The White House released a new report, “Building the Bioworkforce of the Future,” detailing the Biden-Harris administration’s expansion plans. US Biomanufacturing Capacity and Infrastructure. In the report, the administration specifically named precision fermentation as a key area of focus for the emerging bioeconomy.
“We support this continued recognition of precision fermentation as an important part of the agricultural sector in the bioeconomy”
In 2022, President Biden signed Executive Order 14081, which directed the US government to increase training and education opportunities for all Americans in biotechnology and biomanufacturing.
The new “BioWorkforce” report builds on these and additional reports, as well as includes input from stakeholders in government, business, academia and community-based organizations. The report identifies three main sectors of the emerging bioeconomy: biomedical, agricultural and bioindustrial.
Under “agriculture,” the White House lists “food ingredients made with precision fermentation” as a key component of the sector. The agricultural sector is described as “concentrated”.[E]Increasing the production of food, fiber, biomass and other agricultural products through the use of biotechnology.
Positive news
According to The Good Food Institute (GFI), the inclusion of precision fermentation is a very positive development. As GFI posted online: “This is great news for #alternativeproteins and confirms the administration’s commitment to creating jobs, building stronger supply chains, and building low-cost US organic manufacturing capacity and infrastructure.”
Precision fermentation represents a rapidly growing field in protein alternatives, with companies and startups employing this technology to produce a wide range of valuable proteins without the need for animal husbandry, including casein, whey protein, albumin and even honey. Precision-fermented dairy ingredients are already found in a number of consumer products such as ice cream, sports nutrition bars and animal-free milk.
In 2023, nine food technology companies – Change Foods, The Every Co., Helaina, ImagineDairy, Motif Foodworks, New Culture, Onego Bio, Perfect Day and Remilk – came together to form the Precision Fermentation Alliance.
Pledge his support
“The bioeconomy encompasses a wide range of industries—including biopharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics, crop and livestock genetics, and other life science research and development efforts,” the White House report said. “Innovation and manufacturing in these industries touch on several areas of national importance, including climate change; Energy production, use and storage; food security; supply chain resilience; public health; Rural Economic Development; and national and economic security.”
“We support this continued recognition of precision fermentation as an important part of the agricultural sector in the bioeconomy and look forward to further developments on this front,” GFI said online.