Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the £120 million committed in the Government Food Strategy for research funding for alternative proteins has been allocated to (a) plant-based, (b) fermentation-derived and (c) cultivated meat, dairy, eggs and seafood proteins.

The Government’s Food Strategy included a commitment to keep the UK at the front of the growing and innovative alternative protein sector by supporting alternative protein research and innovation, including as part of our partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to invest over £120 million in research across the food system. To date, public support in the form of R&D investment to the sector includes £12.5m part of the Defra-UKRI partnership Farming Innovation Programme (FIP), focussed on developing innovative solutions for sustainable farm-based protein production, although the FIP excludes post-farm gate protein technologies like cultured meat.

Innovate UK is currently funding three projects comprising £12.5M through the Transforming Food Production programme, focusing on alternative protein for aquaculture and animal feed applications and two projects with an overall value of £1.5M focused on lab-based meat cultivation. Additionally, UKRI’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Innovate UK are jointly planning to invest at least £20 million in capacity building, research, innovation and business-led commercialisation to help develop alternative, more sustainable protein sources between 2022-2025. Precision fermentation and cultivated meat research proposals will be within the scope of funding as part of the BBSRC Strategic Plan 2022-2025.