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UMass Amherst's new Future of Food Initiative is uniting researchers and partners across disciplines to advance solutions to some of the most pressing food system challenges—including more sustainable methods of producing protein 🙌 Get the details ⤵️

umass.edu

UMass Amherst Launches Historic, Transformational $120 Million Future of Food Initiative | UMass Amherst

Supported by private and public investment, the initiative will establish new research facilities, champion world-class faculty and accelerate interdisciplinary solutions to challenges facing the glob...

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 24/09/2026

Yes! And diversity in our protein supply 🌱🍄🥩

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Reposted by The Good Food Institute

Good Food Science @goodfoodscience.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

💡🔬 Join us on Thursday to explore innovative student-led research shaping the future of alternative proteins. These special Science of Alt Protein seminars on September 24th and October 1st feature finalists from @gfi.org's Academic Research Challenge. Registration links are in the first comment. 👇

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/09/2026

A confluence of events, such as drought & input costs causing beef prices to spike, the parasitic screwworm outbreak, and concerns about the safety of beef imports, might give alternative methods of production—like making beef from plants or directly from cells—a moment of opportunity.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/09/2026

A combination of technological, economic, ecological, and cultural factors just might be lining up to challenge the hold that beef has had on the American diet for decades, says @billmckibben.bsky.social. If so, this would be great news for the planet 🌎 Check out his fantastic new piece:

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 16/09/2026

🗺️ When’s the last time you checked out our alternative protein ecosystem map? This living resource maps 520+ researchers across 24 disciplines—helping connect the people and expertise advancing global protein innovation. Explore the map ⤵️ ecosystem.gfi.org

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 15/09/2026

Our food system is caught in the middle: it is both a driver of climate change and increasingly vulnerable because of it. In our newest Substack, we dig into what this means for meat production and how protein diversification can be a tool for both adaptation and mitigation.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 15/09/2026

A new UN report concluded that the world is likely to cross 1.5°C of warming within the next few years. Even under the most optimistic scenario, warming would peak around 1.8°C—and every fraction of a degree will intensify extreme weather and make adaptation harder.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 15/09/2026

The latest data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social confirms what many have suspected based on what they've been feeling over the past few months: 2026 has been the hottest summer on record. What does that mean for our food system—and how can protein diversification help? Learn more: bit.ly/4yzo8xh

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 13/09/2026

🐟🔬 How do we grow the future of sustainable seafood production? Together. Join the next Fish & CHIPS virtual huddle to explore differentiation and nutrition, cell line development, and GFI’s PISCES database with other cultivated seafood researchers and innovators. 👉 bit.ly/4i8YURr

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 08/09/2026

The fermentation funding rounds offer a glimpse of what a broader financing mix can look like—public + private investment alongside new financing models to help promising technologies make the costly move to commercial-scale production. Read more from @gfieurope.org 👉 bit.ly/3SRjUBR

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 08/09/2026

💡 These numbers point to a challenge that goes beyond any single investment cycle: scaling food technologies is expensive, and venture capital can only take companies so far.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 08/09/2026

🔀 The wider investment picture is more mixed. Europe saw half as many deals compared to the same period last year, while investment in plant-based and cultivated meat fell significantly. Globally, alternative protein investment also declined, from €341 million to €306 million.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 08/09/2026

🔬 Precision fermentation companies raised €100M—more than in all of 2025. 📈 Biomass fermentation companies raised €99M, ⬆️ from €60M last year. 💰 Many ferm. companies also secured grant funding alongside private investment, reducing risk for investors + helping scarce private capital go further.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 08/09/2026

🇪🇺 Fermentation is powering Europe’s alternative protein investment growth. In the first half of 2026, European alternative protein companies raised €236 million in private investment—up 56% from the same period last year. 💡 Much of that growth came from fermentation. ⤵️

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 01/09/2026

By investing in biomanufacturing infrastructure, food production technologies, talent, and supply chains, Japan is equipping companies to overcome shared barriers to scaling alt protein products. Details:

plantbasednews.org

Japan To Invest $6.2 Billion In Alternative Proteins And Other ‘New Foods’

The Japanese government has published a draft investment roadmap featuring $6.2 billion for novel food technologies alternative proteins

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 01/09/2026

✅ ¥12.8 trillion ($78.2B) in investment for biomanufacturing ✅ ¥1 trillion ($6.1B) for novel food technologies While these fields do encompass a range of applications beyond alternative proteins, the roadmap is still a critical win for the sector.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 01/09/2026

🇯🇵 Japan is positioning biomanufacturing and “new food” tech as strategic engines of long-term economic growth! A new government roadmap outlines more than ¥370 trillion ($2.26 trillion) in anticipated public & private investment across 17 strategic fields through 2040, which include:

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 31/08/2026

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 25/08/2026

💡Yet as author and professor of economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Galina Hale, points out, there is no one solution that can, on its own, usher in a sustainable, secure, and resilient food system. Instead, it will be built from many complementary solutions working together 🤝

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 25/08/2026

📈 According to FSI’s modeling, dietary shifts or food-waste reductions alone don’t cut emissions fast enough. Every successful pathway it modeled for staying within the carbon budget requires a transition from animal-sourced foods to lower-emissions options like plant-based & cultivated meat.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 25/08/2026

They also found that alternative proteins are one of the critical solutions needed to keep global food production within that carbon budget (aka the emissions we can allocate to the food system in the next 25 years while still avoiding the worst climate change outcomes).

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 25/08/2026

📊 Food System Innovations (FSI) crunched the numbers, and according to their research, the food system will blow past its carbon budget by more than 50% if consumption of animal products increases as it is projected to.

foodsysteminnovations.substack.com

Can the world diet be climate-friendly?

How we can feed the growing global population and remain within the food system’s global carbon budget.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/08/2026

Alternative proteins massively decrease greenhouse gases associated with protein production—plus they can feed more people using far fewer resources (like land & water). Protein diversification alone won't solve all of our climate challenges, but it's a critical part of the puzzle. Learn more:

bit.ly

Environmental benefits of alternative proteins - The Good Food Institute

How eco-friendly are plant-based and cultivated meats? Explore their climate impacts and resource requirements relative to conventional meat.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/08/2026

This is exactly why protein diversification is so important. Plant-based, cultivated, & fermentation-derived proteins are more resilient to today's climate shocks + give us additional ways to meet demand when conventional supply chains are under stress. They can also help slow future warming.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/08/2026

The report calls for strong governance and coordinated action to both strengthen adaptation to warmer temperatures AND mitigate further warming—warning that there are limits to how far our food system can adapt to the climate change that is already underway.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/08/2026

In late 2023, extraordinary temperatures in Brazil showed how head can magnify existing weaknesses across agricultural systems. On top of a warmer baseline shaped by climate change & amplified by El Niño, the heatwave simultaneously impacted crops, livestock, forests, fisheries, and human health.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/08/2026

A new FAO–WMO report warns that extreme heat is magnifying existing weaknesses across agricultural systems, leading to disruptions in crop yields, livestock health, water availability, and rural livelihoods. Keep reading to learn how protein diversification can play a role in mitigating risk 🧵

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 21/08/2026

⭐ GFI is now accepting applications for a Corporate Engagement Intern! This remote, U.S.-based position will conduct research and develop resources to advance the alt protein industry. 💸 Salary: $20/hour; 30 hours/week for 12 weeks ⏰ Apply by Aug. 31: bit.ly/4wGNNma

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 19/08/2026

No single solution can eliminate biological risk. But a more diversified food system gives us more ways to produce the foods people know and love when any one species, supply chain, or production method comes under strain. Learn more on our Substack: bit.ly/4ffYZAI

bit.ly

The hidden national security threat on your summer grill

America's food system is under growing biological pressure. Diversifying how we produce protein can make it more resilient.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 19/08/2026

🐮 Years of drought, high feed costs, and economic pressures have helped shrink the U.S. cattle herd to its lowest level in generations. 🐛 The New World screwworm, making its return to the U.S. 60 yrs after the parasite was officially eradicated from the country, is another mounting pressure point.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 19/08/2026

🔥 Grilling season in America is in full swing, but getting familiar favorites like burgers and steaks to the table is becoming more difficult, more expensive, and more vulnerable to disruption 🧵

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 14/08/2026

⚠️ Countries that can transform renewable biological resources into high-value products will be at the forefront of innovation, economic development, and environmental stewardship. Learn more in our latest Substack:

bit.ly

Brazil’s biodiversity is the engine of a new bioeconomy

How research is turning native species into food innovation

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 14/08/2026

The Biomes Program explored how underutilized crops and agricultural byproducts—such as the babaçu nut, cupuaçu seed, and baru fruit—can become ingredients for the next generation of plant-based foods.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 14/08/2026

🇧🇷 Brazil enters the global bioeconomy race with two unique advantages: the scale of its agriculture and its extraordinary plant biodiversity. When this biological wealth is paired with research, it can unlock enormous opportunities. This was the core idea behind GFI Brazil's Biomes Program 🧵

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Reposted by The Good Food Institute

Good Food Science @goodfoodscience.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

🎉 Join us in welcoming another wave of brilliant Alt Protein Project student champions into our community! Learn more about @gfi.org's 2026 APP cohort hailing from Argentina, Canada, India, Finland, Nigeria, the UK, and the US here: gfi.org/blog/the-alt...

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Reposted by The Good Food Institute

Good Food Science @goodfoodscience.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Growth factors have historically been a major cost driver of cell culture. In this seminar, Cameron Semper, Ph.D., will share how genome mining and protein engineering are being used to address this persistent challenge in cultivated meat production. Register: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Reposted by The Good Food Institute

Good Food Institute Europe @gfieurope.org · 11/08/2026

“Plant-based meat is ultraprocessed, so it must be unhealthy… right?” It’s a bit more complicated than that. Find out more below from Amy Williams, Nutrition Lead at GFI Europe 👇 Read our in-depth guide on how plant-based meat fits within the UPF discourse: gfieurope.org/is-plant-bas...

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 06/08/2026

In this piece: 🍠 A potential new revenue stream for North Carolina’s sweet potato farmers. 🇨🇳 China’s aggressively prioritizing alternative proteins and biomanufacturing as key national pillars. 🌾 Research into rice grains and rice bran as plant-based yogurt inputs. and much more!

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 06/08/2026

Our latest Substack takes a look at promising bioeconomy developments across North America, Europe, APAC, and India—and how GFI is showing up around the world to build ecosystems where plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived proteins can thrive. Dig in: bit.ly/4fFAjSs

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 05/08/2026

🔔 We're hiring a Scientific Community-Building Fellow! This part-time, U.S.-based remote role will empower you to advance plant-based meat science by engaging scientists from underrepresented disciplines in the alt protein space. ⤵️ 📆 Apply by 8/25: bit.ly/44Z5u53

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 04/08/2026

Given the staggering inefficiency of conventional beef production—which requires feeding up to 100 calories to a cow to produce just one calorie of beef—Singapore’s approval of cultivated beef is a critical milestone in shaping a brighter and more secure food future for the region and beyond 👏

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 03/08/2026

Plant-based beef requires up to 99% less water than conventional beef, slashes emissions by ~89%, and requires 96% less land. Cultivated meat is estimated to require up to 84% less water, cut air pollution by 93% and reduce land use by 95%. Learn more about the environmental benefits:

gfi.org

Environmental benefits of alternative proteins - The Good Food Institute

How eco-friendly are plant-based and cultivated meats? Explore their climate impacts and resource requirements relative to conventional meat.

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 03/08/2026

This is why it's so important to support plant-based & cultivated meat innovation. If beef made from plants and cultivated from cells can reach taste, price, and nutrition parity, it can help meet this growing demand in with far fewer emissions and less land + water used. Just how much less?

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 03/08/2026

Many climate and health experts have been advising Americans for decades reduce their red meat intake, but this has barely moved the needle. In fact, demand for ground beef hit a record high in 2025, leading the industry to turn to imports. Source: bit.ly/4fKU8bf

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 03/08/2026

All animal-based proteins result in more emissions than plant-based proteins—but beef is hands down the biggest emitter. It's also one of the most commonly consumed meats in America. (1.3 pounds per week, the equivalent of SIX Big Macs 🍔)

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 29/07/2026

Funding is available for research advancing some of the biggest technical challenges facing alternative protein development. 📄 Learn more and apply: lnkd.in/gydykCRV

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 29/07/2026

💸 Round 1 (applications due Aug 10) offers grants of $100k–$1m for focused research projects. 🚀 Round 2 (applications due Sept 15) offers larger grants of $1m–$5m for projects with broader scope and/or scale. Researchers can apply to both rounds, provided each proposal has a distinct scope.

lnkd.in

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 29/07/2026

📣 Big news for alt protein researchers: Coefficient Giving has expanded their R&D funding opportunity from $10 million to $30 million—and added a second application round. Here's what's new ⤵

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The Good Food Institute @gfi.org · 29/07/2026

Diversification dissipates risks. Incorporating a greater variety of plant-based, fermentation-made, and cultivated proteins into our food system would help make it more resilient, both reducing the impact of climate change and adapting to it.

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