The Good Food Institute

🎤 Don’t miss GFI founder + president Bruce Friedrich give a keynote presentation on how alternative proteins can help build a more sustainable, just, and secure food system at Food 4 Thought 2025 on April 12. Attend → https://bit.ly/43Q645G

🇰🇷 Supported by $10 million in public investment, South Korea's Uiseong County is building the country's first cultivated meat research center. Check it out → https://bit.ly/41FMVkm The roughly 28,632-square-foot Food Tech Research Support Center is slated to open in 2027 and is expected to create 60 new jobs. The facility will be designed to help #cultivatedmeat companies develop their processes, scale up production, and apply for regulatory approval. Commenting on South Korea's rise as a global food innovation leader, The Good Food Institute APAC managing director Mirte Gosker said: "No individual country can reimagine the global protein supply – but a network of Asian R&D hubs working collaboratively to accelerate future food development and manufacturing very well could. Korea is a central player in turning that dream into reality, alongside other established foodtech leaders like Japan, China, and Singapore, and rising economies like Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.” The center is just the latest example of South Korea leaning into cultivated meat as part of its goal to build a more resilient and future-proof food system. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety established a framework for cultivated meat and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries also announced an investment of $21 million in research funding for plant-based and cultivated seafood technologies..

Navigating the alternative protein ecosystem is easier when you leverage existing support networks. Explore the trade associations, professional networks, and other communities of practice organized around plant-based, fermentation, and cultivated meat technologies alongside related fields. Check out our new resource and expand your alternative protein network today: https://bit.ly/40JBGIu

Fermentation companies around the world have been making big moves — and bringing in big bucks in the form of public and private investments. In this Substack piece, we explore some of the latest developments in this rapidly-evolving space. Check it out 👉 https://bit.ly/41Efr5L

Join GFI’s next Business of Alt Protein webinar on April 1st, which will cover current precision fermentation consumer research insights and nomenclature best practices. Save your spot 👉 https://bit.ly/3Rd05jU GFI’s consumer research lead Taylor Leet-Otley will provide an overview of consumer research findings relevant to go-to-market strategies, on-pack messaging, and what to call these novel ingredients.

🔔 GFI research grant season is upon us! Looking to secure funding for your research? Don't miss this opportunity👇 💸 GFI is accepting proposals for projects of up to 24 months with a funding cap of $250,000. Projects collaborating with a partner new to the alt protein field may qualify for an additional $50,000 in funding. 💡 Learn more about the request for proposal (RFP) process → https://bit.ly/3vNYgjJ 📆 Attend one of the upcoming information sessions to learn more → https://bit.ly/42041JH

🍽️ Texture remains a major barrier to plant-based meat adoption. Learn how Dr. Ellen Kuhl of Stanford University and her team used advanced testing to measure the texture of plant-based and conventional meat. Register 👉 https://bit.ly/4iJme58

🌸 Take a look at this month's issue of our Alt Protein Pulse newsletter for updates from our global affiliates, alt protein headlines, and plenty of events and engagement opportunities on the horizon. It's all right here ⤵

📈 Fermented proteins could represent 4% of total protein production by 2050 for a total market size of up to $150 billion but the industry will need roughly $250 billion to get there. More here → https://mck.co/4iYTYvC According to a new report by McKinsey & Company, the potential market opportunity for fermentation-enabled products has spurred traditional fermentation players, food giants, sovereign wealth funds, and others to invest more than $4 billion in precision and biomass fermentation over the past five years. The biggest challenges facing the fermentation industry isn't demand, it's scaling up capacity and improving the underlying technology and processes to reduce the unit costs of these novel ingredients. To address these supply chain and technological challenges, more public investment will be crucial to ensuring the success and growth of this promising industry. In our recent Substack piece, we explored some of the latest investment developments in this rapidly-evolving space. https://bit.ly/4iG4cRQ Eshan Samaranayake shared further insights in a recent issue of his "Better Bioeconomy" Substack: "Fermentation is moving from product novelty to platform utility. As companies shift from brand-led to ingredient-led strategies, fermentation could underpin entire categories, from protein and fats to functional ingredients."

We’re thrilled to announce that thanks to four visionary leaders in the space, the first ever at protein-focused Gordon Research Conference is coming in early 2026! Details on our Substack: https://bit.ly/4hTUI4a To continue innovating alternative protein products that satisfy consumer demand, we need effective new forums for open and rigorous scientific inquiry. This GRC is the ideal opportunity to: 🤝 Build a sense of camaraderie and community 💬 Advance critical, interdisciplinary scientific dialogue 👩🎓 Nurture the next generation of scientific leaders Huge shout out to Dr. David Kaplan of Tufts University, Dr. Mette Lübeck of Aalborg University, Dr. Amy Rowat of UCLA, and Dr. Girish Ganjyal of Washington State University who put forth this successful GRC proposal!