New study shows Israel comes second only to the US in funds invested in global alternative protein industry.
Israeli companies are leading the world in food tech investments in the plant-based alternative proteins sector, and come second only to the US in funds invested in the alternative protein industry as a whole, according to an updated report published this week by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Israel.
The alternative proteins sector includes plant-based substitutes for meat, dairy, and egg, cultivated dairy, meat and seafood made from cells, and various fermentation processes and products. Cultivated protein startups and fermentation tech startups often overlap.
The GFI report highlights new figures in the Israeli food tech sector from the first half of 2022 (H1 2022), showing that $160 million in funds were poured into Israeli startups developing plant-based food products, equivalent to 22 percent of the world’s total, and slightly ahead of the US in this sector.
The global alternative protein sector as a whole drew $1.75 billion in H1 2022, with $320 million invested in blue-and-white alternative protein startups and companies, accounting for 18% of the total.
American alternative protein companies were far ahead with $857 million in total investments so far in 2022, and with cultivated protein startups — which harvest cells from animals and then grow them to create alternative meat and dairy products — leading the charge.
In fermented proteins, which use microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, Israel is also second place to the US, taking 38 percent of global investment in this field with $152 million in investments, according to the report.
In third place overall came China, with investments of $120 million, followed by Singapore ($104 million), and France ($96 million). These three countries are involved solely or primarily in plant-based alternative protein products.
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