EPIC-SHIFT: Pioneering the future of food through alternative proteins has been funded

The project has officially been launched! In 2024, with the support of Efund, a multidisciplinary consortium led by Lund University successfully secured funding for EPIC-SHIFT (Securing Holistic and Impactful Food Systems Transformation with Novel Foods based on Alternative Proteins) under the HORIZON-CL6-2024-FARM2FORK-01-7 – Impact of the development of novel foods based on alternative sources of proteins.

The global food system is at a tipping point—unsustainable, unequal, and environmentally damaging, yet still unable to guarantee food and nutrition security for all. EPIC-SHIFT sets out to reimagine this system through the lens of novel foods based on alternative protein sources (NFAP)—including insects, fungi, bacteria, algae, and agricultural and aquacultural by-products. The project’s mission is to generate an independent, science-based understanding of the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of NFAP as viable options for diversifying protein intake across Europe. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, EPIC-SHIFT recognizes that each alternative protein type holds unique opportunities and trade-offs within the broader food ecosystem.

Using a Food Systems Thinking approach and structured as a think-tank, EPIC-SHIFT applies a quadruple helix innovation model, engaging researchers, industry stakeholders, policymakers, and civil society in a participatory, multi-actor process. This enables the co-creation of roadmaps and policy pathways for the sustainable development of NFAP, aligned with the goals of the Planetary Health Diet.

More information about the project available on the EPIC-SHIFT website and the European Commission project portal.