Catalonia boosts plant-based production and fermentation-made food with €7M investment

16 Oct 2023 --- Non-profit think tank the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe has applauded the Catalan government’s €7 million (US$7.32 million) investment in a research center to bolster more sustainable ways of making plant-based meat and accelerate the region’s vibrant culture and food industry.

The Center for Innovation in Alternative Proteins (CiPA), based across various sites throughout the region, has been funded by the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA).

The center will help businesses scale up the production of foods such as plant-based meat and fermentation — which uses organisms such as yeast to produce animal proteins and other ingredients to deliver the flavor and texture of meat, dairy and eggs without farming animals.

Protein transition
The EU is promoting the “protein transition,” which proposes rationalizing animal meat intake and increasing alternative protein sources: vegetables, microalgae, fermentation of fungi (and other microorganisms) and insects. 

The investment is one of Spain’s largest investments ever made in alternative proteins.The CiPA is on track to valorize alternative protein sources to traditional ones.

It is also expected that these new protein sources will reduce the environmental impact of traditional food production, promoting a healthier and more self-sufficient diet from sustainable local productions. All this represents an opportunity for the Catalan agri-food sector, which can become an essential lever for transforming the country’s food system.

According to the IRTA (Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology), all this will entail an expansion of knowledge of the nutritional, functional, sensory and food safety parameters of these foods. This knowledge will be transferred to the productive sector, which will be able to move, accompanied by IRTA and the new CiPA, in an efficient, safe and sustainable way toward the food of the future.

Transforming food waste 
CiPA will also research how this process can reduce food waste by transforming agricultural surplus and byproducts into nutritious and delicious food,—potentially providing new revenue sources for farmers.

Spain is the fourth largest retail market for plant-based foods across Europe—with sales increasing by 9% between 2020 and 2022 to €447.4 million (US$475 million).—driving green growth and creating new jobs.

Meeting sustainability targets 
Catalonia’s investment will also help Spain meet its climate targets, as plant-based meat can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 98% and use up to 93% less land and 99% less water than conventional meat. 

It will also help Catalonia to satisfy the demand for meat while reducing the risk of superbugs and pandemics, as alternative proteins are made without antibiotics or industrial animal agriculture.

The center’s €7 million (US$7.32 million) funding, which will run for four years, is one of Spain’s most significant investments in alternative proteins.

As well as carrying out research, CiPA will help build essential infrastructure, including research facilities and pilot plants. It will enable start-ups to expand by providing them with the expertise and specialist equipment needed to develop, test and improve their products.

Alex Holst, senior policy manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, believes the “landmark announcement is a major step toward turning Catalonia into one of Spain’s leading hubs for sustainable plant-based and fermentation-made foods.”

“The region is already home to pioneering alternative protein companies, but this investment will help develop a vibrant Catalan sector capable of producing affordable foods for the growing alternative protein market, generating highly skilled jobs and export opportunities.”

Interest in plant-based and cultivated meat
A GFI survey from last year found that consumers are cutting down on conventional meat across major European countries while interest in plant-based and cultivated meat is growing. The CiPA will help companies scale up the production of sustainable plant-based, cell-based and fermentation-made foods.

The study, examining attitudes in France, Spain, Germany and Italy, found more than half of consumers have reduced their conventional meat consumption, with large numbers instead opting for plant-based meat.

It found that 59% of people in France, 50% in Germany, 61% in Italy and 58% in Spain have reduced their meat consumption over the last five years.

One in two Spaniards and Italians, 27% of French people and 41% of Germans are now eating plant-based meat on a monthly basis, and a quarter of German and Spanish consumers plan to increase their plant-based meat consumption in the next few years.

The survey also revealed a growing awareness of cultivated meat, with 65% of Spaniards, 55% of Italians, 57% of Germans and a third of French people already saying they were willing to buy it when it becomes available in Europe.

Carlotte Lucas, corporate engagement manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, explained: “It’s great to see plant-based meat become so strongly established in many people’s diets across Europe. Companies now need to capitalize on this interest and invest in the development of products that can truly compete with conventional meat on taste and price to provide the sustainable options Europeans want.”

By Elizabeth Green