In this exclusive piece, Annick Verween, head of Biotope by VIB, explores how precision fermentation, alternative protein and gene editing can build a more resilient food system, and why AI-assisted biological design is making once-unviable solutions realistic today.

For most of the last century, the food industry grew by expanding. More land. More fertiliser. Longer supply chains. More resources. That model delivered abundance, but it also created dependencies. Today, climate volatility, geopolitical uncertainty and increasing pressure on natural resources are exposing the fragility of many of the systems we rely on.

Now, the challenge has shifted toward producing food in a way that is resilient, resource-efficient and adaptable to a rapidly changing world. In that world, biotechnology is becoming the centre of the conversation.

At Biotope by VIB, what we see consistently is that biotechnology is increasingly becoming a practical tool for strengthening food systems, improving resource efficiency and reducing dependence on vulnerable supply chains.

Three technologies that change what is possible

Start with precision fermentation. Instead of extracting an ingredient from an animal or a plant half a world away, we can programme microorganisms to produce it directly: specific proteins, fats and enzymes. While the technology itself is impressive, its real value lies in the problems it can help solve.

Food supply chains are under growing pressure from climate volatility, resource constraints and geopolitical disruption. Precision fermentation offers a way to make certain ingredients less dependent on weather patterns, land availability and complex global supply chains. Instead of being tied to where a crop grows best or where livestock is raised, production can happen closer to where ingredients are needed. That creates opportunities for a food system that is more resilient, more flexible and less exposed to external shocks. With disruptions now becoming the norm rather than the exception, the ability to produce critical ingredients reliably and locally has become a strategic advantage.

Alternative proteins are another important piece of the puzzle. Not because they need to replace conventional protein sources, but because a resilient food system should never rely too heavily on a limited number of crops, species or production methods. Diversifying how and where we produce protein, whether through fermentation, novel crops or other biological approaches, creates optionality. And in a world facing climate volatility, resource constraints and growing demand, optionality matters. The goal is not to replace what already works, but to build a food system that is better equipped to adapt to change and absorb shocks.

Gene editing represents a similarly powerful opportunity. Climate change is already putting pressure on agricultural production through heat, drought, salinity, emerging pests and shifting disease patterns. To keep food production reliable, crops need to become more resilient to these changing conditions.

Gene editing enables us to introduce desirable traits more precisely and efficiently than traditional breeding alone, helping crops adapt to an environment that is evolving faster than ever before. Rather than being about changing nature for the sake of it, it is about giving farmers better tools to continue producing food in an increasingly unpredictable world.

None of these technologies belong in the realm of science fiction. Companies are already bringing products to market across all three categories. Increasingly, the challenge lies in how quickly we can scale promising innovations and translate scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact.

Ideas that seemed unviable a decade ago are becoming possible today

What gives me confidence today is not that biology has become easier. It is that we are getting better at navigating its complexity.

The classic biotech penalty was trial and error. You had a hypothesis, whether an enzyme, a strain or a protein variant, and the only way to test it was to make it and measure it, one wet-lab cycle at a time, for years. That is where the time and the capital went. Many promising ideas did not fail because the science was flawed, but because proving the science took too long or cost too much.

Today, advances in AI are helping to change that equation. Researchers can better predict protein structures, model biological systems and identify promising candidates before stepping into the lab. Rather than testing thousands of possibilities experimentally, scientists can narrow down the field and focus their efforts where the likelihood of success is highest.

Importantly, AI does not replace biology. The experiments still need to happen, products still need to perform and founders still need to solve the challenges of scale-up and commercialisation. What AI changes is the efficiency of discovery. It helps teams learn faster, make better decisions and use capital more effectively.

The result is that technologies that may have been scientifically feasible but commercially unrealistic ten years ago are becoming increasingly viable today. This opens up an entirely new set of opportunities for founders, investors and industry partners alike.

What this asks of the industry

Technology is advancing rapidly, but technology alone will not transform our food system.

The next challenge is building stronger connections between the people developing innovation and the people who can help bring it to market. We need closer collaboration between founders and food companies, between researchers and investors, and between scientific technologies and real market needs. Across the biotech ecosystem, we see exceptional science. What often determines success is not the quality of the technology, but the quality of the partnerships around it.

Food and beverage businesses should engage with this technology now, as partners, rather than waiting for it to arrive fully de-risked on their doorsteps. Real engagement – meaning joint development, early validation and honest commitments – is worth infinitely more than a letter of intent for something you might buy in five years. Potential is not demand.

Biotech will not solve every challenge facing the food system, and I would distrust anyone who promised it would. But the combination of maturing tools, AI-accelerated design and patient, well-structured capital means the solutions we need for a resilient, climate-adapted, resource-smart food system are no longer a bet on the distant future. They are being built right now, and the companies and countries that recognise that early are the ones who will still be feeding people well when the old model finally gives out.