Sen. Barry Finegold sample animal-free, dairy milk at Protein Innovation Day at the State House on Monday, June 17, 2024.
Sen. Barry Finegold sample animal-free, dairy milk at Protein Innovation Day at the State House on Monday, June 17, 2024.
[Coverage Developing] Pledging his support for the alternative protein industry, Sen. Barry Finegold told a crowd of plant-based meat vendors and researchers Monday that he enjoyed an Impossible Burger over the weekend, while grilling chicken, burgers and hot dogs.
“I thought it was fantastic. And what’s great about it is that I don’t think I missed a lot by having an Impossible Burger,” Finegold said during “Protein Innovation Day” in the Great Hall. “I believe that investing in alternative proteins is what we have to do, not only to make sure we can feed our population, but to make sure we fight climate change.”
Finegold, Senate chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, hosted Monday’s event with co-chair Rep. Jerry Parisella and Food Solutions Action, which is focused on “accelerating solutions at the intersection of agriculture and biotechnology.”
The committee added new investments for the industry to Gov. Maura Healey’s sprawling economic development bill that also looks to reauthorize the life sciences initiative and make a similar investment in climate technology.
The panel this month added two $5 million bond authorizations for alternative protein investments to the redrafted bill (H 4722), including authorizations for an equipment grant program for alternative protein companies, and bonding support for early-stage businesses.
Global protein demand is expected to more than double by 2050, according to Food Solutions Action. Investing in alternative proteins can help maintain a secure food supply while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including methane that’s released when cows burp, Finegold and advocates said.
“We have the workforce, tech and appetite to lead the country in this emerging field,” Finegold said. “And I’m confident that the investments we’ve made in the economic development bill and through the work of companies like Food Solutions Action, Massachusetts will be able to secure the lead in this field.”
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