The Innovation Ecosystems of Novel Foods: Sustainable Transition or Hype and Incumbent Hijacking?

Abstract

This article offers an interpretation of the significance and dynamics of current food product innovations, especially those focused on providing alternatives to animal proteins. We first describe the complementary and competing technology routes being explored to develop alternatives for the full range of meat, fish, seafoods, dairy, egg, and generic protein, products. We then draw attention to the original features of current innovation in agrifood and particularly to the nature of its globalization, questioning the dominant focus on the “Silicon Valley” model. The sustainable transitions literature has recently turned its attention to agrifood, and, in the following section, we interrogate its ability to capture the full dynamic of the innovations underway. Political economy approaches, highly influential in both academic and “grey” contributions, which are then discussed, focus on the unsustainability of current innovations and their co-option by incumbent actors. While recognising these possibilities, other authors highlight the modular, decentralized, potential of these innovations with positive impacts for more diversified agricultural development. In the final section, we discuss demand side dynamics with a particular focus on the complex intermediations influencing consumer behaviour, not captured in many of the attitudinal studies. These include retail and food service strategies, labelling and regulatory conflicts, media framing, and the social and cultural factors informing eating practices. In our concluding comments, we provide a brief summary of the principal arguments insisting on the disruptive potential of innovations which propose to radically reduce the various hoofprints of our animal protein diet.