Lobby, baby, lobby

On 20 January 2025, the USA and the rest of the world stepped into uncharted territory. You don’t need to be a fortune teller to predict that food will continue to be a key battleground in identity politics for years to come. The question now is: how do you navigate this new landscape? There are important lessons for the road ahead.

Food has always been political. In the coming years, it will become even more so. The food market is highly regulated, extending well beyond safety measures. Regulation can level the playing field – or tilt it. It can either delay the entry of new products or support emerging categories and technologies poised to reshape the marketplace. Restrictive labeling of non-animal proteins is a well-documented example of how regulations can be used to maintain market dominance for incumbents by creating uneven playing fields for newer categories.

Elizabeth Pollman, Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania, notes that startups – and indirectly their investors – often become “regulatory entrepreneurs”
or agents of legal change as they attempt to shape laws and regulations. While Pollman primarily refers to tech companies in the sharing economy, this concept applies equally to startups and investors in food innovation. These companies are building new categories in markets governed by regulations designed for an animal-based food system. Unsurprisingly, shaping a regulatory environment that offers a clear path to market, access to public funding, and supportive infrastructure is central to their business models – whether in plant-based, precision fermentation, or other emerging tech.

Navigating regulation, policy, and politics is essentially a risk management function – especially in a new geopolitical era marked by a second Trump administration. A decade ago, investors and companies in disruptive technologies and peer-to-peer platforms realized that managing these external factors would define their success. Those who have invested in regulatory advocacy, strategic communication and lobbying expertise  stood out, reduced risks, and paved the way for smoother market entry. Investors in food tech would be wise to incorporate regulatory navigation and policy scans into their due diligence processes.

It’s essential for the food-tech and biomanufacturing sectors to recognize they face regulatory, policy, and political risks similar to those confronting other critical technologies

As recent reports highlight, big tech remains deeply invested in key lobbying markets, much like the agricultural, oil, and gas sectors. Other strategic technology sectors – from semiconductors to battery ecosystems – are increasingly engaging in targeted lobbying and industry advocacy. For years, lobbying in the alternative protein sector seemed to be seen as a dirty word. The industry preferred terms such as ‘policy adaptation’. However, as other sectors have professionalized their lobbying efforts, recognizing what’s at stake, food tech must catch up or risk being overlooked.

Understanding the European Union’s procedure for approving novel foods is a prime example of how critical regulatory and policy literacy has become. Preparing a dossier for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is a specialized task. Companies seeking efficient EU market entry must rely on professionals experienced in writing these dossiers. But the process doesn’t end there. A well-prepared dossier is merely the first step. The real challenge lies in navigating the administrative, policy, and political processes that follow.

Once the European Commission forwards a dossier to EFSA, the focus shifts to securing approval from the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food, and Feed (ScoPAFF). While member states usually follow EFSA’s recommendations, political polarization can complicate the vote. With 27 member states represented by heavily lobbied technical experts, a qualified majority is crucial. Companies must secure support from key players like France and Germany, as approval requires at least 55% of member states, representing 65% of the EU population. As part of the EU’s transparency framework, non-sensitive dossier data is made public, which highlights the need for strong communication strategies to build consumer trust.

It is essential for the food-tech and biomanufacturing sectors to recognize that they face regulatory, policy, and political risks similar to those confronting other critical technologies. This understanding has never been more urgent. Food biomanufacturing has been identified as a strategic technology in the EU, underscoring its role in securing the region’s long-term competitiveness in biotechnology and biomanufacturing. This classification is expected to be mirrored by the upcoming EU Bio Act in 2025 and reflected in the thinking of the Clean Industrial Deal.

The time has come for food tech to adopt narratives and positioning strategies that reflect the geopolitical realities of today. These products are no longer niche innovations; they are critical technologies essential for strategic autonomy and food security. In this new era, narratives matter. Political rebranding may be required, depending on the market, jurisdiction, and context.

Positioning a protein production technology as a strategic decarbonization solution to support competitiveness is likely to be central to a successful narrative in the EU. However, these claims must be backed by a robust Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) aligned with the European Product Environmental Methodology. This ensures that LCAs
are based on comparable datasets. The reality is clear: securing strategic political support is no longer optional – it is a prerequisite for anyone aiming to secure
a foothold in the future of food.

Anna has founded Future Affairs Consulting as an impact-focused strategic advisory and advocacy firm. She is a well-known advocate for climate tech and has been involved in various leadership roles across Europe, particularly in sustainability strategy and innovation policy. This article is republished from the Q1 2025 edition of Protein Production Technology International, the industry's leading resource for alternative proteins. To subscribe to all future editions, please click here