That's the thinking behind a new roadmap put together by Australia's national science agency, the CSIRO, for unlocking opportunities for Australia in the supply of protein.

CSIRO estimates there is close to $13 billion in additional market opportunity to be captured for all types of protein but the key will be thinking outside the square.

From new plant-based protein products to turning lesser-value cuts of red meat into value-added protein powders and nutraceuticals, the ideas flagged in the roadmap are extensive.

They also include developing higher-protein and better-tasting legume crops, sustainable Australian white-flesh fish production and exploring forms of protein like cultivated meat and edible insects.

There is room for growth across all protein sectors but we will need to work together, the roadmap advocates.

Australia could be a world leader in global protein supply, the CSIRO says, and the 'size of the prize' includes creating a massive 10,000 additional jobs.

CSIRO researchers have determined there will be an additional 8.65 million tonne demand for Australian protein products in 2030 compared to 2018.

Within eight years, we could be supplying 65 million tonnes of protein both domestically and to overseas markets.

CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said as protein demand grows and new consumer trends emerge, solutions from science can help create new markets and complement Australia's existing, globally-competitive traditional markets.

This would help shift Australia's reputation from being the world's food bowl of commodities to becoming a global delicatessen of unique higher value exports, he said.

"We can supercharge growth in our traditional protein industries by harnessing technologies like digital traceability and integrity systems that enhance the premium status of Australian red meat, and grow new complementary protein markets through techniques like precision fermentation to generate a suite of new Australian products," he said.

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By 2050, the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 60 per cent more food will be needed to feed an expected 9.7 billion people.

CSIRO says currently, 75 per cent of the world's food is produced from five animals and 12 plants.

"This concentration makes our food system more vulnerable to threats like disease, pests, and weather. It also presents a tremendous opportunity when you consider the vast biodiversity and nutrient-dense foods on the planet that could be incorporated into our diets," the roadmap's executive summary said.

"Protein is vital to our health, and as global populations grow and consumer preferences change, we will need to produce more of it, more sustainably, from more sources.

"But we can't just do what we've done before. We need solutions from science to help create these new markets."