EIT Food study: 140 organisations back a “Circular Protein Renaissance”

A new foresight study from EIT Food’s Protein Diversification Think Tank (PDTT) has found strong support across Europe for a “Circular Protein Renaissance” as the most desirable pathway for the continent’s protein future.

The study, published on 30 March 2026, surveyed 140 organisations — 131 of them European — spanning research, industry, NGOs, primary producers and the public sector.

Participants rated the “Circular Protein Renaissance” as the most relevant and desirable scenario for 2050, while identifying an “Uneven Protein Transition” as the most likely outcome on today’s trajectory.

According to EIT Food, this gap highlights a significant trust and implementation challenge between Europe’s ambitions and its current pace of change.

The study, developed with futures experts at VTT in Finland, outlines four plausible futures for Europe’s protein system and maps a transition roadmap to 2035 and 2050.

It identifies five key leverage points with the greatest potential to accelerate a fair and climate‑resilient protein transition: regulatory agility, blended public‑private financing, energy‑efficient biomanufacturing and circular processing hubs, consumer familiarisation and trust‑building, and open digital transparency for traceability and safety.

The PDTT’s work builds on earlier analyses and AI‑assisted scenario modelling (VTT ScenAIrios) to support policy, investment and industry decision‑making.

The preferred scenario — Scenario 2 — envisions diversified protein sources across animal, plant and biotech, greater use of agricultural and food‑production side streams, faster but safe approvals for innovative products, simple climate‑and‑nutrition labelling, and new income opportunities for farmers through protein crops and local processing hubs.

The study also aligns with emerging EU frameworks, including the Life Sciences Strategy, the proposed Biotech Act, the Green Deal and the updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy. EIT Food argues that novel proteins are essential to building a climate‑robust food system, reducing land, water and emissions pressures through diversification and circularity.

Lorena Savani, director of thematic leadership (Biotech & Protein) impact at EIT Food, said the transition must “balance innovation with inclusion,” adding that circularity, adaptive governance and transparency can make sustainable diets easier for consumers while creating opportunities for farmers and SMEs.

The four scenarios presented include: 

• Scenario 1: Uneven transition – patchy progress across regions 
• Scenario 2: Circular Protein Renaissance – the preferred, resilient and fair pathway 
• Scenario 3: Stalled transition – centralised controls slow approvals and uptake 
• Scenario 4: Food system reimagined – automation and bioreactors dominate, requiring strong governance

The five levers identified in the roadmap are designed to move Europe from pilots to scaled impact by 2035 and 2050. They include conditional approvals with real‑time oversight, blended finance for scale‑up, circular processing hubs, trust‑building through procurement and clear language, and open digital dashboards for supply‑chain visibility.

EIT Food says these levers make policy simplification tangible at a time of climate volatility, geopolitical shocks and farmer unrest. Over the next 12 months, the PDTT will begin delivery of the roadmap and is inviting cities, regions, cooperatives, SMEs, large food companies and financial institutions to join the workstreams.