Member Spotlight: Phil Kerr
Newly Elected Vice President of the Protein Highway on his new role, the state of the plant-based protein industry and AOCS membership.
Over the course of his 30-year career, Phil Kerr’s goal has been to enhance the ability of plant proteins to serve as a better contributor to global human health, wellness and nutrition. This goal is what drew him to this new role as Vice President of the Protein Highway – an initiative between the US and Canada to help enhance cross-border collaboration for the production of protein-rich crops from the US Midwest and Great Plains through to the Canadian Prairies. In this role, he hopes to help create a better infrastructure and supply chain for plant proteins as well as a spirit of collaboration and cooperation across the US and Canada regarding plant-based protein innovation.
Kerr also pursues innovation of plant-based proteins as the Chief Technology Officer of Prairie Aquatech. As CTO, he works to innovate protein production technologies with microbial enhancement technology. The goal is to improve the digestibility of soybeans for fish and crustaceans for environmental and affordability benefits. The improved digestibility can help reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorous that is emitted into the environment and increase the affordability of the feed needed to practice and expand aquaculture.
The key to success and emerging prominence of plant proteins in the human diet is at the intersection of affordability and sustainability, says Kerr.
According to Kerr, the current global pandemic has potential implications for the plant-based protein industry and its market opportunities. Although the current supply chain is far less dynamic than the animal-based protein supply chain, the recent temporary closures of animal production facilities could mean a greater need for plant-based protein alternatives both now and in the foreseeable future, Kerr says.
Even if the plant-based protein market cannot respond to the current pandemic as quickly as consumers might need, Kerr sees the current situation as the push the industry might need to answer difficult questions. These questions could include the processes and supply chains that help humans get food on their plates and how these industries interact globally.
Kerr has found AOCS’s ability to bring together representatives from across the broader oilseed industry community invaluable to his work. The collaborative, global community that AOCS fosters helps him to identify companies with both regional and global reaches and footprints for his projects. Further, AOCS’s development of methods that guarantee consistency and quality have been incredibly helpful in his career in the plant protein industry.