France in Pioneering Protein Push

18 Oct 2016 --- France has sets its sights on becoming a world leader in protein as the Ministry of Agriculture, Secretary of State for Industry and the Protein Consortium sign a new agreement committing to develop the French sector.

According to a Ministry of Agriculture statement, the goal of the shared ambition is to make France a protein trailblazer by 2030. The agreement was signed during the International food exhibition SIAL in Paris at the weekend between agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll and Secretary of State for Industry Christophe Sirugue and industry players pledging to boost investment in what they describe as “intelligent food”. 

“The goal is to capture opportunities for growth and job creation afforded by the increased demand for plant and animal protein in the world (+ 40 percent by 2030 is 7 percent per year),” says the ministry statement.

The national program aims to structure the French sector and unify the supply chain to develop the protein sector, build on skills and expertise, support industrial research and development (R&D), accelerate investments, create employment opportunities and encourage startups likely to quickly develop innovations. Exploring proteins of the future like microalgae and insects will also be a theme. 

Over the next five years there will be up to €1 billion (US$110 billion) invested in the protein program with financial support from the country’s public investment bank and the Future Investment Program. 

The consortium Protein France so far includes some of the country’s largest agro-food companies including Avril group, Limagrain, Roquette, Tereos, Neovia, Terrena and development company IAR. 

Key player Tereos, the French co-operative which specializes in making sugar, starch and bioethanol, welcomes the consortium and push to invest in protein. 

“France has a strong potential to increase its production of plant proteins, the development of agricultural commodity processing industries, create value and strong on export markets,” says Tereos CEO, Alexis Duval. 

With its expertise in the production and processing of agricultural raw material and its position as second largest producer of wheat proteins, Tereos is developing a range of innovative products to meet global food issues and says its a committed player in the search and recovery of vegetable proteins.