NextGenProteins, ProFuture, Smart Protein and Susinchain - four EU-funded projects working on alternative proteins, are extremely proud to announce Horizon4Proteins, their collaboration to transition towards a more sustainable and resilient food system in Europe.

Given the reality of climate change and natural resource scarcity, it will become increasingly challenging to ensure sufficient, nutritious, safe and affordable food to a fast growing world population with changing dietary habits. In this respect, the protein supply is critical – integration of a variety of new or alternative protein sources from both terrestrial and aquatic origin into new and/or existing processes or products needs to be explored in order to develop and ensure more sustainable and resilient food supply, featuring high levels of consumer acceptance by a clean labelling approach and attractive market opportunities.

Sharing this goal, the EU H2020 funded projects NextGenProteins, ProFuture, Smart Protein and Susinchain have launched Horizon4Proteins, a partnership that kicked off with a webinar series exploring key aspects of alternative proteins such as consumer acceptance, safety and regulatory challenges, food applications, and sustainability. Horizon4Proteins invites researchers, farmers, producers, policymakers, and all those with an interest in sustainable food systems to join the conversation and contribute to the future of our food systems.

Webinars on alternative proteins

The first Horizon4Proteins webinar on safety & regulatory challenges of novel protein sources took place in December 2021 and attracted numerous participants. The second webinar, ‘Why (not) to eat? European consumers’ views on foods made of alternative proteins’ will take place on 3 February, from 10–11am CET. Register for free here.

In this highly informative webinar, Horizon4Proteins will explore European consumers’ views on alternative proteins made with novel ingredients such as microalgae, insect, plant-based and single-cell protein. Jaakko Paasi, Principal Scientist in Foresight-driven Business Strategies at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, and Armando Perez-Cueto, Associate Professor at the Design and Consumer Behaviour Department of the University of Copenhagen, will provide deep insights on consumer acceptance.

Notes to editors

About NextGenProteins:

NextGenProteins is working to optimise the production of three alternative proteins: microalgae, single cell protein, and insects, and verify their use in various feed and food applications in order to meet customers’ needs and ensure consumer acceptance. The project is contributing to strengthening food security, sustainability, and the self-sufficiency of EU protein production by demonstrating the suitability and economic viability of next-generation proteins as part of food and feed value chains, with less strain on natural resources and reduced environmental impacts. https://nextgenproteins.eu/

About the Smart Protein project

Smart Protein is a €10 million, EU-funded project that seeks to develop a next generation of foods that is cost effective, resource efficient, and nutritious. Alternative protein sources such as legumes and side-streams of beer and pasta production are used to generate ingredients as well as plant-based meat, seafood, dairy products, and baked goods. https://smartproteinproject.eu/

About SUSINCHAIN

SUStainable INsect CHAIN (SUSINCHAIN) aims to contribute to novel protein provision for feed and food in Europe by overcoming the remaining barriers for increasing the economic viability of the insect value chain and opening markets by combining forces in a comprehensive multi-actor consortium. The overall project objective is to test, pilot and demonstrate recently developed technologies, products, and processes, to recognise a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The project focuses on these crucial activities, as well as living labs and workshops with stakeholders in the insect-protein supply chain for feed and food. https://susinchain.eu/

About ProFuture

With the increasing demand for sustainable protein sources as an alternative to conventional animal-based foods and feeds, ProFuture aims to scale up microalgae production and prepare the market uptake of microalgae proteins as ingredients for innovative and sustainable food and feed products. The project looks at the entire supply chain in order to minimise land, water and energy use, making microalgae cultivation more efficient, sustainable, and affordable. With cost-effective production processes and innovative technology, the project helps create protein-rich ingredients from microalgae biomass to make foods and feeds that are nutritious and tasty. https://www.pro-future.eu/