New Systemiq analysis, supported by the Good Food Institute Europe, finds that scaling plant-based foods, cultivated meat, and fermentation-made ingredients could deliver major economic gains for the EU, while improving food security and agricultural resilience.
If treated as a strategic priority, alternative proteins could add €111 billion a year to the EU economy by 2040.
Key findings
With modest investment and supportive policy over the next 15 years, alternative proteins could:
- Generate €111 billion in annual gross value added, comparable to Europe’s wine sector.
- Create a €79 billion domestic market across the full supply chain—similar to Lithuania’s GDP in 2024.
- Build a €60 billion export market, comparable to current EU exports to South Korea, positioning Europe as a global hub for advanced food biomanufacturing.
- Support 414,000 high-quality jobs across science, manufacturing, agriculture, and logistics.
Click the download button below for the full report. Click here for the Executive Summary and here for the Executive Summary with the Country deep dives (Spain, Italy & France).
