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As climate instability, geopolitical tensions and price volatility expose the weaknesses of global food supply chains, clean food technologies are moving further into focus. Jim Mellon, investor and executive chairman of Agronomics, a venture capital firm focused on cellular agriculture and precision fermentation, explores how precision fermentation, cell cultivation and gene-editing could help strengthen food security and build a more resilient production system.

The global food system has been built on two simple assumptions: first, that nature's resources, such as land, water and fuel, are limitless, cheap and infinitely resilient; and second, that global trade networks will continue to move freely according to supply and demand.

But in recent years this assumption has been proved incorrect.

Climate change is making weather patterns more erratic, disrupting planting cycles, reducing herd numbers and impacting yields. Geopolitical tensions and trade disputes are disrupting supplies of inputs such as fertilisers and energy, raising costs and constraining production.

The fragility of these long, complex supply chains makes clear that a system built for efficiency is not optimised for resilience. Food prices show how this is playing out. The FAO Food Price Index rose for three consecutive months, hitting 130.7 points in April 2026, while in the UK, the Food and Drink Federation has revised its food inflation forecast to at least 9% by the end of 2026. In the US, beef prices have shot up 75% since 2020.

These rises aren't a blip, and analysis now suggests that food price shocks drive up prices indefinitely, meaning they don't come back down.

Governments and organisations across the food supply chain are now seeking solutions that can strengthen domestic food production, reduce price volatility and improve security. Food security is being reframed, no longer simply about producing enough calories globally, but about ensuring reliable, stable and accessible supply at a national level, even under stress.

The good news is that new technologies are emerging which can drastically bolster food production.

Technology as a resilience strategy

Next-generation food technologies, an industry I call clean food, are gaining renewed attention. Precision fermentation, for example, allows specific ingredients, such as proteins, fats and enzymes, to be produced using microorganisms in controlled environments. This approach decouples production from agricultural land, weather conditions and many of the volatile inputs associated with traditional farming.

Similarly, cell cultivation enables the production of animal or other food proteins directly from cells, bypassing the need for large-scale livestock farming. And gene-editing technologies offer the potential to develop crops that are more resilient to drought, pests and changing climatic conditions, improving yield stability in uncertain environments.

The common thread across these innovations is control. By shifting production into tightly managed systems, variability can be reduced, inputs can be optimised and output can be made more predictable.

In a world where uncertainty is increasing, predictability itself becomes a strategic asset.

From sustainability to security

For many years, the primary argument for clean food centred on sustainability: reducing emissions, conserving land and water, and limiting biodiversity loss. However, a second equally compelling argument is now coming to the fore: security of supply.

Producing key ingredients through precision fermentation or cultivation enables localisation of production. Facilities can be situated closer to demand centres, reducing reliance on global logistics networks and exposure to cross-border disruption.

In practical terms, this means that countries facing land constraints, water scarcity or volatile import dependencies can begin to produce more of what they consume within their own borders, and with greater consistency. This is particularly relevant for ingredients that sit at the heart of many processed foods, such as oils and proteins, where even minor disruptions can have significant downstream effects on availability and price.

Scaling a new production model

The technologies themselves are no longer theoretical. Companies are already producing and, in some cases, commercially selling products derived from precision fermentation, gene-editing and cell cultivation.

From dairy proteins and egg alternatives to speciality fats and oils, and non-browning bananas, the pipeline of products is expanding rapidly.

This momentum is also being reflected in capital flows. Recent investments in companies such as Tropic, which is developing more resilient crops through gene-editing; Meatly, a producer of cultivated meat for pets; and Clean Food Group, which focuses on precision-fermented alternatives to palm oil, point to renewed investor confidence in the sector.

These funding rounds underscore a broader recognition that clean food technologies are transitioning from speculative innovation to commercially viable infrastructure, attracting both strategic and institutional capital.

The primary hurdle to widespread adoption remains cost. However, this is changing. Cost of production is declining as processes improve and production scales. At the same time, the comparative cost of conventional agriculture is becoming more volatile, driven by rising input prices, environmental constraints and regulatory pressures.

This convergence is accelerating the transition. What might once have been viewed as a premium, niche category is increasingly becoming competitive, particularly when the value of resilience and supply stability is taken into account.

Regulatory frameworks are evolving, public funding for research is increasing, and there is a growing recognition that these technologies should be treated as critical infrastructure, rather than experimental science.

Complementing, not replacing, agriculture

This is not about displacing traditional farming. Rather, it is about rebalancing the system. By moving the most resource-intensive and vulnerable aspects of food production into controlled environments, pressure on land and ecosystems can be reduced. This creates space for farmers to transition towards more sustainable, regenerative and higher-value forms of agriculture.

In such a model, agriculture becomes more resilient by being less stretched. It can focus on quality, diversity and environmental stewardship, rather than being driven solely by volume and efficiency.

A strategic inflection point

The drivers of change, climate instability, geopolitical risk, supply chain fragility are unlikely to reverse. If anything, they are intensifying.

The response to these pressures will define the future of the global food system. Continuing with the current model, absorbing shocks as they arise, is no longer sufficient. A more proactive approach is required, one that embraces innovations in clean food; like gene-editing, precision fermentation and cell-cultivation. By truly utilising the breakthroughs we are seeing the UK will finally be able to develop core food chain resilience.

Clean food technologies offer a credible pathway forward. They provide the means to produce essential foods with greater reliability, fewer inputs and reduced exposure to external shocks.

Those who recognise food security as both a risk and an opportunity, and act accordingly, will be best positioned to navigate what comes next.