Today nine companies in the precision fermentation industry have announced they have established the Precision Fermentation Alliance, a new trade organization aimed at promoting precision fermentation as a trusted solution for a more sustainable and resilient food system. The group says it will act as “an industry voice and global convener for the precision fermentation industry”, and ” champion precision fermentation as a trusted solution for a more resilient and sustainable food system.”
Precision fermentation uses microbes like fungi as hosts to produce functional ingredients like sugars and proteins, which often star as the key ingredients in flagship products companies like EVERY Company and Perfect Day, two founding members of the PFA. The technology has gained momentum in recent years as it has proven itself both incredibly flexible in terms of the ingredients it can produce, as well as scalable enough to produce ingredients for mass-market consumer products (like the heme in Impossible Foods’ plant-based meat).
According to the announcement, The Precision Fermentation Alliance has three major goals:
- Promote understanding of precision fermentation technology. Establish global transparency around ingredients and foods made with precision fermentation to build trust and familiarity.
- Educate and engage key stakeholders throughout the food industry value chain to establish best practices regarding regulatory, manufacturing, food safety, and communications standards and compliance.
- Develop market access and the ability to operate and market products effectively by engaging with regulators. Unlock public funding and public-private partnerships to accelerate industry growth.
“There is a direct line between food production, climate, socioeconomic opportunities, and equity,” said Nicki Briggs, Chair of the Precision Fermentation Alliance and Vice President of Corporate Communications at Perfect Day.
“As we look to extend the use of this technology to produce an ever-expanding list of food ingredients, such as proteins and fats, we will be able to produce a wide variety of our most beloved foods animal-free, and with a much lower environmental footprint,” said Irina Gerry, Chief Marketing Officer, Change Foods and Vice Chair, Precision Fermentation Alliance. “Ushering in this new era in food requires clear communication, thoughtful policy, consistent regulation and stakeholder engagement, which this alliance is positioned to do.”
The founding members of the Precision Fermentation Alliance are Change Foods, The EVERY Co., Helaina, Imagindairy, Motif FoodWorks, New Culture, Onego Bio, Perfect Day, and Remilk.
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