The current food system is insufficient and unsustainable given predicted increase in meat consumption and the threats to personal and environmental health posed by today as intensive animal agriculture. As of 2020 the system was already seen to be underperforming with 8,6% of people living in the EU unable to afford meat containing animal protein or vegetarian equivalents every second day. By the end of 2022, the rate of food inflation reached 18,2%, a dramatic price rise, signifying heightened food insecurity. Future increases in world demand for animal-protein would only worsen this problem. The current food production model in 2020 accounted for 17% of total greenhouse gas emissions, furthermore, animals are often raised in crowded and unhealthy living conditions and fed excessive amounts of antibiotics. Thus, the EU food model system needs rethinking and reorganisation, where cultured meat and seafood technologies have the potential to provide alternative sources of proteins that are safe and produced in a sustainable and ethically responsible manner.

The aim of the FEASTS project is to provide a comprehensive knowledge base on the technical, environmental, economical, social and ethical aspects of cultured meat and seafood that can be used as a platform for new regulations and production approaches. FEASTS will explore different production methods, product types, supply and value chains as well as business models to provide balanced solutions that are not only sustainable by design and cost-efficient, but also ethically responsible, safe and nutritious, fair and inclusive. Thus, FEATS will adopt food system thinking approach and multidimensional assessment including not only LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), TEA (Techno-Economic Analysis), SLCA (Social Life Cycle Assessment), but also dynamic modelling and integrated scenario analysis that will provide a decision support tool for informed policy and decision making in the EU. These will secure ethically responsible development of the sector in the EU, while meeting sustainability, safety and food security goals within a framework of just transition for all food system actors.

To reach these goals, FEASTS gathers 36 organisations from 17 countries and an initial stakeholder board of 47 entities covering the representatives of the whole life cycle of cultured meat and seafood products.

More info Exploring the Future of Cultured Meat and Seafood Technologies (feasts-innovation.eu) and you are invited to connect and network on FEASTS LinkedIn page.