Algae and laboratory meat: UBS sees alternative food as a source of profit

Manufacturers of new foods, for example from algae cultures or the laboratory, are becoming increasingly interesting for investors, according to a study by the major Swiss bank UBS.

Innovations such as vertical agriculture - meaning the cultivation of food in multi-storey buildings in the city -, food produced in the laboratory, algae cultures and the new digital possibilities are in vogue.

The UBS study "The Food Revolution" by analyst Wayne Gordon, published on Thursday, assumes that a fundamental change in food production is necessary. Today's agriculture is not sustainable due to high water consumption, land use and pollutant emissions.

According to the UBS experts, however, this will create opportunities: "We expect rapid growth in areas such as alternative meat, agriculture 4.0, online food delivery and seed research and seed treatment," the study says. An example of this is the growing enthusiasm for vegetarian burger alternatives, such as Beyond Meat <US08862E1091> and Impossible Burger.

UBS expects an average annual growth rate of 28 percent for the plant-based protein business through 2030, 16 percent for online delivery services and digitized agriculture, 13 percent for seed treatment and 9 percent for seed research. Overall, the market volume of innovative nutrition is expected to increase from the current 135 billion US dollars to 700 billion US dollars, corresponding to an average annual growth rate of 15 percent./elm/jkr/fba