抓住欧洲替代蛋白的经济机遇：从农场到工厂的繁荣

Delivering prosperity from farm to factory Authors andAcknowledgement Interviews with 50 experts from variousstakeholder groups in the food andalternative protein sector. A full list is providedto the end of this report. Systemiq core team Alex Andreoli, Nanne van Doorn,Rupert Simons Copyright Financial support This work (excluding photo rights) is madeavailable under the Creative CommonsAttribution 4.0 International license (CC BY4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. If you adapt this work,please include the following disclaimeralong with the attribution: ‘This is anadaptation of “Systemiq (2026). Seizing theeconomic opportunity of alternativeproteins in Europe: Delivering prosperityfrom farm to factory.” The views andopinions in this adaptation have not beenreviewed or approved by Systemiq. Thank you to the Good Food Institute Europe(GFI Europe) for commissioning this reportand acting as a key adviser and partner. Theviews expressed in this report do notnecessarily represent those of GFI Europe. Sources used for this analysis The analysis is based on a range ofassumptions, gathered from: A review of scientific studies and industryreports – A comprehensive list of key sourcesis provided in the Technical Annex, whilespecific uses are listed in the end notes Citation If reproducing or referencing the content inthis report, please use the following citation:Systemiq (2026). Seizing the economicopportunity of alternative proteins: Deliveringprosperity from farm to factory. Executive summary We are on the cusp of a new era in how food is produced, and the EU has theopportunity to lead the way. Building a robust domestic alternative protein industrywould enable the EU to unlock major economic opportunities while strengthening itsstrategic autonomy. Over the next 15 years, this emerging sector could deliversubstantial industrial and rural growth, high-quality employment, and greater resilience. reliance on industrial animal agriculture andassociated feed imports, whilst deliveringsignificant environmental and planetaryhealth benefits. Alternative proteins as an industrialpriority Alternative proteins involve usingplant-based, cultivated, precision andbiomass fermentation technologies torecreate the experience of meat, dairy, eggsand seafood. This approach could deliverfoods that are as delicious and nutritious asthe meat and dairy people enjoy today, at afraction of the environmental impact. If theywere to reach price parity with conventionalanimal protein, these more sustainableoptions would also become widely accessible.This would help to strengthen the resilienceof Europe’s arable agriculture sector, reduce The development of the EU’s alternativeprotein sectors is also a strategic industrialopportunity: their production draws oncapabilities deeply interconnected with theEU’s existing industrial base, frombiotechnology and other innovative industriesto its manufacturing sectors. Thesecapabilities give the EU a natural advantage inscaling production and driving innovation.By making alternative proteins a strategicpriority, the EU can take the lead globally inthis emerging sector. The benefits for domestic markets and trade With supportive policies, alternative proteins could meet 10% of the EU’s meat and 25% of its dairydemand by 2040. In our scenario, demand for alternative protein food and ingredients in the EUcould be worth€53 billion by 2040 – more than the European chocolate market (€47.3 billion). Beyond food end products, the sector would drive value chains in crops, feedstocks, bioreactors,and processing equipment – areas where the EU already has strong industrial capabilities. When thefull value chain is accounted for, the total market opportunity could reach€79 billion,comparableto Lithuania’s GDP in 2024.Export potential would also reach €60 billion by 2040, positioningthe EU as a global biomanufacturing hub. Enabling Factor 1: Growing the marketfor legumes and pulses. Employment potential & GVA By 2040, alternative proteins couldcontribute€111 billionto the EU's economyeach year by creating demand across thesupply chain. Within 15 years, the sectorcould support almosthalf a million jobs,spanning arable agriculture, R&D,manufacturing, logistics, and marketing,boosting both industrial competitiveness andlocal livelihoods. A strong domestic plant-based meat and dairysector would boost demand for food-gradelegumes and pulses, which could serve as anenabling condition for farmers interested inshifting to these crops. Such shifts could, overthe long term, reduce critical importdependencies and enrich soils throughnitrogenfixation, while diversifying farmincomes. Strengthening EU arable agriculture Enabling Factor 2: Increasingself-sufficiency in high-protein crops. Alternative proteins could create threeenabling factors for strengthening theresilience of the EU’s arable agriculturalsector over the long term. A shift towards alternative proteins could helpshrink the