Animal-source and plant proteins are both valuable contributors to balanced and healthy diets.

Eat Europe welcomes the European Commission’s Protein Action Plan – presented today together with the EU Strategy on livestock – as a long-awaited initiative to reduce the European Union’s dependency on imported proteins while strengthening Europe’s farming and livestock sectors. The strategy is an important step towards enhancing the resilience, competitiveness and strategic autonomy of the EU food system.

Eat Europe particularly appreciates the balanced approach adopted in the Plan, recognising the complementary role of different protein sources in ensuring food security, sustainability, and public health. This reflects the recommendations recently put forward in a joint statement submitted by Eat Europe, Slow Food, Safe Food Advocacy Europe and IFOAM Organics Europe to the EU Institutions, calling for a science-based and balanced approach to protein diversification. Protein diversification should strengthen, not weaken, the competitiveness and long-term viability of European agriculture, including the livestock sector.

“Not all protein products are equal,” said Luigi Scordamaglia, President of Eat Europe. “A clear distinction must be made between natural or minimally processed foods—including high-quality organic products—and ultra-processed foods, regardless of their origin. The degree of processing should become a central consideration in nutrition and food policies.”

Eat Europe also welcomes the recognition of animal-source proteins, alongside plant proteins, as valuable contributors to balanced and healthy diets. At the same time, plant-based products and diets should not automatically be considered healthier or more sustainable. Their nutritional quality, environmental performance and level of processing must be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and clear definitions are needed to ensure consumers receive accurate information and public health is protected.

Innovation has an important role to play in Europe’s food system. However, all alternative protein products must fully comply with the EU’s high standards for food safety, public health, and environmental protection. Eat Europe considers it essential that the sustainability and safety of these products be thoroughly assessed before they are promoted as alternatives.

Eat Europe also notes the reference made in the Protein Plan to the forthcoming Biotech Act II as for feed. While biotechnology can play an important role in several strategic sectors, this should not lead to the inclusion of human food within the scope of the Act. As Eat Europe recently highlighted in a letter to the European Commission, existing evidence regarding the long-term health impacts and environmental performance of precision fermentation and cultivated-food technologies remains incomplete and raises serious questions.

Eat Europe further welcomes the emphasis on public procurement as a strategic tool to promote healthier and more sustainable diets. Public procurement should prioritise agricultural products and minimally processed foods, particularly organic, local, and seasonal products. Education is equally important. Rather than simply expanding the range of products available under the EU School Scheme, the EU should invest in broader educational programmes that encourage balanced, healthy, and sustainable dietary habits based on sound nutritional science.

The EU Protein Plan represents an important opportunity to strengthen Europe’s food sovereignty while supporting its farmers and food producers. Its implementation should remain firmly grounded in science and evidence, recognising the complementary value of both plant- and animal-based protein sources and avoiding ideological or polarising approaches. A resilient European food system depends on diversity, informed consumer choice and policies that place public health, sustainability, and European agriculture at their core.