In recent years consumer demand for plant-based protein has often outpaced the industry’s supply chain capabilities. And as the alternative protein sector continues grows, building the ingredients, infrastructure, investment, services and manufacturing ecosystem will be critical to deliver innovative foods that not only meet the need of the consumer but also business objectives now and in the future.

There are yet more challenges in this industry: taste and texture; price; regulatory requirements; flagging investment​ and financing struggles; nutritional credentials.

More prosaic challenges exist. Shelf-life and standardisation is a challenge, as is securing talent. Skills gaps are now common, for example, in a quickly innovating space. Young start-ups in the sector are also particularly keen to protect their IPs. Bringing manufacturing processes in-house might therefore seem like an attractive option. But this is not as cost-effective as hiring a contractor, which allows more scope to produce in large volumes.

Miguel Angelo De Facci de Oliveira, COO at NOVAMEAT, the Spanish company using 3D printing technology to create meat alternatives, said: “The alternative protein space is coming to terms with the reality of what is needed to build self-sustaining businesses, where the integration into food supply chains and the industrial footprint requirements therein become crucial survival challenges.”

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