White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has set R&D goals to develop new food and feed sources, including alt-proteins (e.g. plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cell-cultured) in their new report on goals for US Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing.

Some of the goals it aims to achieve include expanding research into food components that make novel foods more palatable, affordable, and easier to prepare; research on the structural design and food architecture of alternative protein products, including how plant and microbial materials compare to animal-based products; and identifying and conducting feasibility studies for high-volume, low-cost protein and innovations on fat sources such as products resulting from precision fermentation.

Analyst QuickTake: The report follows President Biden’s Executive Order to support cultivated meat in September 2022 . The Order highlighted the need for advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation with a focus on innovations in the agriculture sector and the advancement of alternative proteins. Weeks later, the Biden administration announced a new proposal that pledged to increase the availability of plant-based and vegetarian options at federal facilities. Aside from recent initiatives, the government has financially assisted innovations in this arena as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) made a grant of USD 10 million to Tufts University to establish the National Institute for Cellular Agriculture.