Universities from across the country are pooling together to set up a £38 million research centre dedicated to developing eco-friendly proteins.
The National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) is based at the University of Leeds and is co-led by the University of Sheffield, Imperial College London, and the James Hutton Institute climate and farming research group.
The long-term goal of the centre is to help make alternative proteins mainstream to both aid public health and help fight climate change. Project leader Anwesha Sarker stresses the importance of the food industry reducing its ‘reliance’ on animal farming in order to look after the planet’s future.
As the world population continues to grow, so do demands for protein, as part of a safe and nutritious diet. Professor Louise Dye, co-director at NAPIC from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Sustainable Food said: ‘It’s imperative we find ways to meet this demand by supplementing traditional animal agriculture with alternative protein sources including from plants and other sources.’
Alternative proteins come from sources that aren’t animals. They include cultured meat, plant proteins, insect-based proteins and proteins made by fermentation. Examples are cereals, legumes, nuts, fungi, algae, and lab-grown meat.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield aim to help develop healthy protein alternatives that also appeal to the public by being both affordable and tasty. Professor Tuck Seng Wong from the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering said that NAPIC will be working with key stakeholders to ensure that the alternative protein-based foods will be nutritious, safe, sustainable, and competitively priced to maximise appeal to consumers.
Project leaders are confident that the innovation centre will be a catalyst to set up the UK as a leader in the global alternative proteins market, working to transform the food systems we currently have and increase the sector’s sustainability
.
