INTRODUCTION 

The trajectory of our current food system needs a course correction. As it stands today, you may be surprised to learn that global food production and consumption habits contribute roughly one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions, and could preclude our ability to achieve major climate change targets. In fact, current agricultural practices are not only accelerating climate change, but also harming biodiversity, animal welfare, and human health. Rearing animals, rather than crops for human food is an especially inefficient use of valuable natural resources with outsized environmental impacts, yet looking into the future, our global appetite for meat is set to continue to grow. Without change to our current food production methods, we’re only going to see these issues escalate. 

Enter XPRIZE, a non-profit that helps to accelerate emerging technologies through incentivized prizes. In December 2020, XPRIZE launched “Feed the Next Billion” a multi-year challenge to jump-start the development of food products that aim to take animals out of the meat production equation by instead using plants, cells, or microorganisms. This challenge incentivizes teams to produce chicken breast or fish fillet alternative products that replicate or outperform conventional chicken and fish in: access, environmental sustainability, animal welfare, nutrition, as well as taste and texture. These “alternative protein” products could help support a transition to a more sustainable food system and healthier planet. 

As the XPRIZE Feed The Next Billion teams look to scale their alternative protein technologies and the production of alternative protein products increases globally, a multitude of questions concerning how these products will influence local and global economies have come into focus. What jobs will be created by this sector, and what jobs are likely to disappear as workplaces transition to support the establishment of a new food supply chain? Moreover, how might alternative protein product manufacturing contribute to the development of a food system that valorizes human, environmental, and animal welfare?