ALEHOOP provides the demonstration at pilot scale of both sustainable macroalgae and legume-based biorefineries for the recovery of low-cost dietary proteins from alga-based and plant residual biomass and their validation to meet market requirements of consumers and industry in the food and feed sectors. In these sectors, consumers are demanding affordable functional natural proteins from alternative sources and industry is demanding low-cost bio-based protein formulations with better performance and higher sustainability. Current protein demand for the 7.3 billion inhabitants of the world is approximately 202 Mt. Due to the rise in meat consumption more proteins are therefore required for animal feeding. To satisfy the current protein demand, Europe imports over 30 Mt of soy from the Americas each year mainly for animal feeding, entailing 95% dependency of EU on imported soy. Current sources of proteins are becoming unsustainable from an economic and environmental perspective for Europe resulting in concerns for sustainability and food security and leading to search for new alternative proteins. ALEHOOP addresses the obtaining of proteins from green macroalgal blooms, brown seaweed by-products from algae processors and legume processing by-products (peas, lupines, beans and lentils) as alternative protein sources for animal feeding (case of green seaweed) and food applications (case of brown seaweed and legume by-products), since they are low cost and under-exploited biomass that do not compete with traditional food crops for space and resources. This will reduce EU´s dependency on protein imports and contribute to our raw material security. The new proteins will be validated in foods for elderly, sporty and overweight people, vegetarians and healthy consumers as well as for animal feed creating cross-sectorial interconnection between these value chains and supporting the projected business plan.

The One Health concept recognizes that the human health is tightly connected to the health of animals and the environment, i.e. that animal feed, human food, animal and human health, and environmental contamination are closely linked. These are the main focus of our European joint programme (EJP). One reference laboratory from the public health / medicine domain and one reference laboratory from the food / veterinary domain are associated within a network of 41 European laboratories and research centers, distributed in 19 participating member states, with the aim to reach significant advances in the fields of foodborne zoonoses (FBZ), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and emerging threats (ET) within a global One Health approach. Most of these laboratories have reference responsibilities, representing a sustainable framework for an integrated research community. Consistent with the “Prevent-Detect-Respond” concept, the One Health EJP aims at reinforcing collaboration between institutes by enhancing transdisciplinary cooperation and integration of activities by means of dedicated Joint Research Projects, Joint Integrative Project and through education and training in the fields of FBZ, AMR and ET. While alignment and harmonization with on-going EC-funded research project will also be considered, deliverables from the EJP activities should feed the approach of evidence based risk assessment and therefore the management of risks by the competent national authorities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to efficiently and regularly updated the dissemination of knowledge between the research community and major International and European stakeholders, national authorities and further afield. The One Health EJP will also develop sustainable programs and projects beyond the lifetime of the EJP, through the production of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (2021-2030) and a European P2P One Health Cooperative Joint Initiative.