Trends, challenges, and opportunities for the United States alternative meat and seafood sector: stakeholder-informed perspectives

Growing global protein demand has fueled innovation and investment in alternative protein (AP) products, including plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cell-cultivated products. Through interviews with AP stakeholders in the United States (U.S.), we explored the sector’s evolution, challenges, opportunities, and trends. Interviewees described a boom from 2009 to 2021 followed by a decline, which the sector is now working to reverse. Achieving taste and price parity, attracting a broad consumer base, producing at scale, and navigating a charged policy environment remain key sector challenges. Looking forward, stakeholders were optimistic, noting opportunities including collaborations within and across sectors; workforce development; innovative financing, scalability models, and products; and increased policy engagement. Findings indicate that the U.S. AP sector is at a critical inflection point. This study points to future research, financing, and innovation that could help AP products become a mainstay in the food system.