Action Sprint: Plant-based innovation

Increasing the proportion of plant-based food people eat is one of the crucial steps towards more sustainable, healthy diets – with huge excitement, investment and momentum around plant-based innovation in Europe and the US.

However, that innovation is not necessarily well-aligned with ensuring that nutritious, sustainable food is widely affordable, accessible and desirable to a wide range of people and communities. As it stands, plant-based innovation is not delivering sustainable nutrition for all.

But what if we could harness the energy around plant-based innovation to help catalyse the transformations in the food system that are urgently needed?

What kinds of innovation, in the widest sense, do we need to deliver a healthier, more sustainable and, crucially, more equitable food system, from new approaches to innovation and new business models, to cultural and mindset shifts?

How might plant-based innovation help drive the ‘just transition’ of diets?

Running from June to August 2021, our Action Sprint explored key questions about the role of protein in contributing to food system transformation. It was a creative, interactive and experimental exploration of plant-based innovation consisting of workshops and an online inquiry, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders and points of view, from international food businesses to community-based innovators, to work and learn together. It sourced cutting-edge insights to guide actors across the food system, and generated contributions submitted to the UN Food System Summit dialogues.

More information about the Action Sprint, including participants, the process, and the insights we generated together, can be found in a dedicated Action Sprint live research section on the Future Centre.

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Partners

This Action Sprint was part of the Protein Challenge 2040, supported by:

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