With the successful conclusion of the National People's Congress (NPC & CPPCC), many of the topics discussed during the sessions continue to generate public attention and heated debate. This year, topics such as new productivity, food security, expanding domestic demand, deepening reform, scientific and technological innovation, talent development, and high-level opening up have garnered significant attention. The new protein industry, as an emerging sector, attracted significant attention during the two sessions.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency

New quality productivity

"New-quality productivity," included in the government work report for the first time this year, has become a buzzword in major media outlets regarding the Two Sessions. This refers to productivity characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, driven by technological breakthroughs.

Biomanufacturing, a key focus for enhancing economic competitiveness, is another important tool for my country to advance its goal of becoming a manufacturing powerhouse, following green manufacturing and intelligent manufacturing. As a new type of productive force, the biomanufacturing industry offers unlimited business opportunities. Currently, the added value of my country's core biomanufacturing industries accounts for only 2.4% of its total industrial value added, leaving significant room for improvement.

Food security

On March 12, 2024, Premier Li Qiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council. At the meeting, it was reiterated that "all regions must shoulder the responsibility of ensuring national food security. As a country with a large population, we must practice the concept of large-scale agriculture and large-scale food, and always keep our rice bowl firmly in our hands."

Prior to the National People's Congress (NPC and CPPCC) on February 29, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held the inaugural meeting of its Science and Technology Innovation Strategic Advisory Committee. Tang Renjian, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and head of the Ministry's Science and Technology Innovation Leading Group, attended the meeting, presented appointment letters to the strategic advisory committee members, and delivered a speech.

The committee will take agricultural and rural scientific and technological innovation as the fundamental guarantee and basic support for ensuring national food security and accelerating the construction of an agricultural power, strengthen strategic consultation on agricultural and rural science and technology, and work together with the administration and academia to accelerate the realization of high-level agricultural science and technology self-reliance.

National People's Congress deputies' proposal on new proteins

At the 2024 Two Sessions, Xiong Tao, a member of the National People's Congress, Party Secretary and Chairman of Hubei Angel Bio Group Co., Ltd., submitted a proposal on "Promoting the Accelerated Development of the Microbial Protein Industry."

In his proposal, he stated that food security is an important foundation for national security. As people's living standards improve, their health awareness increases, and their eating habits change, the demand for edible protein is growing. However, the shortage of protein resources is a global problem. It is urgent and important to accelerate the cultivation and development of the microbial protein industry and create more pillar industries.

"With the rapid growth of the global alternative protein market, the scale of the alternative protein industry cultivated by microbial fermentation is rapidly expanding. At the same time, the development of more new microbial proteins has become a new issue we face." Xiong Tao said that the country's "14th Five-Year Plan for Bioeconomic Development" proposes to use life sciences and biotechnology as the driving force for development to promote the high-quality development of the bioeconomy. Efforts should be made to optimize the policy environment in the biological field, improve market access policies, expand market application space, strengthen intellectual property protection, increase fiscal investment, strengthen financial support services, strengthen talent echelon construction, enhance international exchanges and cooperation, and promote policy pilot projects. Many domestic universities, research institutes, and enterprises have conducted extensive research and development on the selection and breeding of yeast protein production strains, production technology, nutritional evaluation, processing performance evaluation, and application technology, and the technology is mature.

In summary, Xiong Tao suggested increasing support for the development of the microbial protein industry, providing policy and financial support in areas such as advanced manufacturing development, core technology research, national key R&D projects, and national or provincial and ministerial microbial protein research platforms, to guide, encourage, standardize, and support industrial development. He also suggested improving the regulatory and standard system for microbial proteins, accelerating the regulatory approval process for new strains of microbial proteins, improving market access policies, and strengthening the publicity, promotion, and application of microbial proteins.

National People's Congress deputies' proposal on plant-based beverages

This year marks the 24th anniversary of the national "Student Milk Program." According to statistics from the China Dairy Association, over 30 million students in my country have participated in the program, effectively improving their nutritional health and physical fitness.

Qin Yuan, a National People's Congress representative and dean of the College of Life Sciences at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, discovered during his research that with the rapid advancement of nutritional needs, students need more choices in their milk choices. First, some students are lactose intolerant, and the lactose in milk can cause bloating, diarrhea, and other discomforts. Furthermore, excessive intake of saturated fat from animal products like milk can cause or exacerbate obesity.

Based on this situation, Qin Yuan recommends that relevant departments actively promote a balanced diet of "animal protein + plant protein" (a "dual protein") to provide students with more choices in milk. At the same time, they should specifically promote the development and promotion of soy milk products suitable for Chinese students' physiques, and clarify production standards for soy milk for students, including product definition, ingredients, and production processes.