Putting British success on the menu Time for a UK alternative proteins strategy

THE SOCIAL MARKET FOUNDATION The Foundation’s main activity is to commission and publish original papers by independent academics and other experts on key topics in the economic and social fields, with a view to stimulating public discussion on the performance of markets and the social framework within which they operate. [...] Participants at the session characterised the expansion of the AP market as an economic opportunity that the UK could either exploit, or risk missing out on: “As a country, do we want to be part of it? Do we want to be part of what is going to happen? Or do we want to sit and wait and see what happens? “We need to have a vision for what we want for the UK in this sector. [...] Nevertheless, the buoyancy of the UK consumer market52 53, forecasts of substantial global market growthiv and the risk of foregoing employment and investment to other countries should motivate UK policymakers to give strong consideration to how they can maximise opportunities of the protein transition. [...] The government has a blueprint for what this could look like in the form of the innovation needs assessment commissioned for the energy sector by BEIS, published in 2019.124 This initiative produced a series of sub-sector innovation needs reports and a database of innovation and business opportunities, allowing the UK government and investors to identify key priorities. [...] We note that the Dasgupta Review of the economics of biodiversity has highlighted how food service can drive the transition to more sustainable diets.129 £2.4 billion is spent annually on food purchasing for the public sector, though this figure is likely to be higher as the most recent estimate is from 2010; the government should publish an up-to-date figure with urgency.130 The House of Commons.