2020 ‘a record year for plant-based, cultivated meat and sustainable protein companies’ Last year was the biggest to date for sustainable protein company launches, private investments, and retail sales, according to the Good Food Institute, which has just released its annual State of the Industry reports covering the plant-based, cellular agriculture and fermentation sectors.
Although the alternative protein sector still lags conventional meat and dairy, the GFI, a body working to support the development of alternative proteins, said it was hugely encouraged by the sector’s growth last year.
Among the highlights of its report were that Western Europe is now the largest regional market for plant-based meat at $1.8 billion, making up 43% of the global plant-based meat market. The region grew 17% compared with 2019. Global retail sales of plant-based meat hit record highs in 2020, reaching $4.2 billion, up from $3.4 billion in 2019.