Food System Innovations Receives $2M from Bezos Earth Fund to Advance Sustainable Protein Product Development with AI

Food System Innovations, a philanthropic impact platform investing in a more humane and sustainable future of food, has been awarded $2 million from the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge. Food System Innovations (FSI) is among fifteen global teams chosen to scale artificial intelligence solutions that address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges - from biodiversity loss and to climate change.

Livestock farming is responsible for ~18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, ~27% of global freshwater use, and ~41% of tropical deforestation. Sustainable proteins are one of the most impactful carbon mitigation interventions in food (second only to reforestation) and have the highest CO2e savings per dollar than any other decarbonization lever across all sectors. Improving the quality, taste, and cost of sustainable proteins is therefore an urgent and critical climate and biodiversity imperative.

FSI’s mission is to accelerate this necessary transition by uniting science, markets, and society to create better food choices for everyone. FSI advances this mission through a diversity of programs including NECTAR, which has built the world’s largest publicly-available database on the sensory performance of plant-based meats and balanced protein products.

“Taste is the gateway to consumer adoption. NECTAR’s data helps the sustainable protein industry refine formulations and enhance flavor, making climate-friendly foods truly irresistible,” said Caroline Cotto, Director of NECTAR and co-Principal Investigator of the grant. “Partnering with the Bezos Earth Fund allows us to translate AI innovation into real-world climate and conservation impact, one bite at a time.”

The team is developing algorithms that predict sensory attributes and optimize ingredient formulations for sustainable proteins. Using a combination of NECTAR’s sensory data and molecular flavor databases, the team will build an AI model that connects molecular structure, flavor, texture, and consumer preference, accelerating sustainable protein product development and, ultimately, market penetration.

“I’m excited to partner with NECTAR, the Bezos Earth Fund, and other incredible collaborators on developing AI tools for sustainable protein design, a critical step for human and planetary health,” shared Anna Thomas, the project’s Technical Lead and co-Principal Investigator, and a computer science PhD candidate at Stanford. “Our early research shows that large language models can help revise formulations based on sensory feedback. With this grant, we can deliver actionable insights that improve taste and speed the protein transition.”

Launched in 2024, the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge is a $100 million initiative designed to harness the power of artificial intelligence to tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The program connects innovators with resources and mentorship from leading technology partners including AWS, Google.org, NVIDIA Corporation, Microsoft Research, AI2, and Esri.

“These projects show how AI, when developed responsibly and guided by science and local knowledge, can strengthen environmental action and ensure its overall impact on the planet is positive,” said Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki, Director of AI and Data Strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund.

To learn more about the impact LLMs and AI can make on sustainable food systems, read Anna Thomas’ research here. To see how FSI’s research can support your organization’s product development, connect with the team here.

About Food System Innovations
Food System Innovations (FSI) is a philanthropic impact platform investing in a humane and sustainable future of food. As an impact platform, FSI is a strategic hub that accelerates change by combining multiple tools and approaches, acting as both a funder and operator, directly implementing programs while empowering others through grants, investments, and capacity building. Learn more at www.fsi.org.

About NECTAR
NECTAR is a nonprofit initiative of Food System Innovations dedicated to accelerating the protein transition by leveraging large-scale sensory data to improve the taste of plant-based foods. NECTAR’s mission is to empower the alternative protein industry by providing actionable data and fostering collaboration. Through its research and awards programs, NECTAR supports brands in enhancing consumer satisfaction and driving market growth. By focusing on taste, NECTAR aims to drive meaningful market adoption and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable food system. Visit nectar.org to learn more.

Contact Information

Rachel Stoczko

Communications

PR for FSI

Contact via E-mail