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In the NewsSCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGYYou want to build a just food system.We’re laying the foundation.A strong open-access research environment and talent pipeline arecritical to fostering good food innovation. Gifts from GFI supportersenable GFI SciTech director David Welch and his team to identifyand bridge gaps in research, funding, and talent for the alternativeprotein sector.Identifying Technological BottlenecksGFI scientists map the technological landscape and forecast thesector’s trajectory to determine the most important white spaceopportunities. We share these learnings broadlythrough trade publications, white papers, andspeaking events. In 2019, we published articlesin Chemical Engineering Process Magazineand Food Technology, the trade magazine forthe world’s largest body of professional foodtechnologists. We also published a white paperon decreasing the cost of cell culture media. Inpartnership with Merck KGaA, MosaMeat, andothers, we helped launch the Cultivated MeatModeling Consortium to accelerate problemsolving through computational modeling.Eliminating ObstaclesCompetitive ResearchGrant ProgramIn February, we announced the 14 recipients of our inauguralCompetitive Research Grant Program, 11 of whom had not previouslyconducted plant-based or cultivated meat research. The first yearof this program more than doubled the open-access cultivatedmeat research funding of the past 20 years. It represents the largestinfusion of grant money for plant-based meat research ever.Companies have reached out to grant recipients requesting to applytheir research findings. One of the world’s largest cultivated meatcompanies will test growth factors developed by one of our grantees.The second round of our grant program has expanded the researchareas and pool of available funding. We received high-impactproposals from 135 applicants across 25 countries. We will fund 12 to18 of these projects.82019 Year in ReviewHaving identified which areas of innovation aremost critical, GFI scientists engage experts andinstitutions to catalyze open-access researchand early-stage commercialization. We seededalternative protein R&D with nonprofits,universities, and government agencies—bothdomestically and internationally. We collaboratedwith university researchers to submit a 10Mproposal to the USDA and a 6M proposal tothe UK government for plant-based-meat cropresearch. GFI scientists advocated alternativeprotein research at the Foundation for Foodand Agriculture Research, ClimateWorks, theInstitute for Protein Design, the National ScienceFoundation, and many more.Our SciTech team worked across the investmentcommunity to increase the capital flowing intothis space. We helped Purple Orange Venturesestablish a funding program offering grants of 120,000 EUR to recruit entrepreneurial scientistsinto the sector. We explained alternative proteinsto a wide range of investors, including the venturearm of a multinational automation and roboticscompany, CleanTech Investment Banking, and agroup of 35 institutional investors managing atotal of 11.5 trillion in assets.We continue to bring life science and techcompanies into this sector. In 2019, our scientistsTop Right: Director of Science & Technology David Welch, Ph.D., speaks at the Asia-Pacific Pea and Soy Protein Processing Region Tour 2019.Left: GFI research grantees present at the 2019 Good Food Conference.

Alt-Meat Trounces Animal Meat’sMassive InefficienciesBy Dr. Liz Specht“While the planet arguably benefits the most fromthese meats’ higher production efficiencies, themarket efficiency gains will be hugely beneficial forthe bottom line.”We don’t have to give up burgers toaddress climate change. We just haveto give up the cows.By Dr. Liz Specht“By changing how we produce meat, we cantransform the meat industry from a leading cause ofglobal warming to the main tool for mitigating andeven reversing climate change.”Tomato tuna anyone? Plant-based meathas moved into the seafood aisle“If you can give consumers everything that theylike about fish but do it with plants, it’s goingto be 10 times as efficient and significantly lesspolluting.”—Bruce FriedrichGFI’s research grants areenabling fundamentalopen-access science. That,in turn, enables scalabilityand an ecosystem approachto accelerating this spacein ways the private sectoralone cannot.”—MAX ELDER, INSTITUTE FOR THE FUTUREshared their expertise with many national and multinationalcompanies—including Mitsubishi, 3M, and GE Healthcare—and conducted full-day workshops at various life sciencecompanies. We supported internal project developmentrelevant to cultivated meat at a global life sciencecompany, a protein engineering research institute, and amultinational chemicals company.Deepening the Talent PoolGFI’s SciTech team is building a robust, collaborativecommunity of researchers and fostering the next generationof protein innovators. We reached thousands of scientiststhrough targeted speaking engagements, including atthe International Life Sciences Institute, the EngineeringBiology Research Consortium, and the National Academiesof Science, Engineering, and Medicine. We also spoke withundergraduate and graduate students at top universities,including Princeton, Stanford, UC Berkeley, WageningenUniversity in the Netherlands, and Shenzhen University inmainland China.The SciTech team developed and published a wide suiteof introductory resources to support innovators, scientists,and students in exploring this sector. We launched a nocost online course (see right), published a long-form Redditseries on the science of meat cultivation, and developed analternative protein resource guide for university students.New Meat: A MassiveOpen Online CourseAfter our collaborations with Stanford and UCBerkeley to establish courses on alternativeproteins, we launched GFI’s massive open onlinecourse, which teaches the basics of plant-basedand cultivated meat. More than 3,000 scientists,academics, industry representatives, and othershave enrolled to date. We’ve also begun work onadditional modules that we will roll out in 2020.“GFI was a huge part of my journey. I metAylon from the business development teamin November last year, and he’s the one thatconvinced me to start a company at all. Then Ialso took this massive open online course that GFIproduced that really helped me learn the ropesin terms of how to make alternatives to animalproducts.”—Sri Artham, Hooray FoodsRight: (left to right) Research Fellow Miranda Grizio, University Inspiration Specialist Amy Huang, Food Scientist MJ Kinney.gfi.org9

In the NewsCORPORATEENGAGEMENTYou know collaboration is critical.We’re bringing everyone to the table.packaged goods companies, hosteddiscussions and all-day workshopswith a variety of multinational food andmeat companies, and gave dozens ofpresentations to corporate venture,venture capital, and institutionalinvestor groups.Engaging stakeholders across the forprofit sector is essential to transformingglobal markets. GFI corporateengagement director Alison Rabschnukand her team are galvanizing the foodindustry and investor community toput delicious, affordable alternativeproteins on every menu and in everyfood retailer.Although most of this work is protectedby nondisclosure agreements, we arethrilled to share that our corporateengagement team helped Kroger add aplant-based line to their portfolio.“GFI has been a greatresource—both in helpingus build relationships withpartners in the plant-basedspace and in sharing broadInspiring Investment and Innovationretail market data that hasinformed our decisions.”We built relationships with more than adozen of the world’s leading consumerWe also worked with Perdue to addplant proteins to their product line andinspired MorningStar Farms to maketheir entire product line fully plantbased by 2021, which will take 300million eggs out of production annually.More than 300 entrepreneurs joined ourGFIdeas community to learn from foodindustry experts and make connections—the co-founders of Netherlands-basedRival Foods met via GFIdeas. Welaunched the GFI Investor Directory,which lists investors interested in proteininnovation as well as their typicalinvestment type, stage, and amount.The GFI team also provided additionalearly-stage support, such as pitchdeck reviews and strategic planningdiscussions, to help drive successfulseed rounds.—Gil Phipps, KrogerSustainable Seafood InitiativeGFI’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative addresses innovation and market gaps for plant-based and cultivatedseafood. In 2019, we completed our strategic plan, advocated public funding for seafood innovation, andexpanded our resources for plant-based and cultivated seafood companies.“GFI has been a wonderful partner, not only to my company but all the companies in this space—inresearching the business landscape and helping us to understand where the market is going, inunderstanding the science and how to advance our technology, and in building relationships withinvestors and larger food companies.” —David Benzaquen, Ocean Hugger Foods“GFI, their white papers, their publications, and all the work they do on policy has created suchawareness. That GFI goes across all these categories and now is expanding globally—it has made thedifference in this industry. We’re very thankful for all of GFI’s work.” —Lou Cooperhouse, BlueNalu102019 Year in ReviewTop Right: (left to right) Research Analyst Kyle Gaan, Director of Corporate Engagement Alison Rabschnuk, Foodservice and Supply Chain Manager ZakWeston, and Food Scientist MJ Kinney attend Expo West 2019. Left: Director of Corporate Engagement Alison Rabschnuk speaks at the Culinary Instituteof America. Photo courtesy of the Culinary Institute of America / Victor M. Samuel.

How to Invest in the MeatlessBurger BoomThe New Makers of Plant-Based Meat?Big Meat CompaniesAmericans crave Impossible Burger,Beyond Meat in 2020“We think the plant-based meat category is lookinga lot like how the plant-based milk category lookedabout 10 years ago before almond and soy milk couldbe found in the refrigerated case next to dairy milk.”“When companies like Tyson and Smithfield launchplant-based meat products, that transforms the plantbased meat sector from niche to mainstream.”“2019 was a big year for plant-based meat. It reallyfeels like the tipping point, but it’s just the beginning.We’re in the early days of a major shift.’’—Bruce Friedrich—Caroline Bushnell—Alison RabschnukExpanding Accessibility andAccelerating GrowthWithout GFI and the corporateengagement team, we would betwo, three years behind. Hats off andthank you very much for being suchan incredible part of our success.”We continued to drive accessibility for plantbased foods. Through 80 meetings or calls withfoodservice providers and retailers, we made thebusiness case for plant-based foods and sharedbest practices for marketing, merchandising,and menuing to the mainstream. We advisedexecutives and R&D teams for nationalquick-service restaurant chains and openedconversations with influential foodservicedistributors. We collaborated with Unilever, NewHope Network, the Food Marketing Institute, andOpen Table to create informational webinars.—ERIC CHRISTIANSON, PERDUE FARMSThe GFI team made the case for alternativeproteins at influential forums, such as theNational Restaurant Association’s RestaurantInnovation Summit, the Alternative Protein Show,the Sustainable Foods Summit, and Food & Agat the Intersection Symposium, which FarmersNational Company hosted and 300 productionagriculture representatives attended.We published state of the industry reports forcultivated meat and plant-based meat, eggs,and dairy. The reports illustrate the tremendousgrowth and innovation across the alternativeprotein sector, covering the top companies andinvestors, key U.S. regulatory updates, and thefirst in-depth investment landscape analysisusing custom datasets curated by GFI.GFI’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative and GoodFood Startup Manual were both honorees in FastCompany’s 2019 World Changing Ideas awards.The publication’s senior editor said: “This year’sawards were the most competitive we’ve everhad. Fast Company editors, reporters, and avenerable group of guest judges pored over the[more than 2,000] entries, looking for the ideasthat we felt had the most creative solutions—andthe most potential for impact and scalability.”Driving Evidence-Based ConsumerStrategyIn 2019, GFI conducted 11 consumer research projects to informstrategy across the alternative protein sector. In collaborationwith leading food innovation firm Mattson and with technicaladvising by Memphis Meats, we developed evidence-basedscience communication tools for the cultivated meat industry andidentified “cultivated” as the optimal term for meeting the criteriaof transparency, differentiation, and appeal.We tested consumer acceptance of plant-based and cultivatedmeat in the United States, India, and China, and we published ourfindings in the academic journal Frontiers. Mindlab partnered withus to study consumers’ implicit perceptions of the plant-basedcategory, and we shared our learnings with food professionalsthrough webinars and meetings.Right: Foodservice and Supply Chain Manager Zak Weston visits the Culinary Institute of America.Photo courtesy of the Culinary Institute of America / Victor M. Samuel.gfi.org11

In the NewsPOLICYYou don’t accept the status quo.Neither do we.Plant-based and cultivated meat are clear, highlytractable solutions to the challenges governments wantto address. Under the stewardship of GFI policy directorJessica Almy, GFI defends a fair, competitive market foralternative proteins and advances public investment inresearch and development.Leveling the Playing FieldIn 2019, we vigorously opposed label censorship of plantbased and cultivated products across the United States,defending free speech and fair markets on behalf ofalternative protein manufacturers. (See far right.)At the federal level, GFI urged the FDA to ensure thattheir approach to modernizing standards of identitywould not interfere with the ability of alternative meatand dairy producers to use familiar terms on their labels.We submitted public comments, delivered oral testimony,and met with FDA leadership to advocate that updatedstandards keep pace with innovation.The GFI team met with the USDA Food Safety andInspection Service administrator to discuss the agency’sinvestigation of plant-based meat labels in supermarkets.We learned of the investigation through one of ourFreedom of Information Act requests.Establishing an Efficient Regulatory PathwayGFI has been actively shaping the U.S. regulatory frameworkfor cultivated meat through oral remarks and regulatorysubmissions to the USDA and FDA. GFI met with the USDA’sForeign Agricultural Service to provide an overview ofthe cultivated meat industry, answer technical questions,and establish GFI as a key resource. We arranged a tourof a cell-culturing company’s lab for the U.S. GovernmentAccountability Office, which is preparing a report on federaloversight of cultivated meat.We celebrated a legislative win when the fiscal 2019agriculture appropriations bill was signed into law without aharmful rider that we energetically fought. The rider wouldhave required new regulations and given sole jurisdictionover cultivated meat products from livestock and poultry tothe USDA.Securing Government FundingThe GFI policy team met with congressional staff to shareinformation on alternative protein technologies and advocatefederal R&D funding to support the science behind thesetechnologies. We met with and submitted comments urginginvestment in alternative proteins to White House officials inProtein Policy Around the WorldOur U.S. and international policy teams provided regulators in India, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore,Australia, and New Zealand with resources for developing cultivated meat policy frameworks, and we arecautiously optimistic about the development of clear, swift regulatory approval processes in these countries.122019 Year in ReviewTop Right: (left to right) Director of Policy Jessica Almy, J.D., at the 2019 Good Food Conference.Bottom: (left to right) GFI Brazil managing director Gus Guadagnini and Senior Policy Specialist Scott Weathers at the 2019 Good Food Conference.

Meat, Milk Groups Seek to DefendSupermarket Turf“‘I don’t think consumers are stupid. They know whatthey are buying,’ said Jessica Almy [at the Wall StreetJournal’s Global Food Forum]. ‘To ask the governmentto come in and censor the competition really isunfair.’”What can fight climate change andantibiotic resistance? More sustainablemeatBy Jessica Almy“Just as past federal R&D funding by the United Stateshas sparked revolutions in computing, genomics,manufacturing and other fields, federal funding forresearch on plant-based and cell-cultured meat couldhelp accelerate progress in these two sectors.”Can plant-based foods be called“meat”?“Producers are afraid of the new competition, andthey’ve enlisted the government’s help to censorthe labels of their competitors. It violates the FirstAmendment for governments to come in and censorproducts sometimes with the threat of jail time forcalling a veggie burger a veggie burger.”—Jessica AlmyBy educating policymakerson label standards andregulatory issues, GFI helpsus get our products on theshelf. Not just in the U.S.but across the world.”—JOSH TETRICK, JUSTthe Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office ofManagement and Budget.We submitted appropriations report language requests forfiscal year 2020 to key members of Congress asking them toinclude language directing the USDA and the National ScienceFoundation to fund research on plant proteins and cellularagriculture, and our lobbying efforts prevailed: The 2020Senate agriculture appropriations report includes languageencouraging research funding for plant protein functionalitythrough the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. Italso includes new language providing extra funding for theAgricultural Research Service to conduct research on pulses.(This is in addition to similar report language we advocatedin the House.) We extend our thanks to the lobbyists at SidleyAustin who worked tirelessly alongside us pro bono.Shaping the ConversationWe made the case for a level playing field and publicinvestment through dozens of media appearances, includingon CNN; letters to the editor in the New York Times, the WallStreet Journal, and the Guardian; and op-eds in Newsweek,USA Today, the Hill, and more.GFI’s team put protein innovation center stage at more than 50high-impact events, including the Wall Street Journal’s GlobalFood Forum and the Food Policy Impact Conference hosted bythe Institute of Food Technologists and the American Societyfor Nutrition.Right: Director of Policy Jessica Almy, J.D., speaks about label censorship on CNN.Free Speech and FairMarkets State-LevelCampaignWe responded in full force to legislative effortsmeant to restrict meat terms on the labels offood that is not from slaughtered

gfi.org 5 Maximizing Our Impact We share knowledge freely. In a field where many innovators seek novel solutions to the same set of problems, GFI's research, data, and insights are open-access and support the progress of every innovator in this space. We focus on the white space. GFI advances high-impact, tractable solutions in