Konnichiwa, GFI Japan

Japan joins existing GFI affiliates in Singapore, India, Israel, Europe, Brazil, and the U.S. in accelerating global food innovation.

With global meat production projected to increase by more than 50 percent by 2050 compared with 2012 levels, our food supply is on a collision course with planetary limits. Such pressures are particularly acute in Asia, which accounts for over half of all protein consumption growth this century. That also means the opportunity for large-scale transformation in the regional protein supply has never been greater.

Japan, the world’s fourth-largest economy with a world-leading advanced research and manufacturing sector, has the potential to revolutionize alternative proteins in the same way electric vehicles and solar power have transformed the transport and energy industries. Although the Japanese business industry may sometimes seem cautious in embracing new ventures, it is renowned for its thorough research and commitment to manufacturing excellence, always aiming for the highest standards even if not the first to market.

I am honored to lead this effort as the Interim Director of GFI Japan. The founding of GFI Japan has been some of the most exciting work I’ve ever undertaken. I believe my experience with a listed private company and a startup in the alternative protein sector, along with my experience in fostering relationships with key stakeholders, including the Japanese government, will help contribute to industry growth and accelerate GFI’s global vision for innovation in the food system through alternative proteins.

Why Japan?

Alternative proteins can satisfy Asia’s skyrocketing meat demand more securely and sustainably. Just as Japan developed and exported the cutting-edge technologies that brought solar power and other renewables to the world, we now have an opportunity to pioneer the next generation of alternative proteins—the food equivalents of clean energy.

Japan’s 101^st Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, hailed alternative protein technologies, such as cultivated meat—meat produced directly from cells, without having to grow the whole animal—as an important part of “realizing a sustainable food supply.” His government also awarded tens of millions of dollars in funding to alternative protein companies as part of a larger food-sustainability moonshot.

GFI Founder & President Bruce Friedrich and I had the opportunity to attend the 21st Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology in Society forum in early October. This event brings together over 200 opinion leaders, building a network based on shared values and fostering collaboration to address humanity’s greatest challenges. As Bruce addressed the forum in Kyoto, he emphasized the unique role that Japan can play in building the alternative protein ecosystem.

“Japan’s world-class R&D ecosystem will play a critical role in supercharging alternative proteins and pioneering the breakthrough technologies our planet urgently needs.”

At the same event, I had the opportunity to connect with several climate and industry leaders, including Dr. Kishimoto, Executive Director of the Technology & Innovation Strategy Center at New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). We had a fantastic conversation about Japan’s ongoing “R&D of Technologies to Promote Biomanufacturing“ initiative, exploring the importance of alternative protein research, Japan’s societal challenges, and NEDO’s global contributions. I left this meeting feeling energized and optimistic about the future of alternative proteins in Japan.

What will GFI Japan do?

Japan will join other GFI affiliates in building a more sustainable and secure food system and adapting strategies to get there to their local context. Here’s how we plan to do this. 

• We will identify opportunities for greater government investment in alternative protein R&D and commercialization, including in the national bioeconomy strategy.

• We will support local regulators’ efforts to develop a clear path to market for cultivated meat.

• We will better connect Japan’s ‘future food’ companies to their international counterparts.

• We will provide timely translations of relevant reports and resources.

• We will facilitate new collaborations between Japanese research institutions and alternative protein scientists around the globe.

A highly anticipated addition to the GFI community

GFI’s arrival in Japan has been a long time coming and represents our latest move to focus on Asia as an epicenter of alternative protein innovation. 

As a team of GFI APAC experts and partners wrote last week in a guest column for Nature—one of the most-read and prestigious scientific journals in the world—Asian innovation hubs like Japan “have the capacity, workforce, and incentives to achieve taste parity for plant-based meat, resolve technical challenges, and take cultivated meat from test kitchens to supermarkets around the world.”

Japan is already a global leader when it comes to food innovation. The development of GFI Japan is a monumental step in expanding that influence and building a brighter food future for generations to come.

Arigato goizaimasu for your support, and onwards!