Engaging governments to lead on food system transformation

Clearing the path forward

For Ellie, alerting changemakers to the possibilities of alternative proteins starts with building strong connections. As a nonprofit think tank, GFI is strategically positioned to do just that.

Last year, after the GFI Europe team forged connections and shared information about alternative proteins with the UK’s National Food Strategy (NFS) team, the NFS recommended that the government invest £125 million in alternative protein research. This was the first wide-ranging review of the UK’s food system in 75 years, and GFI Europe seized the opportunity to build trust with the NFS team by leading a series of meetings, technical conversations, and a tailor-made roundtable.

Recognizing that a recommendation doesn’t guarantee implementation, GFI Europe continued conducting targeted outreach to grow support for alternative proteins, including organizing knowledge-building workshops and arranging conversations to answer questions about alternative proteins.

The UK government published its National Food Strategy white paper in June, and this official response to the 2021 recommendations includes four strong references to alternative proteins. Most significantly, the white paper includes the explicit statement that “the government will keep the UK at the front of this growing and innovative sector by supporting alternative protein research and innovation.”

The GFI Europe team is getting crucial buy-in from UK government officials to carry this momentum forward. They collaborated with Member of Parliament Jonathan Djanogly on an article in which he responded to the NFS white paper recommendations: