2025 Plant-based food white paper release: Microalgae protein replaces meat into the mainstream
Recently, an authoritative organization in the global food industry released the "2025 Plant-based Food White Paper", which clearly pointed out that microalgae protein will become the mainstream direction of alternative meat. As consumers' attention to health, environmental protection and sustainable development continues to increase, the plant-based food market has ushered in explosive growth, and microalgae protein has become the focus of the industry due to its high nutritional value and low environmental footprint.
1. The plant-based food market is growing rapidly
According to the white paper data, the global plant-based food market size has grown by more than 20% in the past five years, among which the growth rate of microalgae protein products is particularly significant. The following is a comparison of key data of plant-based food market from 2020 to 2025:
| years | Global market size (USD 100 million) | Microalgae protein proportion | Annual growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 120 | 5% | 15% |
| 2021 | 150 | 8% | 25% |
| 2022 | 190 | 12% | 27% |
| 2023 | 240 | 18% | 26% |
| 2024 | 310 | 25% | 29% |
| 2025 (Forecast) | 400 | 35% | 30% |
2. Three core advantages of microalgae protein
The white paper points out that the rapid rise of microalgae protein is mainly due to the following three major advantages:
1.High nutritional value: The amino acid composition of microalgae protein is close to that of animal proteins, and is rich in scarce nutrients such as Omega-3 and vitamin B12, far exceeding traditional plant proteins such as soybeans and peas.
2.Environmentally friendly: Microalgae culture only requires a small amount of land and water resources, and its carbon emissions are only 1/10 of that of traditional animal husbandry, perfectly meeting the carbon neutrality goal.
3.Wide application scenarios: From artificial meat, protein powder to functional drinks, microalgae protein can meet diverse needs. The following is the proportion of mainstream application areas:
| Application areas | market share |
|---|---|
| Artificial meat products | 45% |
| Nutritional supplements | 30% |
| Functional food | 15% |
| other | 10% |
3. Survey on consumer awareness and acceptance
A survey of 15 major markets around the world shows that consumers' awareness of microalgae protein has jumped from 12% in 2020 to 68% in 2025. The acceptance rate changes are particularly significant:
| manner | Percentage in 2020 | Percentage in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Willing to take the initiative to try | 8% | 42% |
| A good price will buy | 25% | 48% |
| Take a wait-and-see attitude | 50% | 8% |
| Clearly reject | 17% | 2% |
4. Industry challenges and future prospects
Despite the broad prospects, the white paper also points to the current two major challenges:High production costs(The current price of microalgae protein is 3 times that of soy protein) andFlavor improvement needs. However, with the application of CRISPR gene editing technology, it is expected that production costs will drop by 40% by 2027, while flavor acceptance will increase to 90%.
Global food giants have made plans: Beyond Meat announces the launch of microalgae burgers by 2026, and Nestlé plans to invest $500 million to build a microalgae R&D center. Experts predict that by 2030, microalgae protein is expected to occupy more than 50% of the alternative protein market, truly reconstructing the human protein supply system.
This "green protein revolution" led by microalgae is redefining the appearance of the future dining table.
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