ProteinX is reiterating their goal of fostering innovation in next-gen proteins as the Silicon Valley-based nonprofit foundation recently announced the names of potential awardees of the ProteinX 2021 Awards after a nomination process that started in November. The list of finalists includes 15 brands and names that have carved a niche as ecosystem players of solutions to help in shaping a sustainable, circular, and innovative future in the food industry with a focuse on plant-based proteins. 

The global food industry has evolved over the years, with different stakeholders emerging to provide solutions to meet the diverse needs of consumers. Unfortunately, many of the solutions seem to be counterproductive, with a recent report revealing the unsustainability of the food system, especially as the global population is projected to hit more than 10 billion people by 2050. Consequently, it has become imperative for humans to discover new ways of non-animal-based food derivates, as well as sustainable product packaging. ProteinX is therefore taking the cause a notch higher by collaborating with different stakeholders in the agric and beverage economy, a move that birthed the ProteinX Awards. 

The awards substantiate the organization’s claim of supporting a safer, cleaner, and fairer world for everyone by recognizing the efforts of individuals and organizations towards the discovery of next-gen proteins. The ProteinX Award recognizes across 5 categories – Corporations, Startups, Investors, Academia, and Thought Leaders. 

The nomination process opens on November 16, 2020, allowing anybody to nominate anybody that falls within the guidelines of each nomination category. Once a nomination is accepted, public voting begins, with three finalists will be selected in each category by an extensive national and regional jury.  

The finalists as listed by ProteinX are Nestle Nutrina, Coca-Cola, and Kerry in the Corporations category, Sundial Foods, Biomilq, and Because Animals in the Startups category, and Big Idea Ventures, LeverVC, and AgFunder in the Investors category. UC Davis, Wageningen University, and Cornell University made the list in the Academia category, with the Thought Leaders containing Dag Piper – The Kraft Heinz Company, Lisa Dyson, Ph.D. – AirProtein, and Rosie Wardle – Synthesis Capital. 

Winners of the ProteinX 2021 Awards will be announced during the ProteinX Symposium scheduled to take place from June 8 to 10, 2021. The event will also feature renowned speakers presenting science-based breakthroughs in cultivated meat, precision and biomass fermentation, new ingredients, and sustainable packaging, with more than 1,000 guests expected to be in attendance. The symposium will also have the global first InnoChef Cooking Show, bringing some fun and excitement into cooking with next-gen proteins. 

For more information about the ProteinX symposium and how to get free tickets as academia, please visit – https://www.proteinx.org/symposium and YouTube. 

About ProteinX 

ProteinX is a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit foundation that provides students and scientists with resources to foster scientifically meaningful, potentially transformative, innovation and education projects for the future of food, and its contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The foundation collaborates with academia, industry, and governmental agencies to achieve this goal.