National policy strategy
Facilitating a national policy strategy
GFI Israel works closely with ministries, including the Prime Minister’s Office, the Israel Innovation Authority, and other public authorities, to coordinate the national effort toward a governmental resolution to advance the alternative proteins sector in Israel.
What is an alternative protein strategy?
A national strategy serves as a holistic, data-driven, and country-specific examination of every facet of the alternative protein value chain. It pinpoints actionable government policies and orchestrates the most impactful course of action in the immediate and long term. It also encourages the government to communicate its strong commitment to investing in and advancing specific sectors to benefit the country and economy.
This approach outlines the vision, objectives, and actionable policies required to promote and support the alternative protein sector at the national level, along with a clear evaluation of the potential gains for the country.
The strategy identifies market barriers that necessitate effective government intervention, evaluates recommendations for addressing these issues, and evaluates government support with key data findings.
Israel’s national policy plan
GFI Israel has been working closely with the Israeli government to establish a national policy plan to leverage groundbreaking innovation and entrepreneurship in the alternative protein space and to create a local industry capable of meeting domestic demand. The plan indicates that with adequate governmental support, by 2030, the local alternative protein industry could contribute some 10B NIS annually to the Israeli GDP through the growth of about 230 additional local companies, 40 factories, and 12,500 jobs.
Innovating the future: A collaborative vision for Israel’s alternative protein industry with the Israeli Innovation Authority in the lead
GFI Israel has been crafting a two-year strategic plan to enhance and leverage the Israeli alternative protein ecosystem into an industry capable of local and regional production. GFI Israel collaborated with the Israeli Innovation Authority and Shaldor consulting firm. GFI Israel will soon publish the comprehensive research findings, which are rooted in extensive interviews with the alternative protein ecosystem leaders, including in academia, and examine the current state of Israel’s alternative protein landscape.
The analysis identifies unmet challenges along the value chain and presents potential solutions from a global perspective. It acknowledges Israel’s competitive advantages, emphasizing its local entrepreneurial and technological environment, cutting-edge scientific and technological capabilities, extensive entrepreneurship and venture capital system, and a unique early adopter market.
However, it’s crucial to recognize Israel’s structural limitations as a small and isolated market. Key challenges include the absence of leading industrial food giants promoting large-scale research, investments, and services in alternative protein., Synergies with larger, developed industries such as pharma, chemicals, and food – which could provide the needed infrastructure and workforce to advance the alternative protein industry – are limited.
Acknowledging these factors, the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA) and the government are actively exploring numerous initiatives to support the alternative protein ecosystem’s maturation and transition to scale-up. This strategic approach is crucial for expanding and preserving Israel’s preeminent position in this rapidly growing sector.
Additional countries are advancing efforts to develop comprehensive strategic plans to establish robust alternative protein ecosystems. The following are a few recent examples:
Germany
Invested €38 million in 2024 in funding for alternative proteins, including a center of excellence that is developing a comprehensive roadmap for the alternative protein transition economy. The roadmap defines measurable goals for the sector and outlines specific industry and government action required to position Germany at the forefront of the sector by 2030.
Denmark
Announced the first-ever national plan for plant-based foods. The plan calls for action among all the actors in the local food system, from the farmer and food producer to the retail trade, as well as the consumer.
The Netherlands
Is developing comprehensive plans to stimulate economic growth around alternative proteins. These plans include public funding to support the formation of an ecosystem around cellular agriculture.
How does GFI Israel support this effort?
GFI Israel collaborates with public authorities, ministries, and the industry at large to advise and support the national initiative for advancing the Israeli ecosystem. We serve as a catalyst and a bridge between the public and private sectors, identifying the most impactful intervention points and avenues for cooperation.
What we do
- We inform and advise all relevant ministries about the sector’s needs, identifying white spaces and opportunities for growth where the government can take the lead.
- We collaborate with the government ministries to create a data-driven work plan for allocating their budgets per the specific needs of the Israeli ecosystem.
- We facilitate knowledge exchange and open communication channels between the ministries and the industry.
How you can help
Our research, insights, and advocacy are only possible thanks to our generous, global family of donors. GFI Israel is 100% powered by philanthropy. You can fuel this transformative work by supporting us today.
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