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June 2025
The global alternative protein market size was valued at USD 90.52 billion in 2024 and is forecast to rise from USD 99.48 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 232.66 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 9.90% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. The market is attributed to the increasing awareness of vegan diets.
The alternative protein market deals with protein sources that are not gained from conventional animal sources, including fish, pig, chicken, or cattle. Which are expected as an alternative protein. Alternative protein includes a wide range of protein-rich additives that are obtained from animal cells, insects, plants, fungi, and algae, which are developed or cultivated in a lab. The market growth for alternative proteins is witnessing rapid growth in food production due to various advantages such as technical breakthroughs, ethical issues, and environmental sustainability. In addition, the increasing adoption of a vegan diet, increasing consumer trend towards non-meat protein, increasing cases of lactose intolerance, and increasing consumer preference towards health-centric food and beverages are major drivers that are expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.
One of the major drives propelling the market growth is the increasing personal health benefits. As compared to conventional animal products, alternative proteins offer personal health advantages. Compared to conventional animal-based counterparts, various alternative protein products have better or similar nutritional profiles. Meat produced via fermentation, cultivated from animal cells, and made from plants does not require steroids, hormones, and nitrates, unlike conventional animal products. In addition, to improve the nutritional composition of alternative protein products, such as adding essential nutrients like fiber and eliminating or reducing the amounts of dietary cholesterol and saturated fats, scientists are exploring numerous ways. These significant factors are expected to enhance the growth of the alternative protein market.
By enhancing everything from product development to market readiness, AI is revolutionizing the alternative protein market. AI surpasses traditional methods, refining proteins’ nutrition, texture, and taste, by analyzing extensive data. This technology addresses specific consumer needs efficiently and introduces precision in customization and production. Smart production techniques such as the Internet of Things (IoT) are pioneering waste-reducing and more precise processes. To maintain consumer trust, AI needs careful attention to data transparency and privacy. The AI-generated platform helps to accelerate the development of sustainable products. The generated AI in alternative proteins offers a pathway to consumer-aligned and sustainable products, which may create major opportunities to revolutionize the market growth.
The rising introduction into feed and food creates significant allergic risks for both humans and animals. Treating and understanding these allergies may raise consumer awareness, due to the novelty of incorporating insects into diets. In addition, certain insects can bring out reactions via bites, stings, direct contact, inhalation, and ingestion can create major challenges and restrain the growth of the market.
How Is North America Powering Market Growth?
North America dominated the market in 2024. The market growth in the region is attributed to the increasing consumer support towards vegan nutrition, increasing popularity of the products in restaurants and retail grocery stores, growing animal health and wellness, growing environmental sustainability and personal health, rising research and development activities, and increasing government support. The U.S. and Canada are dominating countries driving the market growth.
The U.S. Alternative protein market Trends
The alternative proteins are scalable and powerful solutions for emphasizing significant natural benefits and achieving climate goals, particularly in the American context. Approximately 138 of the 216 US ecosystems, 50% shift toward alternative proteins in the U.S. can enhance the restoration of cropland. In addition, to maximize carbon sequestration through the restoration of lands and forests along water bodies, alternative proteins present opportunities. By enabling the restoration of croplands to forests and improving land use efficiency, an annual carbon sequestration opportunity of 177.8 million metric tons (MMT) of CO₂ equivalent. Furthermore, by growing crops directly for people, the shift toward alternative proteins plays an important role in nutrition and food security, which further drives the market in the U.S. (Source: WBCSD)
Asia Pacific Alternative protein market Trends
Asia Pacific expects the fastest growth in the market during the forecast period. The market growth in the region is driven by factors such as the increasing consumer preference towards ethical and sustainable food options, increasing popularity of plant-based meat products, and increasing demand for alternative protein sources. China, India, Japan and South Korea are the fastest growing countries driving the market growth.
China Alternative protein market Trends
Alternative proteins have grown as one of the major future trends in the food industry. Safeguarding food security has long been a top priority for China, with the second-largest population across the globe. A plant-based meat companies in China attracted a lot of focus from the investors and media. A huge range of plant-based meat products, such as prepared snacks and foods, are introduced to both food service retailers and channels.
The plant-based proteins segment dominated the alternative protein market in 2024.
The segment growth in the market is driven by increasing consumption of plant-based protein substitutes, dairy products, and meat, increasing consumption of flexitarian and vegan diets, and increasing demand for ethical and sustainable food choices. Plant-based alternative proteins are highly preferable for consumers. They are cost effective and expensive. The quantity and quality of the proteins depend on the methods used for the purification and isolation of proteins. Elucidation of the structure of proteins includes the use of techniques such as spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and nuclear magnetic resonance. It has several industrial applications such as plant-based proteins which can be utilized as a plant-based meat analogue and dairy substitute, leading to the vast availability of plant-based proteins. For instance, the retail plant-based food dollar sales were 8.1 billion in the U.S. in 2023. In 2023, 81% of households purchased plant-based foods, and plant-based milk held 15% market revenue of total milk dollar sales in 2023.
The microbial-based proteins segment expects the fastest growth in the market during the forecast period.
The segment growth in the alternative protein market is propelled by increasing adoption of nutritional profiles, increasing the wide range of applications such as dietary supplements and sports nutrition, and increasing consumer awareness related to the environmental and health benefits. In addition, the production method of microbial-based proteins can be improved to enhance the digestibility and bioavailability of the proteins, which is further expected to accelerate the segment demand. Microbial-based proteins are made from soybean processing wastewater.
The food and beverage segment dominated the alternative protein market in 2024.
The segment growth in the market is driven by the increasing consumption of meat alternatives and dairy-free drinks, increasing consumer preference towards flexitarian and plant-based diets, and increasing demand for sustainable and ethical sources of food. The global food market is being shaped by three macro trends such as sustainability, health and well-being, and security. The food and beverage industry is navigating sustainability in various ways such as through upcycling, regenerative practices, and innovative ingredients, which are expected to increase market demand.
The animal feed segment expects substantial growth in the market during the forecast period.
Alternative proteins in animal feed deal with non-traditional sources of protein that can be supplemented or replace conventional protein sources such as bone meal, meat, fishmeal, and soybean meal. Alternative proteins offer new options for formulating animal diets and have the potential to reduce the reliance on resource-intensive and land-intensive protein sources that support animal health and performance. There are various alternative proteins used in animal feeds such as pea protein, single-cell protein, algae, insects, and others.
Mario West
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June 2025
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