Request for Proposal - “New Techniques”

Identifying new promising techniques to shift the food system towards being more plant-based

Deadline: September 1, 2024

Rationale

Increasing global levels of animal product consumption are associated with numerous negative outcomes, including public health problems, poor farmed animal welfare, and detrimental environmental impacts. There is an urgent need to identify new areas, techniques, or approaches, so far underexplored, to reverse the trend.

Goal

Proposals submitted under this RFP should address the potential of novel advocacy areas or techniques as well as other approaches to reduce reliance on animal products.

Details

Successful proposals will answer one or more of the following questions.

  • What is the potential of non-conventional ways of reducing animal product consumption? For example:

    • To what extent could efforts to reduce food waste reduce consumption of animal products?  

    • To what extent could efforts to alter the animal product ingredients in pet food affect the overall animal protein supply system and the associated environmental outcomes?

  • What is the potential impact of efforts that aim to improve the welfare of neglected farmed animals such as fish, or invertebrates, especially shrimp and prawns? For example: 

    • What are some possible approaches to improve the welfare of shrimp and prawns and/or reduce consumption of them? 

    • What potential is there for improving or introducing new legislation for farmed fish and/or crustaceans? 

    • What is the potential of various tactics to reduce farming of invertebrates such as honey bees, silkworms, crickets, and black soldier flies? 

    • What is the impact of such policies on the retail cost of these products?

  • What is the potential of relatively novel efforts to support the alternative protein ecosystem? For example:

    • What are the most promising lobbying opportunities that exist for increasing government funding to R&D on plant-based alternatives?

    • What opportunities exist to pass novel laws that support plant-based alternatives, and what is the likelihood of those laws passing? 

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