Biden’s Final Food Push: US Government Releases Close to $10M in Sustainable Protein Grants


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The US Department of Energy has invested $9.7M in three alternative protein projects to decarbonise the food sector and improve industrial productivity.

Microbial proteins, fibre-spun vegan meat, and animal-free lactoferrin all became winners of grants totalling $9.7M from the US Department of Energy (DOE) this month.

In its drive to support R&D of future-facing technologies that can reduce energy demand and boost productivity in key industries, the DOE announced an injection of $136M in 66 projects as part of the Technologies for Industrial Emissions Reduction Development (TIEReD) programme.

These sectors – ranging from fuel, iron and building to forest products and food and beverage – represent 75% of America’s industrial energy demand, employ nearly 8% of its workforce, and contribute to $27M of its GDP.

A total of 10 food projects secured funding for novel technologies and process optimisation by the DOE in the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency, and three of them focused specifically on alternative proteins.

Ginkgo Bioworks

Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts
Funding amount: $2.42M

ginkgo bioworks lactoferrin
Courtesy: Tanya Kim/Shutterstock

NYSE-listed synbio firm Ginkgo Bioworks and partners (including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) received $2.42M to develop human lactoferrin via precision fermentation.

A whey protein found in bovine colostrum and human breast milk just after birth, it’s an iron-rich ingredient with a host of functional health benefits – but it doesn’t come cheap, and so its use is largely restricted to infant nutrition and supplements. Lactoferrin is becoming central to the plans of several precision fermentation companies now.

Ginkgo Bioworks’s project plans to produce human lactoferrin through a novel yeast strain that can utilise low-carbon sources for bioproduction. Derived from waste feedstocks, the ingredient could replace bovine lactoferrin, providing a more efficient supplement and robust supply chain for infant nutrition, while valorising sidestreams and lowering the protein’s carbon footprint.

Tender Food

Headquarters: Somerville, Massachusetts
Funding amount: $5.4M

tender food funding
Courtesy: Tender Food

One of the very few companies leveraging fibre-spinning technology to make plant-based meat—Germany’s Project Eaden being the other major player—Tender Food bagged $5.4M from the DOE to design and assemble a pilot-scale fibre-spinning system with high production volumes.

The firm likens its manufacturing process to spinning cotton candy, which can replicate animal muscle fibres to create vegan analogues to beef short rib, pulled pork, chicken breast, and crab. Its proposed research plan to the DOE involves producing whole-cut meats through a method that requires lower energy and carbon intensity than conventional methods.

Advancing the tech would help lower costs and enable price parity with animal-derived meat, as well as lead to a decrease in carbon and energy intensity.

“This grant is a huge validation [of] our technology’s potential to unlock innovation and efficiency in food manufacturing, and we’re excited to partner with the DOE to scale our impact and support industrial decarbonisation,” said Rick Marquardt, head of strategy and corporate development at Tender Food.

Michigan State University

Headquarters: East Lansing, Michigan
Funding amount: $1.83M

michigan state university
Courtesy: Michigan State University

A team at Michigan State University won $1.8M to develop a plant protein production platform that leverages microbial processes to replace alkaline extraction (which is chemical- and energy-intensive), and recycles processing residues to generate renewable energy and lower emissions.

The project plans to optimise ultrasound-assisted fermentation and would demonstrate the utility of flexible and scalable microbial processes to extract plant protein from various crops, yielding a protein with high solubility and improved functionality.

Michigan State University is looking to create a plant protein circular economy to decarbonise food production, reduce the carbon intensity of protein isolates, slash water use, and cut waste.

Support for future foods may dwindle under Trump

The DOE’s investment into these future food efforts was among the last instances of federal finance flowing into the sector under the Biden-Harris administration. With Donald Trump back in office, such developments could stall now.

Alternative proteins like cultivated meat have been the target of attacking legislation in states across the US, and these efforts will only ramp up now that a climate sceptic is in the White House. Vice-president JD Vance has already made his disdain for “fake meat” clear, which he called “disgusting”.

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and the president’s mega-donor best friend has been spreading misinformation about the environmental impact of meat and alternative proteins on The Joe Rogan Experience, America’s most popular podcast.

And Robert F Kennedy, who could soon be confirmed as the new health secretary, has likened these products to the ultra-processed foods he despises.

Trump has already withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement, which are crucial in protecting public and planetary health, respectively. While he hasn’t said much about alternative proteins, given that even Biden’s Department of Defense was forced to back down from funding cultivated meat by the livestock lobby, government investment into this sector could be rare over the next four years.

Author

  • Anay Mridul

    Anay is Green Queen's resident news reporter. Originally from India, he worked as a vegan food writer and editor in London, and is now travelling and reporting from across Asia. He's passionate about coffee, plant-based milk, cooking, eating, veganism, food tech, writing about all that, profiling people, and the Oxford comma.

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