and public health, environmental
                                 stewardship and restoration, and
                                 social responsibility concerns

Develop science-based            Develop strategies to support                                          https://www.wri.org/our-work/
metrics, targets and methods     companies, restaurants, food                                           project/better-buying-lab/
to help the food industry        retailers, bars to communicate
measuring and monitoring the     about plant-based proteins;                 X
environmental impact of the      develop new techologies to
foods they source and sell to    formulate completely plant-based
consumers                        dishes

Support signatures to make       Develop a platform to help                                             https://www.wri.org/our-work/
responsible choices and to       facilities to track the environmental                                  project/cool-food-pledge
reduce their environmental       impact of the food they serve               X
impact through the integration
of more plant-based foods

Highlight the environmental      Encourage multistakeholders to                                         http://www3.weforum.org/docs/
costs of animal-based            collaborate, combining the public                                      White_Paper_Meat_the_Future_
proteins vs. plant-based         and private sector to co-create                                        Time_Protein_Portfolio_Meet_
proteins in order to provide     new alternative proteins and to             X                          Tomorrow_Demand_report_2018.
sustainable and healthy          set regulations on the definition of                                   pdf; http://www3.weforum.org/docs/
proteins to a growing            alternative proteins
                                                                                                        WEF_White_Paper_Alternative_
poulation
                                                                                                        Proteins.pdf

The overarching goal is to develop solutions that address grand                                         https://www.futurefoodtalents.org
challenges, including sustainable packaging (for example the
elimination of plastics) and affordable nutrition (for example                           Switzerland
combatting deficiencies and starvation globally).

                                                                Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 17
INITIATIVES

                                                                                              Considerations
    Title                    Author                        Partners
                                                                                              Social/health

    ALLIANCES

    Green Protein Alliance   Alliance between 25 retailers, the catering industry, food       Restore a sustainable and healthy balance in
                             producers and 10 knowledge partners in the Netherlands,          protein consumption focusing on the education
                             supported by the Dutch Government                                and engagement of consumers in order to
                                                                                              increase plant proteins’ demand

    The Protein Challenge    Forum for the Future          GAIN, Ahold Delhaize,              Develop with chefs affordable plant-based
    2040                                                   Danone, Unilever,                  ingredients in menus, culinary training about
                                                           Baxterstorey, Calysta,             plant-based and rebalanced meal, good in taste
                                                           Firmenich, Hershey’s, WWF,         and texture. Support stakeholders to highlight the
                                                           M&S, Evonik, Environment           importance of plant proteins for health, nutrition
                                                           Agency, Impossible, Nestlé,        and environmental sustainability: create positive
                                                           University of West London,         messages, share stories and use the power of
                                                           Volac, Waitrose, Tulip, Unilever   food brands to empower consumers to make
                                                                                              positive choices

    The Chef’s Manifesto     The SDG2 Advocacy                                                Engage in education, public relations, and media
                             Hub                                                              outreach to increase visibility for plant-based
                                                                                              foods and boost consumer acceptance

    The Protein Cluster      Global platform for ingredient suppliers, food
                             manufacturers and other stakeholders

    EIT Food                 Euopean initiatives collecting partners around Euope from        Reduce plant-proteins “antinutritional factors”
                             the industry community, academia, retailers                      (ANFs), develop a novel technology platform to
                                                                                              improve the texture and taste of plant-based
                                                                                              foods based on extrusion technologies

    Future 50 Foods          Initiative led WWF and Knorr with the support of Bioversity      Scale-up more vegetables, more plant-based
                             International, Crops For the Future, EAT Foundation,             sources of protein, more variety in grains, cereals
                             Edelman, Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), Food                and nutrient rich sources of carbohydrates;
                             Reform for Sustainability and Health (FReSH), GAIN, Global       design of plant-based recipes for schools and
                             Crop Diversity Trust, Gro Intelligence, Oxfam GB, SDG2           canteens (e.g. Sodexo)
                             Advocacy Hub, Wageningen University and Yolélé Foods

    INSTITUTIONS

    QualiFabaBean            The German Federal                                               Reduce the anti-nutritive substances and
                             Ministry of Food and                                             produce meal and concentrates based on field
                             Agriculture                                                      beans

    The Eucleg               Multidisciplinary             European Union (Horizon
                             Research Unit for             2020)
                             Grasslands and Forage
                             Crops (URP3F)

    Good Food Institute      Team of scientists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and lobbyists        Mobilize millions of supportive consumers to
                                                                                              encourage plant-based foods’ sale in stores,
                                                                                              restaurants, and foodservice outlets

    UN (WHO,FAO, WFP,                                                                         The UN leads researches on the healthy and
    UNGC)                                                                                     sustainable intake of proteins, with also a focus
                                                                                              on plant-proteins (e.g. Global Agreement on
                                                                                              Sustainable Diets)

    OTHER

    European Plant Based     The Village by CA North       Partners
    Protein Award            of France and by CA
                             Champagne-Bourgogne

18 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Focus
                                                                                                                      Link
Environmental                  Economical                                 Global   EU      National

Scale up sustainable protein   Engage businesses to make the                            The           http://greenproteinalliance.nl/
alternatives such as plant     transition happen                                        Netherlands   homepage-2018-engels/
proteins

                               Lead industries to take action on                                      https://www.forumforthefuture.
                               key areas to scale up a sustainable                                    org/protein-challenge; https://
                               and healthy production and                                             www.forumforthefuture.
                               consumption of protein                                                 org/Handlers/Download.
                                                                            X                         ashx?IDMF=026a4509-ecf6-
                                                                                                      400a-b176-7e33ad649813

                               Promote and support the plant-based                                    http://www.sdg2advocacyhub.
                               foods industry to a fair and competitive                               org/chefmanifesto
                                                                            X
                               marketplace for alternatives to animal
                               ingredients and products

                               Enable stakeholders to expand                                          https://www.theproteincluster.
                               their business and meet changing                                       com/
                               consumer demands towards
                               healthier and more sustainable
                               plant-based products

                               Develop projects and technologies                                      https://www.eitfood.eu/eit-food-
                               to provide economically viable                                         projects/
                               and environmentally sustainable
                               products from fava bean as well as
                               to increase the texture and taste of
                               plant-based foods

                               Create products that will be sold                                      https://www.knorr.com/uk/
                               through retail and food service                                        future50report.html
                               channels with programmes to scale-up
                                                                            X
                               plant-based foods through inspiration,
                               education and increased access

Scale up sustainable protein   Provide food industry with high                                        http://greenproteinalliance.nl/
alternatives such as plant     quality and nutrient faba beans                          Germany       homepage-2018-engels/
proteins

                                                                                                      http://www.nouvelle-aquitaine-
                                                                                   X    China         poitiers.inra.fr/en/All-the-news/
                                                                                                      Eucleg

Promote sustainable plant-     Educate grant-making institutions,
based foods with a lower       corporations, and governmental
environmental impact           bodies about plant-based foods’ R&D          X
                               and support companies producing
                               clean and plant-based products

                                                                            X

                               meet tomorrow’s challenges in the                                      http://plantbased-protein-awards.
                               field of plant-based proteins and                                      ca-norddefrance.fr/#awards
                               closely support start-ups offering                       France
                               innovative solutions in the field of
                               plant-based products

                                                                Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 19
INITIATIVES

                                                                                     Considerations
    Title                  Author                   Partners
                                                                                     Social/health

    ASSOCIATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND NGOs

    Alternative Protein
    Fund

    PBFA (Plant Based                               147 company members              Take a public health approach to getting and
    Foods Association)                                                               educating people to eat more plant-based
                                                                                     foods while ensuring that great-tasting plant-
                                                                                     based foods are widely available, convenient,
                                                                                     and affordable

    EUVEPRO (European                               ADM Specialty Ingredients
    Vegetable Protein                               (Europe) B.V, Beneo GmbH,
    Association)                                    Cosucra Groupe Warcoing
                                                    SA, Dupont, Ingredion
                                                    Germany GmbH, Roquette

    ENSA (European                                  Association of plantbased        Contribute to mainstreaming plant-based foods
    Plant-Based Foods                               foods manufacturers (Alpro,      for healthier and more sustainable diets
    Association)                                    Sojasun, Liquats vegetals,
                                                    Nutrition et Santé, Valsoia,
                                                    Amidori, Gold&Green, Quorn)

    Less is More           Greenpeace               Member cities                    Education program for cities and universities
                                                                                     around the world to promote plant-rich meals
                                                                                     and meat reduction

    Protein Highway                                 Industry, academia and
                                                    government

    Starch Europe                                   Trade association of 27 EU
                                                    starch producing companies

    GEPV (Groupe                                    Association of 10 members        Inform the general publicon the development of
    d’Etudes et                                     with a plant protein             plant proteins
    de Promotion                                    production, distribution or
    de Protéines                                    marketing activity in France
    Végétales)

    Protéines France                                Consortium of French              Support communication and information related
                                                    enterprises, cooperatives,       to market introduction of innovative products
                                                    distribution, innovation and
                                                    research centers active in the
                                                    plant-based and alternative
                                                    proteins sector

    Sojaxa                                          Association of soyfoods          Support the production and promotion of of healthy
                                                    manufacturers in France          and sustainable soy based products

    Pulse Canada                                    National association of
                                                    growers, traders and
                                                    processors of Canadian
                                                    pulses

20 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Focus
                                                                                                       Link
Environmental   Economical                                   Global   EU      National

                Invest leading start-ups working to create                               https://agfunder.com/invest/
                                                               X
                plant-based meat alternatives                                            protein-fund/

                Outreach to retailers to expand shelf                                    https://plantbasedfoods.org
                space for plant-based foods, as well as
                help food service directors offer more
                plant-based options. Change the debate
                                                               X
                on important public policy issues such
                as the dietary guidelines in order to
                elaborate practices that support plant-
                based products’ scale up

                Support manufacturers and distributors                                   https://euvepro.eu
                of vegetable proteins for human
                consumption in the European Union,
                                                                      X
                increasing recognition in European,
                national and international legislation, of
                vegetable protein products

                Raise awareness about plant-based                                        http://www.ensa-eu.org
                products amongst policymakers and
                advocate for fair treatment for the                   X
                emerging plant-based sector

                Engage cities, local governments, or                                     https://lessismore.greenpeace.
                public institutions (like universities,                                  org/cities/
                                                               X
                schools or hospitals) to include at least
                one vegetarian meal per week

                Promote partnership in research, business                                https://proteinhighway.wixsite.
                                                                              Canada
                development and innovation for the                                       com/protein-hwy/about-us
                                                                               and
                development of the alternative protein
                                                                               USA
                sector

                Promote and protect the reputation of                                    https://starch.eu
                starch products and the interests of EU
                starch producers to EU and international
                institutions and stakeholders, in order to            X
                assure a reliable and sustainable supply
                of safe starch based ingredients in a fair
                competitive environment

                Promote the development of plant                                         http://www.gepv.asso.fr/
                proteins by participating actively in a                                  Default9e79.html?lid=7
                better knowledge of these products;
                provide professionals of the food-                            France
                processing industry of the informative,
                technical and educational tools

                Federate, promote and represent the                                      http://www.proteinesfrance.fr
                French plant-based and alternative
                proteins value chain; ease the
                development and public support of                             France
                innovation projects; facilitate investment
                in industrial plants; encourage the
                creation and development of start-up

                                                                                         https://www.sojaxa.com

                Contribute to the profitability of the                                   http://www.pulsecanada.com
                Canadian pulse industry through
                programs designed to deliver innovative                       Canada
                solutions that improve efficiencies and
                increase value of plant proteins

                                               Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 21
INITIATIVES

                                                                                           Considerations
    Title                  Author                      Partners
                                                                                           Social/health

    Protein Industry
    Canada

    Global Plant-Based                                 Cooperation between the             Raise the bar on sustainability, nutrition, taste,
    Food Eco-System                                    industry community and              value chain, more eco-friendly production
                                                       public partners                     methods and regulation

    BMGF (Bill & Melinda                                                                   Deliver nutritious, appealing, affordable, and
    Gates Foundation)                                                                      accessible proteins ingredients to consumers
                                                                                           underserved by markets, with a focus on
                                                                                           affordable plant based protein

    Terres Univia                                      Organisation representing
                                                       French oilseed and oil
                                                       fruit sector (oil seed rape,
                                                       sunflower, soya, linseed, olive)
                                                       and French legume seed
                                                       sector (field pea, faba bean,
                                                       lupin, lentil, chickpea, alfalfa)
                                                       interests

    Barilla Foundation                                                                     Fosters change towards healthier and more
                                                                                           sustainable diet, by promoting a higher
                                                                                           consumption of plant-based food

    Eat Plants.
    For a Change

    The Alpro Foundation   Platform for academics, health care professionals and key       Support research and innovation on plant-
                           stakeholders                                                    based nutrition and its nutritional and
                                                                                           environmental values

    The Soy Nutrition      Collaborative organization of the United Soybean Board          Provide evidence-based information on the
    institute              and soy industry leaders, including global corporations and     impact of soybeans and soy components on
                           national associations                                           human health through a variety of education
                                                                                           and outreach efforts

22 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Focus
                                                                                                                          Link
Environmental                     Economical                              Global   EU       National

Work with private sector          Challenge Canadian businesses to
industry partners to create co-   collaborate with other businesses,
investment projects that have     and post-secondary and research
the potential to transform        institutions to create new projects
the agriculture and food          on high-quality plant-proteins
production sector

                                  Focus on R&D, innovation,
                                  production, quality with food
                                  brands, food ingredient brands,           X
                                  technology brands, and research
                                  background

                                                                                                          https://www.gatesfoundation.org/
                                                                            X                             what-we-do/global-development/
                                                                                                          nutrition

                                  Facilitate interactions between                          France         http://www.terresunivia.fr/terres-
                                  producers and processors to                                             univia-en
                                  promote the development and
                                  the use of oilseeds and associate
                                  products and undertake activities
                                  of collective interest action

                                  Provide recommendations to public                                       https://www.barillacfn.com/en/
                                  decision makers and maintains                                           magazine/food-and-sustainability/
                                  an ongoing dialogue with its                                            do-healthy-diets-protect-the-
                                                                            X
                                  stakeholders by providing food                                          planet/
                                  related multidisciplinary studies and
                                  highlighting best practices

                                                                                                          https://www.ciwf.com/your-food/
                                                                                                          plant-based-alternatives/
                                                                            X

                                                                                                          https://www.alprofoundation.org
                                                                                   X

                                  Identify and determine soy and                                          https://thesoynutritioninstitute.com/
                                  health research priorities and                                          about/
                                  facilitate the development and                             USA
                                  funding of targeted research
                                  projects

        The table lists a wide range of                the taste and texture of plant                  and supporting farmers overall
        initiatives led by associations,               protein products and consumer                   in the production of crops as a
        alliances and institutions focused             appreciation of these products.                 source of proteins.
        on the development of plant                    Yet, there are only a limited number
        proteins in foods and products as              of initiatives addressing the                   This benchmark analysis is an
        well as on increasing consumer                 following critical solution areas:              important contribution to the
        awareness and demand for a                     promoting a supportive regulatory               identification of the most urgent
        variety of protein sources. In                 environment; stimulating the                    and impactful business solutions
        addition, a number of activities               production of diverse plant crops               that FReSH can support to
        focus on ways to improve                       through sustainable agriculture;                accelerate the scaling up of plant
                                                                                                       proteins.

                                                                Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 23
5       Solution spaces
   In order to overcome the main hurdles related to plant protein scaling up and to fill in the gaps among
   existing initiatives, FReSH supports company transformation efforts to across the following
   four solution spaces:

                     1                            2                       3                          4
                                                                                               CULTIVATE:
                ENABLE:                         PULL:                 INSPIRE:
                                                                                             Build a thriving,
            Engage investors,                 Create the           Develop and                 sustainable
             businesses and                     market               promote a               supply of plant
            policy-makers to                 conditions to        global narrative            proteins from
             support dietary                increase plant          to positively            the ground up
                  shifts                   protein demand          position plant           using sustainable
                                                                       proteins                agriculture

   ENABLE: Engage investors,                  of a global plant protein              a whole set of changes in the
   businesses and policy-                     production and consumption             food environment – or the context
   makers to support dietary                  shift, in particular by:               in which we produce, provision
   shifts                                                                            and consume food.
                                              •   Developing a set of
                                                  supportive policy asks to          Food value chain companies,
   Business should not and cannot
                                                  advocate for in key events;        within FReSH and individually,
   act alone to promote more
                                                                                     should create the market
   sustainable and diverse plant              •   Communicating to other             conditions enabling plant
   proteins. It is essential to reform            businesses, suppliers or           protein consumption, in
   today’s policies to support                    customers of individual            particular by:
   more diverse and sustainable                   companies about the need
   agricultural systems while                     to scale up plant proteins;        •   Investing in innovative
   promoting marketing of the                     and                                    plant-based protein
   next generation of nutritious                                                         products with positive
   and sustainable plant-based                •   Engaging investors through             nutritional and sustainability
   foods and products. In addition,               various individual and                 profiles – creating product
   investors will be instrumental in              multistakeholder channels.             appeal and options;
   driving this shift to plant proteins,
   both through direct financial                                                     •   Sharing knowledge and
   support of emerging plant-based            PULL: Create the market                    case studies on consumer
   products as well as by prioritizing        conditions to increase plant               behavior change in relation
   more sustainable food system               protein demand                             to plant proteins, including
   investments. For example, the                                                         communication and
   introduction of carbon and                 Creating the conditions for                marketing tools; and
   water pricing could help identify          success goes beyond building
   investment opportunities that                                                     •   Implementing changes
                                              awareness of the benefits of
   support a shift to plant proteins.                                                    throughout supply chains,
                                              plant proteins. It is necessary
                                                                                         from fork to farm – i.e., from
                                              to understand the drivers of
   Food value chain companies,                                                           retail and restaurants to
                                              consumer behavior and demand
   within FReSH and individually,                                                        farm, to facilitate consumer
                                              with respect to plant proteins
   should engage policy-makers,                                                          access to plant-based
                                              in different markets. Nudging
   businesses and investors to                                                           foods.
                                              consumers towards healthy and
   support the development                    sustainable food requires

24 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
INSPIRE: Develop and                   CULTIVATE: Build a thriving,           Food value chain companies,
promote a global narrative             sustainable supply of plant            within FReSH and individually,
to positively position plant           proteins from the ground               should support farmers in
proteins                               up using sustainable                   scaling up the sustainable
                                       agriculture                            production of diverse plant-
To promote plant protein                                                      based proteins, in particular by:
production, transformation and         To transform the food system
                                                                              •   Sharing best evidence of
consumption, it is necessary to        and shift to more sustainable
                                                                                  sustainable plant protein
positively position them using a       and healthy outcomes, there
                                                                                  production practices and
renewed collective narrative, both     must be on-the-ground efforts
                                                                                  impacts across members
within and beyond industry. An         to transition and support farmers
                                                                                  and relevant business units;
internal business communication        with a more equitable system that
plan can help ensure managers          creates longer term solutions.         •   Coordinating messages
and executives within relevant         A key lever of success for any             to existing influential
industries are aware of the need to    sustainable dietary shift is to            groups (business, policy-
promote diverse diets high in plant    move away from agricultural                makers, extension services
proteins. Among growers, food          systems that degrade land and              structures) to orient
producers and food manufacturers,      ecosystems, overconsume                    research and extend and
this global narrative will be          resources, and offer a limited             advance efforts to promote
instrumental in raising awareness      number of crops for global                 plant-based proteins;
of the benefits of plant proteins      consumption. Promoting the
and will drive a sense of urgency to   growth of diverse plant crops          •   Adapting business
produce and promote plant protein      through sustainable agriculture            strategies and decision-
foods, ingredients and products.       can be a way to readdress and              making to prioritize the
Finally, to raise awareness among      adapt to consumer needs and to             production or sourcing of
the population, the narrative          help create a more resilient food          sustainable plant-based
should position plant proteins as      system that is less dependent on           proteins.
an appealing and attractive option,    fossil resources and enhances
part of a healthy, fun and social      the equitable distribution of
lifestyle. The role of policies is     value across the value chain.
fundamental here to support public     More specifically, regenerative
education campaigns and the            agriculture can be a way to build,
integration of such a healthy and      from the ground up, a revived
sustainable diet into the national     food system able to provide a
school curricula.                      diverse array of plant proteins.
                                       For example, legumes can play a
Food value chain companies,            key role thanks to their capacity
within FReSH and individually,         to naturally fix nitrogen from the
should develop a strong narrative      air, increasing soil fertility and
on the positive role played            reducing fertilizer use.
by plant-based products and
amplify its outreach, in particular
by:

•   Building synergies with
    existing global initiatives53 on
    various communication tools
    and events;

•   Integrating that narrative
    into brand positioning and
    communication/marketing
    efforts.

                                              Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 25
6        Conclusion
   2019 has sounded the alarm for          In order to achieve a successful     To that aim, society at large must
   the need to urgently transform          food system transformation, we       accept and implement the shift
   the food system to sustainably          must develop a comprehensive         to the wide-scale production and
   feed a growing population               set of credible, high-impact         consumption of plant proteins.
   expected to reach over                  solutions across these pathways      In particular, business must
   10 billion by 2050. Consumers,          in relation to proteins – with       urgently take bold action along
   stakeholders and even                   careful consideration of the         the following four axes: creating
   governments are increasingly            different sociocultural and          the market conditions to increase
   expecting business to take              economic environments. On            plant protein demand; developing
   action, yet none of the scientific      one side, we must deliver more       and promoting a global plant
   or economic reports produced            nutritious foods from a healthy      protein narrative; engaging
   to date highlight why and where         and sustainable mix of plant and     policy-makers, businesses and
   business should lead.                   animal sources to the 2 billion      investors; and building a thriving,
                                           people living in moderate or         sustainable supply of plant
   In WBCSD’s CEO Guide to                 severe food insecurity.              proteins from the ground up using
   Food System Transformation              On the other side, in most           sustainable agriculture.
   launched in October 2019,54             developed countries, we need
   seven pathways were identified          to significantly reduce and partly   More generally, societies need
   for business action on food             replace the production and           to reinvent the food environment
   system transformation, including:       consumption of animal protein-       and food-related businesses
   agricultural transformation while       based foods and products             in ways that deliver accessible,
   restoring the environment;              – particularly red meat – with       affordable and enjoyable, healthy
   enhancing the equitable                 plants and plant protein-based       and sustainable food to everyone,
   distribution of value; dietary shifts   alternatives.                        while contributing to thriving
   to be healthy and sustainable;                                               communities. We will provide
   accelerating policy and financial                                            concrete suggestions on how
   innovations; and new business                                                to achieve this in the FReSH
   models and value chain                                                       Roadmap that we will publish at
   collaborations.                                                              the end of 2020.

26 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation 27
Endnotes
   1
       Crist, E., Mora, C. & Engelman, R.        11
                                                      Afshin, A. et al. (2019). “Health      22
                                                                                                  Geijer, T. (2017). “The protein shift:
       (2017). “The interaction of human              effects of dietary risks in 195             will Europeans change their diet?”
       population, food production, and               countries, 1990–2017: a                     ING Think. Retrieved from: https://
       biodiversity protection”. Science              systematic analysis for the Global          think.ing.com/reports/the-protein-
       356, 260–264.                                  Burden of Disease Study 2017”.              shift-will-europeans-change-their-
                                                      The Lancet 393, 1958–1972.                  diet/.
   2
       Funabashi, M. (2018). “Human
       augmentation of ecosystems:               12
                                                      Poore, J. & Nemecek, T. (2018).        23
                                                                                                  Ahmed, J., Lorch, J., Ong, L. &
       objectives for food production and             “Reducing food’s environmental              Wolfgram, J. (2018). “How the
       science by 2045.” npj Sci Food 2,              impacts through producers                   supply landscape for global
       1–11.                                          and consumers.” Science 360,                meat consumption will evolve”.
                                                      987–992.                                    McKinsey. Retrieved from https://
   3
       World Resources Institute                                                                  www.mckinsey.com/industries/
       (WRI) (2016). Shifting Diets              13
                                                      Clark, M. & Tilman, D. (2017).              agriculture/our-insights/how-the-
       for a Sustainable Food Future.                 “Comparative analysis of                    global-supply-landscape-for-
       Retrieved from: https://www.wri.org/           environmental impacts of                    meat-protein-will-evolve.
       publication/shifting-diets.                    agricultural production systems,
                                                      agricultural input efficiency, and     24
                                                                                                  Sans, P. & Combris, P. (2015).
   4 Intergovernmental Panel on                       food choice”. Environ. Res. Lett.           “World meat consumption
     Climate Change (IPCC) (2019).                    12, 064016.                                 patterns: An overview of the last
     Global Warming of 1.5o C.                                                                    fifty years (1961–2011)”. Meat
     Retrieved from: https://www.ipcc.           14
                                                      Larson, N. & Story, M. (2009).              Science 109, 106–111.
     ch/sr15/.                                        “A Review of Environmental
                                                      Influences on Food Choices”. Ann       25
                                                                                                  Forouzanfar, M. H. et al. (2015).
   5 World Resources Institute (WRI)                  Behav Med 38, s56–s73.                      “Global, regional, and national
     (2016). Shifting Diets for a                                                                 comparative risk assessment of
     Sustainable Food Future. World              15
                                                      Quantis (2019). Dig In: The Quantis         79 behavioural, environmental
     Resources Institute Retrieved from:              Food Report. Retrieved from:                and occupational, and metabolic
     https://www.wri.org/publication/                 https://quantis-intl.com/report/dig-        risks or clusters of risks in
     shifting-diets.                                  in-food-report/.                            188 countries, 1990–2013:
                                                                                                  a systematic analysis for the
   6 World Business Council for                  16
                                                      Food and Agriculture Organization           Global Burden of Disease Study
     Sustainable Development                          of the United Nations (FAO)                 2013”. The Lancet. Retrieved
     (WBCSD) (2019). CEO Guide to                     (2006). Livestock’s long shadow:            from: doi:10.1016/S0140-
     Food System Transformation.                      environmental issues and options.           6736(15)00128-2.
     World Business Council for
     Sustainable Development                     17
                                                      See https://www.wbcsd.org/             26
                                                                                                  Food and Agriculture Organization
     (WBCSD). Retrieved from:                         Programs/Food-and-Nature/Food-              of the United Nations (FAO) (2013).
      https://www.wbcsd.org/ceogfan.                  Land-Use/FReSH/Resources/                   “Food Balance Sheets (FBS),
                                                      Science-to-Solutions-Dialogue-              2013”. Retrieved from: http://www.
   7
       Willett, W. et al. (2019). “Food in the        two                                         fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FBS
       Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet
       Commission on healthy diets from          18
                                                      World Business Council for             27
                                                                                                  Wood, S. A., Smith, M. R., Fanzo, J.,
       sustainable food systems”. The                 Sustainable Development                     Remans, R. & DeFries, R. S. (2018).
       Lancet 393, 447–492.                           (WBCSD) (n.d.). FReSH, Science              “Trade and the equitability of
                                                      to Solutions Dialogue 2, People,            global food nutrient distribution”.
   8
       Springmann, M. et al. (2018).                  Planet, Protein – What’s the Plan?          Nat Sustain 1, 34–37.
       “Options for keeping the food
       system within environmental limits”.      19
                                                      Intergovernmental Panel on             28
                                                                                                  World Resources Institute (WRI)
       Nature 562, 519.                               Climate Change (IPCC) (2019).               (2016). “People Are Eating
                                                      Global Warming of 1.5o C.                   More Protein than They Need—
   9
       Food and Land Use Coalition                    Retrieved from: https://www.ipcc.           Especially in Wealthy Regions”.
       (FOLU) (2019). Growing Better:                 ch/sr15/.                                   Retrieved from: https://www.wri.
       Ten Critical Transitions to                                                                org/resources/charts-graphs/
       Transform Food and Land Use.              20
                                                      Poore, J. & Nemecek, T. (2018).
                                                                                                  people-eating-more-protein-
       Retrieved from: https://www.                   “Reducing food’s environmental
                                                                                                  wealthy-regions.
       foodandlandusecoalition.org/                   impacts through producers
       global-report/.                                and consumers.” Science 360,           29
                                                                                                  Food and Agriculture Organization
                                                      987–992.                                    of the United Nations (FAO).
   10
        Food Reform for Sustainability and                                                        (n.d.) “What is Happening to
        Health (FReSH) (2020). Protein           21
                                                      Derived from European Food
                                                                                                  Agrobiodiversity?” Retrieved from:
        Pathways: accelerating healthy                Safety Authority (EFSA) values
                                                                                                  http://www.fao.org/3/y5609e/
        and sustainable food system                   on g/kg body weight; then used
                                                                                                  y5609e02.htm.
        transformation through business               global body weight data of 60-80
        innovation.                                   kg for adults.

28 Plant proteins: a key lever to accelerate food system transformation
You can also read