Great Protein Transformation Challenge

Protein and the food system

From the momentum around alternative protein innovation to livestock’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions: the protein system has never been under this much spotlight. There is an increasing awareness of the protein system’s disproportionate ecological and social impacts on the planet, sitting at the nexus of the intersecting challenges of the climate emergency, social inequality, biodiversity degradation, and human health crises. Equally, the protein system has huge potential to drive deep transformations in the wider food system–if done in the right way.

Yet, current solutions, even at scale, will not get us to where we need to be (for further reading, please see our Future of Food report). A future protein system that is just ‘better than what we have at present’ is not enough. We need to reorientate existing efforts to deliver a protein system that is integrated into healthy, sustainable and future-fit food systems for everyone.

The Great Protein Transformation Challenge

The Great Protein Transformation Challenge invited stakeholders to ask the questions that are often overlooked and collectively deepen our potential for transformative impact. These included how the protein transition is ‘just’ and how we can deliver real impacts – developing shared visions and asking ‘how’ we can each shape the future of food. 

We believe that actors in the protein space need to focus on: 

• Ensuring better nutrition and health is a primary objective in all innovation
• Sending a demand signal for a shift to regenerative agriculture on the ground
• Enabling a diverse range of people to benefit and participate in dietary shifts, and
• Sparking a collective effort around a just rural transition and better distribution of value across the supply chain.

Through the initiative, we sought to go beyond discussing the challenges around GHG emissions and diets, to understanding diverse perspectives of the change we need, visualising a shared future across food businesses, innovators and civil society, and identifying practical approaches needed to make this deep transformation a reality across multiple spheres of innovation, trade and finance.

The Great Protein Transformation Challenge was built on more than five years of work and research from the multi-stakeholder collaboration Protein Challenge 2040, including our work on Future Plates (rebalancing protein in diets) and Feed Compass (sustainable animal feed).