In December 2025, Duke’s Kate Stanley presented at the Society for Risk Analysis. She was part of a roundtable titled “Balancing Innovation and Oversight of Alternative Proteins” where she shared findings from stakeholder interviews on the policy-relevant challenges and opportunities for the alternative protein sector and their vision for the role of alternative proteins in the future food system.
“The alternative protein sector faces ongoing policy challenges—cell-cultivated labeling restrictions and bans, ultra-processed food narratives, and potential tariffs on international trade, among others—that could hinder these products’ success in the U.S. market. Yet the sector has experienced multiple recent policy successes, including the establishment of a regulatory framework for cell-cultivated meat and seafood products and the development of draft federal guidance for the labeling of plant-based proteins, that show promise in how these innovative products are regulated and shared with U.S. consumers,” said Stanley. “The alternative protein stakeholders we interviewed were optimistic about alternative proteins’ ability to gain foothold in the future U.S. food system and deliver on growing global protein demands alongside conventional agricultural protein products.”
“The SRA roundtable led to a lively discussion on the opportunities and challenges regarding how alternative protein products are regulated and labeled in the U.S. and how this may impact consumer perceptions and behaviors, U.S. leadership in the sector, and alternative proteins’ long-term success in U.S. food system,” she said.