How the global growth market for alternative proteins is developing

lternative protein sources are becoming more and more economically relevant. Whether plant-based or cell-based, insect-based or microorganism-based, product demand is increasing worldwide. The still young sector is therefore developing rapidly and the forecast growth rates are high.

But what is currently characterising the market and which trends and developments are particularly in focus? In our English-language publication Alternative Protein Deal Cosmos, we analyse corporate investments. Our experts also analyse specific market areas in deep dives.

1st half of 2023: Core insights and content in compact form:

Although there are more deals worldwide compared to the same period last year, the value of investments has fallen. 122 deals worth a total of 1.7 billion euros were recorded in the first half of 2022, compared to 131 deals worth 900 million euros in the first half of 2023. The previous record figures since 2016, when the survey for the Cosmos deal began, date from 2021: 344 deals and 5.1 billion euros. Most deals were concluded in the area of plant-based products, while the deals with the highest cumulative value were in the area of microorganism-based products.

• Europe and America continue to be the hotspots for deals in a global comparison. Surprisingly, while the number of deals in the USA fell by 11.4 per cent (mainly due to a decline in the microorganism-based proteins segment), it remained stable in Europe. It is striking that the number of companies in America, Europe and Asia increased by double-digit percentages. However, the reasons for the increase differ: cell-based and plant-based products were the growth drivers in America, cell-based and insect-based products in Asia and all products equally in Europe.  
  
  
• The Asian market, where alternative proteins are still less present, is estimated to develop particularly dynamically in the future. Our experts categorise the developments in a detailed deep dive. In addition to market data, they also look at cultural aspects and regulation - both of which play a key role in establishing new consumption patterns. A comparison between India and China also uses various factors to show the key differences between the two important Asian markets, from per capita meat consumption to patents in the field of alternative proteins.