Last November, Nursh hosted two capacity-building workshops—one online and one in person—as part of LIKE-A-PRO, a European initiative working to make alternative proteins mainstream across the food system.
The goal was simple but ambitious: translate research into practice. Not just sharing results, but equipping food producers, ingredient suppliers, and retailers with the knowledge and confidence needed to actually work with alternative proteins.
Bridging the Gap Between Research and Reality
Across both workshops, one thing became clear: innovation doesn’t fail because of lack of ideas, but because of lack of usable knowledge. Participants weren’t asking whether alternative proteins matter—they were asking how to make them work.
Real questions from the sessions included:
“Are the chicken chunks and minced meat heat stable? Can you use them in a sterilisation process?”
“I am mostly concerned about cost efficiency for good quality protein.”
“Is there any way to access the pilot products developed during the project?”
These questions reflect where the sector is today: past the hype, deep into feasibility, cost, processing, and market readiness.
What We Shared
During the online workshop, we connected technical insights from LIKE-A-PRO—processing technologies, nutritional quality, protein functionality—with behavioural and market perspectives. To ground the discussion, we showcased a cooking video featuring alternative proteins developed by project partners (including hybrid chorizo, mycoprotein salmon, and fava-based chicken and minced applications), demonstrating how these ingredients can be used in accessible, mainstream recipes.
The in-person workshop took this one step further. After setting the scene with project insights and consumer nudging strategies, participants cooked, plated, and pitched dishes using alternative proteins. The exercise wasn’t just culinary—it was strategic: how do you explain value, reduce perceived risk, and make these products appealing?
As reflected in the feedback, hands-on experimentation made the difference. Participants consistently highlighted cooking, tasting, and storytelling as the most impactful elements of the day.
Key Takeaways
Across both formats, several insights stood out:
- Functionality and processing stability are decisive for adoption
- Clear nutritional evidence builds confidence across the value chain
- Cost vs. quality trade-offs remain a central challenge
- Behavioural insights are essential to move from acceptance to habitual choice
- Hands-on learning accelerates understanding far more than theory alone
Participants rated the workshops highly, noting that the mix of technical depth, practical demonstrations, and open discussion made the content directly relevant to their work.
Why This Matters
Alternative proteins won’t become mainstream through innovation alone. They need translation, context, and capability-building—especially for the middle food system actors who decide what gets developed, produced, and placed on shelves. Hosting these workshops reinforced what we believe at Nursh: real impact happens when research meets reality, and when people are given the tools—not just the data—to move forward.