Traditionally, R&D works to create new products or improve existing ones through efficacy, safety, etc. Microbiome science provides a novel mechanism for innovation by reinventing traditional processes in ingredient production, safety evaluation, and health management. For example, microbiome-driven innovation can enable the identification of new food supplements that promote health by altering bacterial species in the gut; the discovery of new proteins that can be used in ingredient manufacturing; or the detection of new biosynthetic gene clusters that produce particular chemicals.