- A new EIT Food study maps four pathways to 2050, establishing today’s trajectory as at risk of an uneven transition.
- The 2035–2050 roadmap presented by the Protein Diversification Think Tank targets five levers, focusing on regulation, finance, energy, trust and data.
EIT Food’s Protein Diversification Think Tank (PDTT) has released a foresight study outlining four scenarios for Europe’s protein future alongside a roadmap to 2035 and 2050. In a survey of 140 organisations (131 from across Europe) representing research, industry, the public sector, NGOs and primary producers, participants rated the “Circular Protein Renaissance” as the most relevant and desirable future. By contrast, respondents viewed an “Uneven Protein Transition” as the most probable path today, signalling a trust and implementation gap between Europe’s ambition and its current trajectory. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
The study, conducted with futures experts at VTT, an independent research organisation based in Finland, sets out four plausible futures for Europe’s protein system and identifieskey leverage points to accelerate a fair, climate‑resilient transition. Scenarios range from an uneven, incremental shift to a fully reimagined, circular and tech-enabled food system. The work builds on PDTT analyses and AI‑assisted scenario building (VTT ScenAIrios) to inform policy, investment and industry action.
The report also presents a transition roadmap with milestones for 2035 and 2050 and highlights five leverage points with outsized impact: regulatory agility (including conditional approvals), blended public‑private financing for scale‑up, energy‑efficient biomanufacturing and circular processing hubs, consumer familiarisation and trust‑building, and open digital transparency for traceability and safety.
Bringing protein diversification into the mainstream for people and planet is one of EIT Food’s three high-value areas, cross-cutting EIT Food Missions to deliver system change. In 2022 experts from the EIT Food community therefore established the EIT Food Protein Diversification Think Tank (PDTT). The Think Tank convenes selected stakeholders and partners, fostering broad and inclusive participation to overcome barriers to innovation in the field of protein diversification.
Simpler regulation and strengthened protein self-reliance
Europe’s food system is under simultaneous pressure from climate volatility, geopolitical shocks and farmer unrest, while working to keep competitiveness and sustainability on track. This is pushing the EU to simplify rules and strengthen protein self-reliance, and is demanding an actionable, system-level plan rather than gradual fixes. With the Commission’s new Vision for Agriculture & Food elevating research, adaptive regulation and data-driven innovation, there is a real policy window in which to act.
Crucially, the foresight aligns with emerging EU frameworks, from the Life Sciences Strategy and proposed Biotech Act to the Green Deal and updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy, offering a practical basis for policy coherence and investment prioritisation. For EIT Food, novel proteins are essential to building a resilient and climate-robust food system. By diversifying animal, plant, and biotech-based protein sources, and using circular side-stream valorisation, land, water and emissions pressures can be reduced.
In the words of Lorena Savani, Director of Thematic Leadership (Biotech & Protein) Impact, “Europe’s protein transition must balance innovation with inclusion. This foresight study shows how circularity, adaptive governance and transparency can make sustainable diets effortless for consumers while creating opportunities for farmers and SMEs.”
Innovations in Food (& Beverage) Technology is a quarterly magazine distributed globally both in Print and Digital formats. www.innovationsfood.com. Twitter: @Innovfoodtech. Instagram: @innovationsinfoodtechnology. Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/terry-prior52
