Israeli companies are leading the world in food tech investments in the plant-based alternative proteins sector, and come second only to the US in funds invested in the alternative protein industry as a whole, according to an updated report published this week by the Good Food Institute (GFI) Israel.

The alternative proteins sector includes plant-based substitutes for meat, dairy, and egg, cultivated dairy, meat and seafood made from cells, and various fermentation processes and products. Cultivated protein startups and fermentation tech startups often overlap.

The GFI report highlights new figures in the Israeli food tech sector from the first half of 2022 (H1 2022), showing that $160 million in funds were poured into Israeli startups developing plant-based food products, equivalent to 22 percent of the world’s total, and slightly ahead of the US in this sector.

The global alternative protein sector as a whole drew $1.75 billion in H1 2022, with $320 million invested in blue-and-white alternative protein startups and companies, accounting for 18% of the total.

American alternative protein companies were far ahead with $857 million in total investments so far in 2022, and with cultivated protein startups — which harvest cells from animals and then grow them to create alternative meat and dairy products — leading the charge.

The global alternative protein sector as a whole drew $1.75 billion in H1 2022, with $320 million invested in blue-and-white alternative protein startups and companies, accounting for 18% of the total.

American alternative protein companies were far ahead with $857 million in total investments so far in 2022, and with cultivated protein startups — which harvest cells from animals and then grow them to create alternative meat and dairy products — leading the charge.

 

Alternative protein growth

Israel’s alternative protein industry grew by 160% in H1 2022, compared to H1 2021, according to the GFI report. The industry had grown by about 450% in 2021 from 2020, with Israeli startups raising some $623 million in investments last year, according to the initial GFI report in March.

The most notable deal in the Israeli plant-based protein sector in 2022 so far was the $135 investment in Redefine Meat, a maker of 3D-printed plant-based meat products, to fund production lines in Israel and the Netherlands, as well as expand its partnerships with restaurants and eateries.

The company’s products include animal-free lamb and beef cuts, burgers, sausages, lamb kebabs, and ground beef, and are sold in some 200 restaurants and establishments in Israel and Europe (including Michelin-starred eateries). In July, Redefine Meat signed a deal with Israeli-founded hospitality company Selina to serve its plant-based meat substitutes at over 150 Selina locations starting in Tel Aviv and London.

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