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Sustainable food

Producing enough food to feed the world sustainably is one of the defining challenges of our time.

Companies already investing in
this opportunity

Biomass Technology Group BV (BTG) ● Candaxa Energy Inc ● Yara Pilbara Fertilisers ● ENGIE Energy Services ● PrecisionHawk ● Bosch ● Amazone ● Croda ● P&P Optica
$
286
bn+

investment opportunities in sustainable food to 2030

The food industry currently produces over a third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. We believe population growth, coupled with increasing focus on emissions, will generate significant opportunities in the sustainable food sector.

Five promising use cases in

Sustainable food

  1. Animal food alternative (plant-based, cultivated, alternative meat, dairy proteins) production by bioengineering or fermentation.
  2. Personalised nutrition or food-as-medicine for people with certain conditions, food requirements, or allergies.
  3. Battery-free liquid crystal elastomer RFID, printed temperature sensors, and smart phase-changing cold-responsive sensors for cold supply-chains.
  4. Green ammonia from green hydrogen, biomass or renewable electricity offers a carbon-neutral nitrogen fertiliser.
  5. Automated robotic platforms with hyperspectral imaging for fast screening of chemical composition of products.

Why is sustainable food important?

Food production contributes around 37 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and contributes nearly 19 times the amount of carbon dioxide as the commercial aviation industry, according to estimates. Rising populations and improving global living standards could expand the sector’s impact still further. If global food production increases by 15% over the coming decades, as some predict, emissions may increase by up to 80% from 2010 to 2050.  And with an increasing emphasis on achieving net-zero emissions, we expect more companies to be looking for ways to mitigate and reduce their impacts in this sector.

Use Case

What are examples of sustainable food?

Animal-based foods produce roughly twice the emissions of plant-based alternatives, which makes some plant-based foods a more sustainable option. Moreover, consumers are increasingly choosing plant-based food and drink. The global plant-based food market is expected to grow from $44.2 billion in 2022 to $161.9 billion by 2030.

$
88
bn+

Opportunities in organic farming to 2027

$
118
bn+

Opportunities in the plant-based food to 2030

$
57
bn+

Opportunities in the dietary supplements market to 2028

What innovations are driving sustainable foods?

Technological discoveries are helping to drive a proliferation of more sustainable foods. Improved understanding of nutritional science and chemistry is driving discoveries in prebiotics, and probiotics for nutraceuticals (food substances that provide medical or health benefits), functional foods (foods that offer health benefits beyond their nutritional value) and supplements.

At the same time, more sustainable agricultural practices, which make use of wireless sensors, artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity are underpinning precision farming, allowing farmers to irrigate fields with the exact amount of water and fertiliser required, resulting in reduced wastage.

What companies manufacture sustainable foods?

Companies such as Oatly and Beyond Meat have become household names. Impossible Foods, arguably one of the best known plant-based food brands, built its first large-scale food manufacturing site in California and partnered with a co-manufacturer, OSI, to provide additional manufacturing capacity. In their wake, startups focusing on meatless meats and dairy-free milks have proliferated and established players Kellogg's and Nestlé have also followed suit, expanding their own plant-based ranges. While these products will be a regular fixture on supermarket shelves, operators of agriculture and livestock industries have the potential to yield the biggest reductions in environmental impact.

What opportunities are there related to sustainable food?

We believe sustainable agriculture, food safety, plant-based dairy and meat, and food supplements will be key growth areas in sustainable food. The global plant-based food market alone is already growing at a compound annual growth rate of 17.6%. Opportunities are emerging across the food supply chain, affecting everything from growing and farming to manufacturing and product innovations. And with consumers increasingly embracing plant-based diets and seeking more ethical food options, opportunities for savvy product innovators will continue to grow.