Cellular Agriculture Australia (CAA) has released a report highlighting key considerations for cellular agriculture companies regarding the measurement, reporting, and communication of impact, with particular emphasis on the need for more robust claims to future-proof the industry.
Cellular agriculture technologies, particularly cell cultivation and precision fermentation, were catalysed by their potential as a suite of ethical and sustainable food production methods, especially in the alternative protein sphere. They are poised to contribute to national climate targets and provide a complementary food source, particularly protein, in the face of growing food insecurity globally.
Earlier this month, CAA also released a report that shows Australia has the potential to become a global leader in the production of precision-fermented ingredients, with several innovative companies working with the technology. However, a study by Food Frontier showed government funding for alternative proteins in Australia was comparatively lower than all similar socioeconomically positioned nations. These included the UK, Germany, Singapore, Israel, the US, Denmark, China, South Korea, The Netherlands and Canada.
From its inception, the cellular agriculture industry has faced pressure to communicate its impact potential to a range of key stakeholders including policymakers, investors, and future consumers. This pressure is compounded by increasing global harmonisation of ESG and impact-related reporting standards, heightened scrutiny and action on greenwashing, and growing competition for funding amid an economic downturn.
The Good Food Institute sustainability and impact advisor, Tom Chapman, said: “As ESG and impact standards harmonise globally, transparent, evidence-backed claims are essential to safeguarding industry credibility and ensuring long-term success”.
The report draws on insights from proximate industries including plant-based protein, sustainable fashion, and electric vehicles. It calls on companies to consciously consider their claims, stressing the importance of clear, credible, and evidence-based communication and managing expectations about the realistic timeframes needed to achieve tangible impact.
CAA encourages companies to prioritise and integrate impact considerations into their strategic and operational processes from the outset, whilst exercising caution when data is limited and processes are untested at scale.
Targeted primarily at industry leaders, the report offers insights for companies working to commercialise cellular agriculture products such as cultivated meat and precision-fermented ingredients. While the report primarily focuses on Australia, its findings have global relevance.
Concluding with a call to action, the report encourages Australian industry stakeholders to collaborate on prioritising the most important impact areas, claims, and metrics. CAA stated that early collaboration will deliver efficiencies and result in the consistency required to build support, trust, and adoption of cellular agriculture products.
Over the coming months, CAA plans to engage with the Australian sector, starting with a workshop titled ‘Cultivating accountability – evidence gaps in cellular agriculture’ in partnership with Food Frontier at AltProteins 24.
For more information, the full CAA report can be downloaded here.
