Feeding the world, one microbe at a time

Microbial food production is considered very sustainable, as it uses less land, water, and energy, and also helps to remove carbon, a constituent of many greenhouse gases, from the air.

It is evident that the current agrifood system is unsustainable. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2025 report, an estimated 673 million people—or 8.2% of the global population—experienced hunger in 2024.  The World Health Organisation has also noted that global food insecurity has worsened in recent years. 

In 2015, world leaders pledged to end hunger by 2030 through Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2): Zero hunger. This goal was not just about making sure that people have food but was also about ensuring that each human on every corner of the globe has access to healthy, safe, and nutritious food. Yet a decade later, this ambition appears increasingly out of reach. 

Climate change, wars, poverty, and rising food prices have made progress difficult. To achieve SDG 2, we need innovative solutions—and one of them may come from an unexpected source: microbes.

Humans have long harnessed micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae to make foods like yogurt, bread, and cheese through fermentation. Scientists are now exploring how these microbes themselves can be turned into food—heralding what can be termed a ‘microbial food revolution.’ The new path ahead to conquer world food hunger seems achievable with this revolution. Some examples of this include growing protein from fungi, which is used in meat alternatives like Quorn. Protein powders, or even milk, can be made by bacteria without cows. Air and carbon dioxide can be converted into food using microbes and clean energy.

A major advantage of microbial food is its high nutritional value. Even today, millions remain malnourished despite having enough to eat. This affects children the most. Microbial food can help counter this, as it is full of important vitamins and minerals, such as iron, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and amino acids.

This type of food is easy to grow. Growing techniques do not need big farms, fertile soil, conducive weather, and lots of water. It can be grown in small tanks, even in places where normal farming isn’t possible. It can also be grown inside and outside in arid areas and is not affected by climate or natural disasters. 

Growing microbial food is sustainable and good for the environment. Farming uses a lot of land, water, and energy. It also produces greenhouse gases, which lead to global warming. Microbial food production is much more efficient, as it uses less land, water, and energy, and also helps to remove carbon, a constituent of many greenhouse gases, from the air. Microbial food growth can help local communities grow monetarily. Small machines can be set up in villages or towns where locals can grow microbial food using leftover crops or waste.

A big challenge that governments may face in this journey is people switching to microbial food. They can face roadblocks, as most people are used to traditional food systems of consuming direct products from plants and animals for centuries. People may not be easily convinced about microbial food and may consider it a lie or a gimmick to make money! 

The remedy to this challenge is to educate the masses, especially the younger generation, on the importance of using microbial foods in diets, and governments must build trust in new food systems by spreading education about sustainable food growth and microbial food as the best option for our future. The appearance, taste, and flavour of the microbial food will be a crucial aspect of marketing.

Many countries have started the production and selling of microbial food, with India being one of them. As per the reports from the microbial food culture market, India, with a 7% compound annual growth rate, will globally lead the production and usage of microbial food in the coming decade, followed by Germany at 5.8% and the US at 4.3%.

These tiny micro-organisms have a tremendous potential for growing enough and providing a variety of nutritious foods to achieve the second SDG, which otherwise seems unachievable by 2030, given the current scenario.

(Shweta is faculty in Environmental Studies at FLAME University; Shivesh teaches in the Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.