Plant Based Foods Institute
- Type
- Research, Education & Health Organisation
- Location
- New York City, United States
- Industries
- Alternative proteins, Food marketplace, Arable farming, Consumer health & consumer effects, Food ingredients & products, Crop / plant science, Supply chain monitoring & traceability
- Domains
- Ingredients, Functional ingredients, Palm oil alternatives, Spent grain (brewers / distillers), Vitamins & minerals, Textured vegetable protein, Plant based primary products, Oat
- Technologies
- Smart & digital, Information technology, Sensor technology, Decision support software, Virtual reality, Augmented reality, Processing, Extraction
About Plant Based Foods Institute
Plant Based Foods Institute (PBFI) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on transforming food systems by aligning agriculture, markets, and public policy so more crops are grown for direct human consumption and plant-based foods become everyday staples. It is the sister organization of the Plant Based Foods Association, the trade association representing U.S. plant-based food companies.
PBFI works across the value chain to strengthen the conditions that make plant-based foods scalable and durable: connecting growers to food-grade markets, supporting processing and manufacturing capacity, generating market research, and advancing policy that better supports specialty crops and plant-based innovation. Its work is aimed at farmers, food manufacturers, retailers, foodservice operators, institutional buyers, policymakers, and allied organizations.
The organization positions plant-based foods not as niche alternatives, but as a practical foundation for healthier diets, stronger farm economies, and more resilient food systems.
Core Values
- Nutrition and health: PBFI emphasizes plant-based foods as nutrient-dense options that can help support healthier diets, including foods that are naturally high in protein and fiber and lower in saturated fat and cholesterol.
- Farmer prosperity: The organization stresses that farmers need reliable, higher-value markets and supportive infrastructure to profit from growing crops for direct human consumption.
- Sustainability and resilience: PBFI frames plant-based foods as a way to reduce pressure on land, water, and ecosystems while building more resilient regional and global food systems.
- Collaboration and coordination: Its work is built around aligning growers, manufacturers, buyers, researchers, and policymakers so that market, policy, and infrastructure changes reinforce one another.
- Affordability and access: PBFI aims to make nutritious plant-based foods more affordable and more widely available across everyday food environments.
Unique Aspects
- Sister organization to PBFA: PBFI is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit sister organization of the Plant Based Foods Association, giving it direct connection to the U.S. plant-based industry and real-time market insight.
- Value-chain builder role: Rather than focusing only on consumer demand, PBFI works upstream on the structural barriers that determine what gets grown, processed, purchased, and eaten.
- Global Alliance leadership: PBFI serves as the organizing body for the Plant Based Foods Global Alliance, coordinating associations representing the plant-based sector across 20+ countries.
- Domestic sourcing pilots: Its Sustainable Sourcing Initiative and related pilots have connected brands such as Oatly, Upton’s Naturals, Lupii, and Country Crock with domestic growers and processors to test regional supply chains.
- Policy and market bridge: PBFI combines policy advocacy with marketplace research and buyer engagement, linking public-sector support with commercial demand to help plant-based supply chains scale.