A report by alternative protein think tank Food Frontier is calling for investment in a national plant protein ingredient industry in Australia, highlighting several key recommendations for the Australian government.

The report calls on the government to take ‘practical and achievable’ steps to capture a share of the growing global opportunity, projected to triple to a value of $69.2 billion by 2032.

Titled ‘Unlocking Australia’s potential: The case for a national plant protein ingredient industry,’ the report is informed by feedback from ingredient manufacturers, agricultural industry leaders and research institutions, Food Frontier said.

It identifies a significant opportunity for Australia to build sovereign manufacturing capability, increase long-term food security and invest in agricultural transformation by scaling the domestic plant protein ingredient industry.

In line with the increasing impacts of climate change, Food Frontiers noted that it is ‘critical’ for the government to recognise the urgency of catalysing investment in plant protein ingredient processing capabilities to secure Australia’s resilience to global supply chain volatility. It highlights investments made in Canada, China and the EU in recognition of this.

David Bucca, executive chair of Food Frontier, said: “Locally, we face structural challenges such as high domestic manufacturing costs, limited catalytic investment and a fragmented industry. Australia risks falling further behind and missing this economic opportunity.”

“Australia’s agricultural production is world leading. Now, we have a chance to compete with other global grain producers and top plant protein ingredient manufacturers, but we must act fast.”

The report’s recommendations for Australia include:

• Establishing a national taskforce to coordinate policy, infrastructure and investment efforts across jurisdictions

• Investing in shared R&D platforms for crop breeding, processing optimisation, ingredient functionality and product application, and byproduct valorisation

• Government support to help the industry drive demand and reduce adoption barriers through targeted marketing, reformulation incentives, traceability systems and data on ingredient usage and trade flows

• Scaling manufacturing via strategic investment in regional hubs, shared infrastructure and capital co-investment frameworks

• Building workforce and regional supply chains through targeted training, grower engagement, crop contracting and regional ecosystem development

Australia produces roughly 59 million tonnes of protein-rich cereals, pulses and oilseeds annually, including a vast majority of the crops used for plant protein ingredients.

While it is a major producer of lupin, wheat and canola, and has high growth potential in chickpeas, lentils and faba beans, Australia annually exports over 65% of its protein-rich source crops as unprocessed commodities.

Bucca said: “Without decisive action, we risk remaining a lower-value commodity exporter, reliant on overseas manufacturers for imports – resulting in lost value for primary producers and higher costs for Australian consumers.”