top of page

State of the Alt Protein Job Market - January 2026

Updated: Jan 17

We track job posts in alternative protein via our job board, Food Impact Careers. Here are a few highlights from what we saw in 2025:


Who has been hiring the most

We identified 661 employers globally in the alt protein ecosystem with at least one job post during 2025. These are the employers with the most posted job openings:



Hiring trends

The top hiring categories for alternative protein companies in 2025 were marketing & sales (~730 roles) followed by food safety & quality assurance (~650 roles). 


Food Impact Partners’ observations: 

  • Food safety & QA hiring usually spikes when companies are expanding their manufacturing capabilities or preparing for retail/foodservice scale, and when products are nearing commercial launch.

  • This aligns with what we’re seeing in the market in terms of stronger investor pressure for revenue and runways being managed carefully.


Where the jobs are

On a per capita basis, Europe punched in above its weight. Denmark had the most hiring compared to its population density (15 job posts per million citizens during 2025), followed by Israel (12 per million), the Netherlands (6 per million), and Finland (4.5 per million.) 



Europe and Israel:

  • About 37% of the posted jobs we tracked were based in Europe.

  • Within Europe, Germany demonstrated the highest appetite for hiring with over 230 open positions. Top job posters in Germany included Infinite Roots (mycelium), Esencia Foods (mycelium whole-cuts), vly (plant-based dairy), Veganz Group (plant-based brand), Vegavero (vegan supplements), Project Eaden (plant-based meat), Protein Distillery (yeast-derived protein), and Formo (plant-based dairy).

  • The UK came in second in terms of volume with about 215 open positions. The companies with top hiring needs in the UK were Hoxton Farms (cultivated pork fat), Better Dairy (precision fermentation), Quorn (mycoprotein meat substitutes), and MiAlgae (fish-free Omega-3s).



United States and Canada:

  • About 12% of the roles posted in the United States were listed as fully remote.

  • In Canada, Daiya Foods, the plant-based dairy alternatives company, stood out in terms of number of jobs posted with 29 open roles across R&D, marketing, and manufacturing.

  • Top hirers in the U.S. included Puris (plant-based ingredients), Impossible Foods (plant-based meat), Purple Carrot (plant-based meal delivery), Believer Meats (the cultivated meat company that recently shut down), and The EVERY Company (animal-free egg protein).


Most viewed employers & jobs in 2025

When filtering to employers with at least 10 postings, the employers that received the most engagement through Food Impact Careers were: 

  1. Hoxton Farms (cultivated pork fat)

  2. Upside Foods (cultivated meat)

  3. Purple Carrot (plant-based meal kits)

  4. Puris (plant-based ingredients)


Lastly, the most viewed job posts in 2025 were:

  1. Senior Software Engineer, BioProcess Automation at Culture Biosciences (viewed by 3,367 candidates on Food Impact Careers)

  2. Strategy & Financing Associate at Planted (viewed by 2,293 candidates)

  3. Cell Line Development Engineer at Hoxton Farms (viewed by 2,022 candidates)


This summary is just a snapshot of select data that we monitor. If you’re interested in more details about the alt protein job market, please schedule a call with us here.


How our data works:

  • We track jobs for alt protein companies and adjacent companies & orgs namely in the US, Canada, Europe, and Israel. We also post jobs in certain areas in Asia, but it's not our core market.

  • Our job board utilizes both software and human input, and while its data generally depicts an accurate picture of the alternative protein jobs market, we cannot guaranty 100% accuracy of the data.

  • In addition to alt protein, we post roles in other areas improving the food system, however this report focuses on data for the alt protein & dairy industry only.



 
 
 
bottom of page