There are two realities the world will be forced to face. First, there are going to be a lot more people to feed over the next century. The world population is projected to peak in the mid-2080s at around 10.3 billion, according to the latest UN projections. And, second, climate change is going to affect the world's ability to grow food in dramatic ways. A U.S. government study, authored by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agricultural economists Jayson Beckman, Fengxia Dong, and Maros Ivanic, along with Columbia University climate scientist Jonas Jägermeyr and Kansas State University professor Nelson Villoria, concludes, “A rising global population — with changing diets and an increasing demand for animal-based products, along with a changing climate — puts pressure on both the existing and future global food supplies. A changing climate could lead to warming temperatures and an increased likelihood of extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, impacting agricultural productivity and crop yields. Reduced crop yields diminish agricultural productivity, affecting not only agricultural quantities but also food prices and ultimately food security.”[1]

There is a third reality that the world is already facing: malnutrition. Worldwide, about 734 million people suffer from malnutrition. Malnutrition is especially damaging for children. Feature writer Anjana Ahuja explains, "It is an easy statistic to reel off: 60mn under-fives around the world have stunted growth. It is harder to think about what it really means. More often than not, it means a child does not have enough to eat, or their intake lacks the nutrients for full development. Though we tend to associate stunted growth with shortened height, it means more than a few irreversibly lost inches. Early undernutrition and malnutrition can go on to permanently sour adulthood, by lowering cognition and wages, and raising susceptibility to chronic diseases."[2]

A New Green Revolution

Ahuja reports that an open letter, coordinated by the World Food Prize Foundation and backed by globally renowned scientists, insists that it is time for "a moonshot in agricultural research"; otherwise "we are heading for a crisis in 2050." According to the letter, "Reversing our current trajectory towards a tragic mismatch of global food supply and demand by mid-century requires definitive action now." This "new green revolution" will require "harnessing breakthroughs in biology and genetics, as well as artificial intelligence." Ahuja concludes, "It is a timely intervention." She goes on to note that there is both good news and bad when it comes to achieving this new green revolution. She explains, "The good news is that solving hunger seems scientifically tractable, given the inventive research happening across the globe. The less palatable news is that it is unlikely to be a gentle stroll in a wheat field. It will involve nourishing public acceptance of an altered food landscape, dotted with controversial technologies like genetically modified or edited crops and lab-grown microbes for meals. Another hurdle is fixing market failures, where commercial objectives do not align with social need. Securing investment in small-scale indigenous crops, for example, is tricky given the nature of one-crop-feeds-all modern agribusiness."

When scientists talk about a new green revolution, they are referring back to the original Green Revolution that occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. During that period, there were technological advancements in agriculture, which saw a dramatic increase in food production, particularly through the introduction of high-yielding crop varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation, especially in developing countries. We now know that many of those practices created unintended environmental consequences. The new green revolution hopes to avoid such adverse consequences.  One area where research is currently focused is finding alternatives to animal-based proteins. Science writer Michael Scott Long explains, "Achieving sustainable and productive agriculture by 2030 will require focused international effort — especially because animal-based food production comes with pollution, land use, and other challenges. One possible route to transforming global agriculture is by producing plant-based protein as a substitute for animal protein. Unfortunately, some of the resulting foods don’t taste the same or don’t have the same texture as conventional foods. Science calls these 'different sensory properties,' otherwise known as yuck or weird. That’s no surprise, given that plant proteins generally aren’t the same as animal proteins."[3]

The Search for Alternative Protein Sources

Scott believes that one way to overcome the yuck factor in alternative protein sources is to produce such proteins using genetics. He asks, "What if animal proteins could be produced by genetically engineered cells instead of by animals?" He writes, "Envision food materials grown in vats instead of in a field. That’s a goal of precision fermentation: using the tools of synthetic biology to produce animal protein and other products. This is not the same as genetically modified food; the final product is simply an animal protein and doesn’t contain genetically modified material. ... The concept of growing food in vats might sound odd, yet the end result can be food that consumers can’t distinguish from conventional food." One widely reported food breakthrough occurred last year when researchers in Korea "successfully created beef-infused rice by incorporating muscle and fat cells from cows into rice grains."[4] Food writer Chris Shadle explains, "This hybrid grain, rich in protein and fat, offers a promising alternative to traditional meat production methods."[5] These types of food products are often called "frankenfoods" to scare off consumers wary of any food not produced in nature. While some of these alternative protein solutions could be good for some people, they are not viable alternatives for vegetarians or vegans.

Fortunately for them, there is actually more research being conducted in the area of plant-based proteins than other areas. According to food journalist Donna Eastlake, this is especially true in Europe, which aims to be a world leader in this area.[6] She reports patent applications for plant-based meat dwarf applications for fermentation and cultivated meat. To overcome the yuck factor, she notes that "many of the patents cover areas such as plant protein texturization, as well as techno-functional properties of plant proteins including gelling and emulsification characteristics, and improvements in these attributes." She also notes that the area of plant-based cheese and eggs alternatives "is clearly ripe for innovation." Another area ripe for innovation is an area involves looking for substitutes for popular ingredients, like cocoa and coffee. Kelly Belcher, head of climate tech at J.P. Morgan, reports, "New alternatives to cocoa and coffee ... have caught the eye of investors and consumers alike. The two crops are facing growing global demand and threatened supply due to worsening weather patterns and chronic underinvestment in farms."[7]

While we are on the subject of alternative proteins, we shouldn't forget about the world of insects. Journalist Georgina Fuller reports, "Dr. Keren Kles, a freelance food technology consultant, believes that this expansion of protein sources will include insects and says products made from bugs, such as mealworms, crickets and grasshoppers, will play a much bigger role in our diet over the next decade or so. However, Kles, who in a former role as CTO of Israeli startup Flying Spark helped to harness protein from fruit flies, admits that introducing people to new products and tastes can be very challenging."[8]

Concluding Thoughts

Richard Zaltzman, CEO at EIT Food, observes, "Our food system is at a pivotal moment; there is enormous potential for innovation to unlock more healthy, accessible and sustainable diets for all, but we are simultaneously facing huge global challenges. The decisions we make now, from across policy and investment to lifestyle and behavior, will have a significant impact on our future food system."[9] As noted above, however, getting over the yuck factor will require a lot of research and innovation. Artificial intelligence is likely to play a significant role in such endeavors. For example, the Enterra® SensoryPrint™ technology, can be used to help companies map tastes that will appeal to consumers. This one-of-a-kind technology quantifies the sensory experience of food, beverage, and other related products. Such solutions can help producers of alternative proteins to overcome the yuck factor and help secure the global food supply chain in the years ahead.

Footnotes [1] Jayson Beckman, Fengxia Dong, and Maros Ivanic, Jonas Jägermeyr, and Nelson Villoria, “Climate-Induced Yield Changes and TFP: How Much R&D Is Necessary To Maintain the Food Supply?” United State Department of Agriculture, July 2024. [2] Anjana Ahuja, "How to solve world hunger," Financial Times, 22 January 2025. [3] Michael Scott Long, "Protein Without the Moo: Brewing the Future of Food," Synbiobeta, 25 March 2025. [4] Chris Shadle, "Beef Rice & Dairy Plants—Frankenfood or Food Science Breakthrough?" The Food Institute, 29 February 2024.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Donna Eastlake, "Record 960% rise in alt protein patents signals industry rebound," Food Navigator Europe, 11 March 2025. [7] Kelly Belcher, "Where is the food tech sector headed? Cocoa and coffee alternatives provide a clue," Agriculture Dive, 12 December 2024. [8] Georgina Fuller, "From fly oil to 3D-printed biscuits: the women reimagining the food of the future," The Guardian, 15 June 2021. [9] Kerry Taylor-Smith, "Feeding Tomorrow: Exploring the Next Frontier in Food," Technology Networks, 27 October 2023.