Climate Action United States Project #75248

Transform Our Food System to Fight Climate Change

by The Good Food Institute

Transform Our Food System to Fight Climate Change

Project Report | Oct 13, 2026
Building a Better Food Future: Global Progress

By Helen Normand | Philanthropy Officer

The urgency of transforming our food system has never been clearer. The United Nations recently warned that the world is on track to exceed the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C warming threshold, while this summer's heatwaves cost the EU an estimated 12 million tonnes of crops. These developments highlight the growing threats climate change poses to food security, and why accelerating the shift towards more sustainable ways of producing protein is so important.

At the Good Food Institute, we're working to make that shift possible. Over the past few months, our teams around the world have made exciting progress across science, policy, and industry. Here are a few highlights!

Unlocking investment for sustainable proteins in Europe

GFI Europe partnered with Dutch finance institution Invest-NL to bring together more than 40 investors to explore how public and private funding can help alternative proteins reach commercial scale. The discussions informed practical recommendations to unlock investment and accelerate the growth of a more sustainable food industry.

Inspiring the next generation of food innovators

Our global Alt Protein Project welcomed 15 new student groups, bringing the network to more than 80 active groups across 21 countries! The programme has now directly facilitated over 100 jobs and more than a dozen university courses. We also launched our first student research challenge, providing early-stage funding to teams tackling scientific barriers to making sustainable proteins more affordable and accessible.

Building momentum for alternative proteins in Brazil

Brazil's national agricultural research corporation, Embrapa, recently recommended diversifying the country's food production to include plant-based proteins. This is an encouraging milestone in one of the world's largest agricultural economies. GFI Brazil has worked with Embrapa for years through research funding, workshops, and technical collaboration, helping build the scientific foundations for this progress.

A milestone for cultivated meat in Singapore

Singapore has approved cultivated beef for commercial sale, marking another important step towards a more diversified food system. Cultivated meat offers the potential to produce the meat people enjoy with significantly less land use and fewer emissions, demonstrating how innovation and supportive regulation can help build a more sustainable future.

Looking ahead

The challenges facing our food system are significant, but so is the opportunity to build something better. From advancing research and unlocking investment to supporting the next generation of innovators, these developments bring us closer to a world where sustainable proteins are accessible, affordable, and delicious.

Thank you for following our work! We look forward to sharing more progress towards a food system that's better for the planet, people, and animals.

Links:

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Jun 22, 2026
Building Momentum for a Sustainable Food System

By Helen Normand | Philanthropy Officer

Over the past few months, the Good Food Institute has continued working to transform how the world produces protein by advancing sustainable alternatives to industrial animal agriculture. In this update, we're sharing a snapshot of recent progress from our team in Europe, where we're helping build the scientific, policy, and industry foundations needed for sustainable proteins to scale.

Earlier this year, GFI Europe supported a major economic analysis exploring the future potential of alternative proteins across Europe. The report found that by 2040, the sector could contribute €111 billion annually to the European economy and support more than 400,000 jobs. Since its launch, the report has helped secure meetings with policymakers across the EU and UK, including officials from the Spanish Senate, UK Food Standards Agency, and European Innovation Council, helping ensure alternative proteins are part of conversations about economic growth, food security, and innovation.

We have also continued bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, and companies to tackle some of the biggest barriers facing the sector. Earlier this year, GFI Europe partnered with The Yugen Foundation to convene experts from across the Dutch and Flemish alternative protein ecosystems to focus on reducing the cost of fermentation technologies. By connecting academic and industry expertise, we help accelerate solutions that can make sustainable protein products more affordable and accessible.

At the same time, our industry team has expanded its work to help alternative protein companies overcome critical scaling challenges. These include access to manufacturing facilities, financing, and commercial demand. By identifying barriers and developing solutions that benefit the entire sector, we are helping build the foundation for a more resilient, climate-friendly food system.

While this update highlights work from Europe, it reflects the broader approach GFI takes around the world – identifying critical barriers, convening key stakeholders, and accelerating solutions that can transform our food system for people, animals, and the planet.

Thank you for following our work! We look forward to sharing more progress in the months ahead.

Links:

GFI Europe Mid Year Impact Update 2026

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