From Molecules to Markets: How EIT Food Is Driving Agrifood Biotechnology at Scale

The report promotes demand‑led, molecule‑first thinking. How does this reflect EIT Food’s experience? 

It reflects it very closely. One of the strongest lessons from the last decade of food innovation is that supply‑side excellence alone is not enough. Too many promising technologies stalled because infrastructure was built before customers were ready to buy, or because reformulation and qualification timelines were underestimated. 

The Manifesto captures this clearly: building capacity without anchored demand leads to stranded assets. At EIT Food, we have consistently advocated for co‑development models, early engagement with brands and manufacturers, and validation of real market needs before major capital commitments. Molecule‑led planning formalises that logic and gives all stakeholders a shared reference point.  

Biotechnology is now a key strategic focus for EIT Food. Why is biotech so central to the future of food systems? 

Because biotechnology offers solutions to structural challenges that incremental improvements cannot solve. Whether it is supply chain volatility, climate pressure, resource efficiency or regulatory‑driven reformulation, many of the biggest challenges facing food systems today require fundamentally new production pathways. 

Biotechnology enables us to work with precision: producing specific molecules with consistent quality, reduced environmental footprint and far greater resilience to external shocks. The Molecule Manifesto shows that clearly, particularly for functional proteins and peptides, where fermentation can decouple critical ingredients from animal agriculture and fragile supply chains.  

For EIT Food, biotech is not a standalone sector, it is a powerful enabler of sustainable food innovation, when it is used in a way that is responsible, affordable and scalable 

Which of the four priority molecule families do you see as most relevant for agrifood in the near term? 

From a food‑system perspective, peptides and non‑catalytic proteins are particularly compelling. They address concrete needs in food preservation, nutrition, reformulation and functionality, at a time when regulatory pressure and consumer expectations are reshaping the market. 

The Manifesto rightly frames these molecules as performance‑driven rather than cost‑driven. Their value comes from doing more than one job at once, for example, improving safety, texture and nutrition in a single ingredient. This makes adoption easier, even before costs are fully competitive. 

That said, the broader message is that different molecule families will scale on different timelines. Success comes from sequencing investments correctly, not betting on a single silver bullet. This is why it’s important to work together from different perspectives to determine the best molecules depending on market needs. 
 

The Manifesto is described as “not another vision paper” but a deployment framework. From your perspective, what makes it different from previous biotech initiatives? 

There are plenty of initiatives, but what defines ours is the specificity. The Molecule Manifesto does not ask whether biotechnology can transform industry, that question has already been answered. Instead, it asks where to start, which molecules, which infrastructure, and which commitments are needed to move from pilots to scale.  

The coalition screened more than 300 molecules and deliberately narrowed the focus to four molecule families where demand signals already exist: terpenes, peptides, non‑catalytic proteins and hydroxy acids. That molecule‑led approach is critical because markets do not scale through generic capacity, but rather through specific applications that buyers are ready to commit to. 

For us at EIT Food, this is exactly the kind of practical, market‑anchored framework that can accelerate real change, particularly in food and agrifood systems where timelines, margins and regulatory constraints are very different from pharmaceuticals.  

EIT Food is acknowledged as a contributor to the Manifesto. What perspective did EIT Food bring to the coalition? 

Being the biggest innovation network in Europe, we brought a strong food‑system and market lens. While biotechnology is often discussed from a technology or investment standpoint, food operates under very specific constraints: regulatory approval, consumer trust, supply‑chain resilience and price sensitivity. 

Our contribution focused on three areas. First, helping validate demand assumptions for food and nutrition applications, particularly around peptides and functional proteins. Second, highlighting the regulatory realities in Europe; for example, the impact of Novel Foods approval timelines, and why coordinated approaches are needed to avoid stranded innovation.  

Third, and perhaps most importantly, we contributed our experience as a neutral connector. We work across startups, corporates, investors and policymakers, and we know that scale only happens when these actors move together. That belief is deeply embedded in the Manifesto’s recommendations. 

How can EIT Food help reduce the risks of scaling biotech solutions from pilot to market? 

EIT Food plays a catalytic role in de‑risking scale‑up by acting as an orchestrator rather than an operator, exactly the role the Manifesto assigns to coalitions like AB4S.  

We help aggregate demand by bringing corporates together around shared challenges, accelerate qualification through pilot projects and shared infrastructure, and support co‑development partnerships that shorten time‑to‑market. Importantly, we also work upstream, engaging policymakers and regulators early to anticipate and address barriers before they stall innovation. 

This combination of market access, validation and coordination is what turns promising biotech advances into investable, scalable solutions. 

Regulatory complexity, especially in Europe, is highlighted as a major constraint. How is EIT Food addressing this? 

The Manifesto is clear that regulatory pathways can either enable or delay adoption by years. In Europe, the Novel Foods framework and GMO‑related process regulation present real challenges for fermentation‑derived ingredients, even when final products are chemically identical to conventional ones.  

EIT Food works closely with regulators, policymakers and industry to promote evidence‑based, product‑focused regulatory approaches. We also support innovators in navigating approval processes more effectively and in building robust safety and data packages from an early stage. 

Ultimately, regulatory alignment is not about lowering standards, it is about ensuring that regulation keeps pace with science and does not inadvertently block sustainability solutions. 

How does the Agrifood Biotechnology Alliance build on the priorities of the Molecule Manifesto? 

The Agrifood Biotechnology Alliance translates the Manifesto’s insights into action. It focuses on exactly the gaps identified in the report: fragmentation of effort, slow qualification cycles and insufficient coordination between demand and supply. 

By bringing together startups, corporates, researchers and investors around clearly defined biotech use cases, the Alliance creates a shared space to validate molecules, accelerate adoption and de‑risk investment. In that sense, it operationalises the Manifesto’s call for coordinated execution across the value chain.  

Looking ahead, what would success look like for EIT Food’s biotech strategy? 

Success means moving beyond isolated success stories to systemic impact. In five years, we would expect to see multiple biotechnology‑enabled food ingredients and processes operating at commercial scale, supported by committed buyers, appropriate infrastructure and clearer regulatory pathways. 

More broadly, success means that biotechnology becomes a normal part of food innovation, chosen because it delivers better performance, greater resilience and sustainability, not just because it is novel. That is the future the Molecule Manifesto describes, and one EIT Food is committed to helping build.  

The Molecule Manifesto places strong emphasis on the role of corporates and industry in driving scale. How important is industry leadership in turning sustainable biotechnology into reality? 

Industry leadership is critical. One of the clearest messages of the Molecule Manifesto is that sustainable biotechnology will only scale if corporates move beyond observation and take an active role in shaping markets. 

The coalition behind the Manifesto reflects that reality. It brings together companies across the value chain, from consumer and ingredient leaders such as L’Oréal, BASF, Evonik and Lallemand, to technology players like Cradle and industrial facilitators such as Arsenale Bioyards, with analytical support from McKinsey & Company. What unites them is a shared recognition that demand, infrastructure and investment must be aligned early to unlock scale. 

Corporates play a unique role here: They can validate demand, underwrite early offtake, participate in co‑development and help shorten qualification cycles. These are not things startups or researchers can do alone. When large industry players commit to even at pilot or pre‑commercial stages, they reduce risk and accelerate learning across the system. 

Finally, what message would you send to agrifood companies still hesitant about engaging with biotechnology? 

The message is simple: the question is no longer if biotechnology will shape the future of food, but who helps shape it. The molecules are ready, market signals are clear, and the cost of waiting is growing, particularly as other regions accelerate investment at scale. 

Europe has a real opportunity to lead this transformation. It combines world‑class science, a strong agrifood industry, deep consumer markets and a clear sustainability ambition. If these strengths are aligned, through coordinated investment, demand‑led innovation and regulatory frameworks that keep pace with science, Europe can set the global standard for how biotechnology is responsibly deployed in food systems. 

Engaging early does not mean committing blindly. It means participating in shaping demand, infrastructure and standards together. That is how risk is reduced, and opportunity unlocked.