Jeff BezosPhotographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
The Bezos Earth Fund is pouring $60 million into revamping alternative proteins as part of its push to make food more sustainable.
The Jeff Bezos-backed philanthropic organization will put money into establishing university research centers that will work on improving the taste, texture and nutrition of meat alternatives. The Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein, to be set up over the next five years, will also focus on bringing down manufacturing costs and finding new ingredients, according to Andy Jarvis, director of Future of Food at the Bezos Earth Fund.
“Alternative proteins are an imperative if we are to stay within planetary boundaries, if we are to feed 10 billion people within those boundaries,” Jarvis said in a video interview. “We’re investing in alternative proteins because they need to be successful.”
From plant-based burgers to cultivated meat and protein grown in fermentation tanks, alternative proteins have been singled out as a way to help shift diets away from livestock, a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions. But they have struggled to win over consumers due to a lack of flavor, high prices and concerns over their nutritional content. Investment has been drying up, while the nascent cellular market has been challenged by scale-up issues and government backlash.
“They need to cost less, they need to be more flavorful,” Jarvis said. The fund is backing open access research to create a strong innovation foundation for the whole sector, he said.
The Bezos Earth Fund was launched in early 2020 by Bezos — the world’s second-richest person and founder of Amazon.com Inc. — who pledged $10 billion to fight climate change and protect the natural world.
The pledge of $60 million is initial and part of a $1 billion commitment by the Bezos Earth Fund to tackle food’s impact on climate and nature, the fund’s vice chair Lauren Sánchez said in Miami Tuesday.