The alternative protein industry is bringing its pitch for more federal funding to the highest levels of government. This week in Washington, D.C., the Good Food Institute hosted a panel discussion at the global AIM for Climate summit on the role alternative proteins can play in decarbonizing the food system. Just a few weeks prior, industry leaders like Eat Just and Finless Foods hosted a fly-in event on Capitol Hill. Three members of Congress were in attendance, reported FoodFix.
It’s a critical time, for the climate crisis and the cultivated meat industry. A new survey concludes that despite increasing funding, difficulties in hiring scientists and engineers are hindering research and development — the very key to cultivated protein startups reaching the market.
The survey was conducted by the Good Food Institute, an organization that aims to increase the accessibility of cultivated and plant-derived meats. More than half of respondents reported having trouble hiring “technical talent,” and of those, 94 percent saw those difficulties as presenting moderately-to-very-severe obstacles to the success of their company. Seventy-nine percent were seeking employees for research and development, the phase in which most cultivated meat startups remain, as attempts to scale production and reduce costs continue.
“As with any emerging technological field, ready-made talent streams are relatively sparse. That’s largely to be expected,” says Amy Huang, Associate Director of Scientific Ecosystems for the Good Food Institute. The startups involved are “essentially undertaking the project of building a new, interdisciplinary scientific field,” according to Huang, requiring “significant investments in the long arc of workforce development.”
While the survey warns of the industry’s urgent need for a larger scientific base, some startups believe their products will soon reach consumers, despite the hurdles they face.
** Click here to read the full-text **
