At the International Centre for Culinary Arts in Abu Dhabi, a groundbreaking taste-testing competition is underway. Judges from around the world are evaluating innovative food prototypes including cell-based chicken, fermentation-derived chicken, and plant-based fish. This competition, part of the XPrize Feed the Next Billion initiative, aims to revolutionize food production and consumption, with a $15 million prize set to be awarded in October.
Launched by XPrize in collaboration with Aspire, the program management arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council, the competition began with over 350 teams. Now narrowed down to six finalists from China, Argentina, South Korea, Canada, Austria, and Estonia, each team is tasked with creating protein alternatives that mimic the taste, structure, and nutritional profile of traditional chicken breasts and fish fillets. The goal is to eliminate the reliance on animal agriculture, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and address global food security challenges.
Caroline Kolta, programme director for XPrize Feed the Next Billion, emphasized the criteria for success: competitors must meet nutritional equivalence, scalability in cost, safety without antibiotics, and most importantly, taste.
Amid concerns over a growing global population and climate change, the competition holds significant promise. Meat and dairy production currently account for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making alternatives like plant-based and cell-based proteins increasingly vital.
Veena Hausen, programme manager for Aspire, highlighted the competition’s shift in focus towards chicken and fish, often overlooked in favor of beef alternatives despite their widespread consumption.
The $15 million prize aims to incentivize innovation in protein alternatives, providing winners with capital to scale their products. Judges include food scientists, culinary chefs, environmental life-cycle assessment experts, and business leaders, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation process.
Among the finalists, teams are pursuing diverse approaches: one from China focuses on cell-based chicken grown from animal stem cells in a bio-reactor, while others from South Korea, Canada, Austria, and Estonia are developing plant-based fish using ingredients like soy, rice, and peas. An Argentine team is exploring fermentation-derived chicken through controlled microorganism growth.
Throughout the judging, environmental sustainability is a key consideration, aligning with the competition’s goal to promote eco-friendly food production methods.
Supported by The Tony Robbins Foundation, the competition not only seeks technological advancement but also aims to address global hunger through innovative food solutions.
The culmination of this competition in October promises to herald a new era in food technology, potentially reshaping how we produce and consume protein on a global scale.