Highlights of the Program

2 days business program:

Learn from real-world case studies by industry leaders.

SHOWCASING INNOVATION:

Discover the latest technology and techniques from across the industry.

leaders talk:

Hear from top-level experts about how to stay ahead in a fast-changing industry.

MULTIPLE STREAMS:

A business program that is multi-disciplinary, giving you a broad view of the industry.

SMART TECHNOLOGIES:

Explore the latest smart and AI-driven solutions, and see how they can be used in your business.

roundtable discussion:

Join talks with industry peers. Share ideas, make connections, and find new partners.

Program

Day 1 :
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
REGISTRATION AND MORNING REFRESHMENTS
09:30 - 09:40
OPENING ADDRESS
09:40 - 10:05
PATENTS POWERING INNOVATION IN CELL CULTIVATION AND PRECISION FERMENTATION
Ilona Datskovskaya
National Beverage Corp

Ilona Datskovskaya

National Beverage Corp

  • Exploring how patents drive scale, investment, and approvals in alt-protein technologies
  • Highlighting case studies from UPSIDE Foods, GOOD Meat, Oobli, and Superbrewed Food
  • Examining future trends including IP challenges, licensing, and sustainable food system innovation
10:05 - 10:10
Q&A SESSION ON PATENTS IN CELLULAR AND FERMENTATION INNOVATION
10:10 - 10:30
SPEED NETWORKING SESSION
  • Exchange business cards and get connected in short one-to-one meetings
  • Start the conversation to arrange a more formal meeting later on in the conference
  • Share your professional background and discuss your biggest business issues – don't forget your business cards!
10:30 - 11:00
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
11:00 - 11:30
PANEL DISCUSSION ON BALANCING CLEAN LABELS, SENSORY APPEAL, AND INNOVATIONS IN PROTEIN SOURCES
Speaker ImageSpeaker Image
  • Challenging clean labels on meat for lacking crucial health and ethical information disclosures, demanding transparency
  • Leveraging process innovation to deliver clean‑label proteins with strong taste, texture, and scalable functional performance
  • Navigating clean-label claims and protein innovation amid rising legal scrutiny and regulatory enforcement
  • Reframing sustainability and cultural protein innovation through design, storytelling, and circular food strategies
  • Solving heat stability and consumer education hurdles in scaling animal-free dairy protein beverages

| UnchainedTV

| CoryPro Ingredients

| Greenberg Traurig, LLP

| Sauterelle

| Strive Nutrition Corp.

11:30 - 11:55
TRANSFORMING MEDICAL NUTRITION WITH NEXT-GENERATION PROTEIN TECHNOLOGIES
Shelly Xu
Nestle

Shelly Xu

Nestle

  • Advancing protein systems to deliver precise nutritional outcomes for clinical applications
  • Exploring ingredient innovation and techno-functionality for muscle and metabolic health
  • Integrating science, sustainability, and GLP-1 support to enable future-ready nutrition solutions
11:55 - 12:00
Q&A SESSION ON PROTEIN TECHNOLOGIES IN MEDICAL NUTRITION
12:00 - 12:25
FOOD SAFE FACILITY DRAINAGE DESIGN
Viking Kristjansson
Global Drain Technologies

Viking Kristjansson

Global Drain Technologies

  • Learning how to choose the right drainage systems for different food production areas
  • Understanding cleaning protocols that maintain hygiene and comply with regulations
  • Exploring how proper design supports sanitary processes and reduces facility risk
12:25 - 12:30
Q&A SESSION ON FOOD-SAFE DRAINAGE DESIGN STRATEGIES
12:30 - 13:30
NETWORKING LUNCH AND VISITING THE FOOD PROTEIN EXHIBITION
13:30 - 14:00
PANEL DISCUSSION ON OPTIMIZING HYBRID PROTEINS AND COST-EFFECTIVE CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGIES
Speaker Image
  • Assessing the commercial viability and economic challenges of hybrid and cultivated proteins
  • Positioning blended proteins as a scalable, affordable, cravable middle ground between plant and animal sources
  • Rethinking vertical integration vs. specialization to scale hybrid proteins and reduce cultivation costs
  • Integrating food and material science to upcycle byproducts and unlock cross-sector hybrid protein innovation

| McWin SRO

| University of California, Berkeley

| Livestock Labs

| SENTIENT

14:00 - 14:25
LEVERAGING PRECISION FERMENTATION FOR PRODUCING ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS AND SMART FATS: STRENGTHENING THE NEW ZEALAND STORY
Munish Puri
Riddet Institute

Munish Puri

Riddet Institute

  • Introducing the rising market demand for alternative proteins and smart fats
  • Delving into metabolic engineering in precision fermentation through a detailed case study
  • Discussing downstream processing and its role in biomass recovery and cost reduction
14:25 - 14:30
Q&A SESSION ON ADVANCING NEW ZEALAND'S ROLE IN ALTERNATIVE PROTEINS
14:30 - 14:55
LATEST INNOVATION IN NATURAL PRESERVATION FOR FOOD PROTEIN
Chauncey Dixon
GPI Inc.

Chauncey Dixon

GPI Inc.

  • Exploring natural ingredient solutions that effectively replace traditional chemical antimicrobials
  • Showcasing innovative natural products that extend protein shelf life while maintaining quality
  • Presenting new processing aids and topical applications supporting clean-label preservation
14:55 - 15:00
Q&A SESSION ON ADVANCING NATURAL PRESERVATION IN FOOD PROTEINS
15:00 - 15:30
AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
15:30 - 15:55
CLEAN-LABEL FERMENTATION: DELIVERING TASTE, NUTRITION, AND TRUST
David Flochel
QuornFoods

David Flochel

QuornFoods

  • Exploring how natural fermentation using mycoprotein supports clean-label, climate-positive innovation
  • Demonstrating how Quorn’s purpose-led strategy builds trust through transparency and sustainability
  • Examining how embedding clean-label principles drives long-term growth and consumer loyalty
15:55 - 16:00
Q&A SESSION ON BUILDING TRUST THROUGH CLEAN-LABEL FERMENTATION
16:00 - 16:25
HOW TO FORMULATE FOODS TO TREAT CHRONIC CONDITIONS
Stephan Peng
Redbloom Health

Stephan Peng

Redbloom Health

  • Exploring how molecular-level food formulation can rival pharmaceutical approaches to chronic care
  • Showing how clinical studies can be transformed into food-based therapeutic protocols
  • Demonstrating real-world impact through the first HSA/FSA-approved food designed to treat gastrointestinal disorders
16:25 - 16:30
Q&A SESSION ON FORMULATING FOODS FOR CHRONIC CONDITION MANAGEMENT
16:30 - 16:55
CAN ALT PROTEINS SAVE THE PLANET?
Jack Bobo
University of California, Los Angeles

Jack Bobo

University of California, Los Angeles

  • Exploring how alternative proteins can mitigate the environmental impact of agriculture
  • Understanding the role of breakthrough technologies in accelerating sustainable food innovations
  • Examining consumer demand and its influence on the adoption of climate-resilient solutions
16:55 - 17:00
Q&A SESSION ON THE IMPACT OF ALT PROTEINS
17:00 - 18:00
NETWORKING DRINKS RECEPTION
Day 2 :
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2025
09:00 - 09:30
MORNING REFRESHMENTS
09:30 - 09:40
OPENING ADDRESS
09:40 - 10:05
PROCESS DESIGN FOR PLANT-BASED AND HYBRID PROTEINS
Crystal Dinh
Blentech Corporation

Crystal Dinh

Blentech Corporation

  • Integrating thermal, shear, and mixing control to protect plant proteins and build targeted multi-texture structures
  • Using automation and AI-driven pattern detection to stabilize outcomes and reduce formulation waste across diverse ingredient systems
  • Engineering sanitary, flexible systems that adapt to viscosity shifts, hydration curves, and particulate sensitivity
10:05 - 10:10
Q&A SESSION ON PROCESS DESIGN FOR PLANT AND HYBRID PROTEINS
10:10 - 10:35
MORE THAN PROTEIN: WHY FOOD INNOVATORS NEED SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, NOT JUST INVESTORS
John Sanbonmatsu
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

John Sanbonmatsu

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

  • Examining how technology alone cannot shift cultural habits around animal product consumption
  • Exploring the myths driving the alternative protein narrative and their social implications
  • Understanding why systemic change and collective movements are key to transforming food ethics
10:35 - 10:40
Q&A SESSION ON SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE FUTURE OF FOOD INNOVATION
10:40 - 11:05
USING HIGH PRESSURE PROCESSING TO IMPROVE PROTEIN SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS
Blair Bullus
Wamame Foods Inc.

Blair Bullus

Wamame Foods Inc.

  • Exploring how HPP protocols improve colour, texture and nutrition in seafood proteins
  • Showing how HPP processing goes beyond a kill step to improve safety and product quality
  • Explaining how preserving proteins without extra chemicals or high heat
11:05 - 11:10
Q&A SESSION ON HIGH PRESSURE AND PROTEIN SENSORY QUALITY
11:10 - 11:30
MORNING COFFEE BREAK IN THE EXHIBIT AREA
11:30 - 11:55
THE "PROTEIN CRAZE": DECODING THE CONSUMER'S MULTI-FACTOR PROTEIN CHOICE
Tyler Lorenzen
PURIS

Tyler Lorenzen

PURIS

  • Exploring what drives the protein trend across fitness, satiety, and healthy aging
  • Understanding how taste, sustainability, and clean labels shape consumer protein preferences
  • Comparing perceptions of plant, dairy, and novel proteins across diverse demographics
11:55 - 12:00
Q&A SESSION ON CONSUMER CHOICES DRIVING THE PROTEIN CRAZE
12:00 - 12:25
INTEGRATING BIOPROCESSING FOR SUSTAINABLE MICROBIAL AND ALGAL PROTEIN PRODUCTION
Antoinette Kazbar
Wageningen University and Research

Antoinette Kazbar

Wageningen University and Research

  • Examining challenges in cell disruption, protein recovery, and purification for microbial and algal systems
  • Understanding how upstream cultivation choices influence downstream complexity and overall processing cost
  • Exploring integrated bioprocess strategies that reduce energy use, increase yield, and improve sustainability
12:25 - 12:30
Q&A SESSION ON SUSTAINABLE MICROBIAL AND ALGAL BIOPROCESSING
12:30 - 12:55
BLUENALU CELL-CULTIVATED SEAFOOD: A CASE STUDY IN PRODUCT-MARKET FIT, VALUE CREATION, AND COLLABORATION
Lou Cooperhouse
BlueNalu, Inc.

Lou Cooperhouse

BlueNalu, Inc.

  • Reviewing BlueNalu’s species selection strategy, value proposition and consumer insights across eight nations
  • Showcasing how open innovation and entrepreneurial strategies accelerate product development
  • Highlighting the role of partnerships in enabling commercialization and long-term profitability
12:55 - 13:00
Q&A SESSION ON STRATEGIC LEARNING FROM CELL-CULTIVATED SEAFOOD MODELS
13:00 - 13:25
HARNESSING COMPUTATIONAL PROTEIN DESIGN TO CREATE NEW FLAVORINGS
Alec Lourenco
Weekend Inc.

Alec Lourenco

Weekend Inc.

  • Introducing how flavor perception connects to protein interactions and sensory biology
  • Exploring advances in AI-enabled protein binder design to engineer next-generation flavor molecules
  • Demonstrating how consumer-in-the-loop testing improves flavor performance and acceptance
15:25 - 15:30
Q&A SESSION ON COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN FOR NEXT-GEN FLAVORINGS
13:30 - 13:45
FEEDBACK & RAFFLE DRAW
13:45 - 15:00
NETWORKING LUNCH

Become a Speaker & Join the Conversation

SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES

By submitting, you agree to receive email communications from the event organizers, including upcoming promotions and discounted tickets, news, and access to related events.