Cambridge Business Association
Food for Thought: The Protein Transformation
Article

Food for Thought: The Protein Transformation

Björn Witte, Przemek Obloj, Sedef Koktenturk, Benjamin Morach, Michael Brigl, Jürgen Rogg, Ulrik Schulze, Decker Walker, Elfrun von Koeller, Nico Dehnert and Friederike Grosse-Holz
Boston Consulting Group, 2021
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Overview
  • Visionary

Recommendation

Many people love meat, but meat production is harming the environment, hurting animals and threatening human health. People will only embrace meat alternatives – whether vegetable-based or grown in a lab – if those alternatives resemble the positive attributes of meat and rival it in price. The technology is almost there, and investors are taking note. In this report, the Boston Consulting Group analyzes industry trends and seeks insight from 40 experts to understand the future of alternative meat, and how stakeholders can support, invest in and profit from the protein of the future. 

Summary

Alternative proteins, like plant-based and lab-grown meats, are becoming more popular and are projected to make up 11% to 22% of the meat market share by 2035.

Worldwide, people consumed about 574 million metric tons of meat and dairy products in 2020, and that number is rising as developing markets increase consumption. Meat consumption remains high despite concerns regarding human health, the treatment of animals and the environmental impact of the meat industry. Consumers are showing interest in alternative proteins, meat-like substances that are either plant-based, microorganism-based or animal cell-based. 

In 2020, people around the world consumed about 13 million metric tons of alternative proteins, which is only 2% of the current market share. Alternative meat products are on track to make up 11% of all...

About the Authors

Björn Witte, Przemek Obloj, Sedef Koktenturk, Benjamin Morach, Michael Brigl, Jürgen Rogg, Ulrik Schulze, Decker Walker, Elfrun von Koeller, Nico Dehnert and Friederike Grosse-Holz are professionals with the Boston Consulting Group.

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