Programme 2023

07:45 - 08:35

Registration & Refreshments

08:35 - 08:45

08:45 - 09:30 - Panel Discussion

R&D & Formulation

What Are the Current Food Science Breakthroughs and Solutions for Feeding the World?

Matteo Gori, Global Marketing Director, Barilla Group

Alberto Musacchio, CEO, Food Evolution

Laura Toppinen, Head of Brand & Communications , Onego Bio

Stefania De Pascale, Professor of Horticulture, University of Naples Federico II

Vincenzo Fogliano, Chair of the Food Quality & Design Group , Wageningen University

In the last decades, scientists have studied the bioresources available for food production and designed strategies to reduce food waste. These new scientific approaches demonstrate how applying new ingredients and technologies can solve problems associated with the current food system.

In this session, academic experts will discuss the food chain and the current and future solutions to feed the growing global population.

09:35 - 10:05 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

On the Positive Nexus Between Food (Ultra)Processing and Food Quality

Vincenzo Fogliano, Chair of the Food Quality & Design Group , Wageningen University

Food processing is the means through which humankind, throughout its history, has treated raw materials to obtain more digestible and safer (e.g. to remove toxins) food products. Through the ages, humans have treated raw commodities they have hunted, gathered, grown or derived through domestication of animals to reduce spoilage and extend shelf life, improve their palatability and create safer food products. It is abundantly evident that human survival and evolution were unquestionably aided by the ability to process foods.

The modern food industry also exploited two other obvious advantages of food processing: the mass production of long-shelf life products makes food affordable also to people with limited economic possibilities, and a striking reduction of perishable food waste was achieved. To further improving the sustainability of food processing is an ongoing challenge and the shift from a linear to a circular food production system is still at its infancy. In this presentation, some examples will be provided showing how playing with texture at macro-meso and micro-scale can be a smart way to use processing strategies to get foods having the quality characteristics desired by consumers.

Innovation & Technology

Food Delivery and the Future of Food: Introducing Deliveroo Hop

Martino Madelli, General Manager, Deliveroo Hop Italy

In the last five to ten years technology allowed a disruption in the food delivery
industry. Thanks to a mix of hyperlocal approach and innovation, Deliveroo has
been a pioneer in this space in Europe and worldwide. In this session we will see
what the evolution of food delivery has looked like and have a glance over what is
the new frontier of it within the online grocery space: Deliveroo Hop.

10:10 - 10:40 - Solution Spotlights

R&D & Formulation

What is Natural? Tomorrow’s Consumer and the Quest for Real Food

Tom Cheesewright, Applied Futurist, Almond Board of California

Consumers are looking for more natural foods but what does “natural” really mean?

Every trend has a counter-trend. A reaction that is stirred by the prevailing fashion. In music we’ve seen the rise of vinyl in response to digitisation. When we were restricted to video calling, we took to the countryside in record numbers. In food, with the rise of a more processed diet, we have started to prize the ‘natural’. But what do we mean by that term? And what will tomorrow’s consumer be craving to fulfil that desire for a return to ‘real’ food?

In this session, futurist Tom Cheesewright will explore how consumer perceptions around ‘natural’ foods are changing and why, and what this means for product developers. Armed with insights on the future consumer, the session will provide inspiration on tailoring innovation to meet changing demand.

Innovation & Technology

From CSR to ROI: The Business Case for Sustainability

João Brites, Director, Growth & Innovation, HowGood

This presentation offers a business case for why food designers should measure, improve and communicate the sustainability impact of their products. Backed by the latest point-of-sale data and research, you will discover how sustainable products are driving sales, reducing risk and cutting costs for food businesses in an increasingly competitive and regulated marketplace.

10:40 - 11:30

Networking Break & 1-2-1 Meetings

11:30 - 12:00 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

Building a Global Community of Agile Innovators

Nicole Umana, Global Agile Innovation Human Intelligence Director, Mars Wrigley

Join this session to hear how the Innovation team at Mars Wrigley have built an Agile Innovation Community of Practice.  This is allowing them to fuel their future 5-year Innovation pipeline.  Discover what they have learned along the way and what is next on their list to keep building a culture that ensures that the community of Innovators are at their creative best.

R&D & Formulation

A New Path to Plant-based Drinks

Danilo Iorio, Head of R&D - Global B2C Division, Zuegg

Consumers are becoming more concerned about health consciousness and food quality. Functionality gains mainstream interest and there’s an increasing number of consumers who are placing importance on healthy nutrition and, as a result, also on:

A) Natural products made with naturally derived ingredients

B) The avoidance or moderation of animal products

C) Lower sugar consumption

A fading interest in animal-based foods has driven consumers’ attention to plant-based foods. Non-dairy milk has taken the world by storm as more and more people adopt diets that don't heavily rely on animal products. Is there a way to combine naturally derived ingredients and plant-based drinks, taste and health?
Skipper's "Almond Milk and Fruit" is a single product that addresses the health concerns of modern consumers by combining a tasty blend of almond milk with a high percentage of fruit juice without the addition of sugar. Almond proteins and vegetable fibre complete the product's nutritional profile, blazing a trail through the new frontier of healthy fruit mixes.


12:05 - 12:35 - Solution Spotlights

Innovation & Technology

The Lack of Nutrition in Today's Food Products Impacts Consumer Health and Manufacturers' Market Share & Profits

William JH Grand, President, NutriFusion LLC


Learn about a botanical-based, nutrient-dense ingredient to optimize food nutrition using fruits and vegetables.

Consumer Insights & Marketing

Climate Proof Agriculture

Simon Carr, VP Head of Practice, Evalueserve UK Ltd

With the world facing increasing temperatures, prolonged mega-droughts and decreasing viable agricultural land technologies that provide a level of climate proofing either standalone or in combination with other solutions, will become increasingly important. This presentation will take delegates through technologies that show the most promise now and technologies that may be implemented in the near future.

12:40 - 13:10 - Keynote

Innovation & Technology

Why Waste? The Solution at Our Fingertips

Jamie Crummie, Co-Founder, Too Good To Go

40% of the food we produce is wasted. Wasting food contributes to climate change, costs us money while too many people go hungry.

Understand a solution-based approach to the world of food waste across retail, manufacturing and food service. How technology is proving to create a positive impact for business, people and planet.

13:10 - 14:10

Networking Lunch

14:10 - 14:40 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

Space Tech for Net Zero Food Supply Chain

Diana Mathew, Space Application Engineer, ESA

ESA Business Applications & Space Solutions (BASS) is the go-to place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and the economy.

  • How using Space assets can help improve the efficiency of food production and supply chain, helping the industry to move towards a carbon-neutral future.
  • Innovation programmes and funding schemes by ESA BASS to support companies to commercialise sustainable products and services.

Innovation & Technology

Food Robotics: A Recession Victor or Victim?

Glenn Mathijssen, CEO & Co-Founder , Alberts

The food robotics market has matured over the last five years, with a continuous flow of new projects and products entering the market. We're happy to report on our progress towards making a healthy life the easiest option with Alberts' Stations that serve personalised and fresh blends. We'll share our insights on how the current recession climate hits hard for our sector, as well as on our milestones: our co-branding deal with Alpro/Danone, our production centre going live, adding a Frappé line, and how we see the future for Food Robotic and Alberts in particular. Transparent and open as always, we're looking forward to meeting each other again soon!

14:45 - 15:15 - Solution Spotlights

Innovation & Technology

The New Product Innovation Renaissance

Gary Nowacki, CEO , TraceGains

Nearly 400 years ago, the great Italian astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei used the emerging technology of his time to observe the movements of the sun and stars, and challenged traditional ways of thinking about Earth’s place in the cosmos. Similarly, the technology of today allows teams to see further into the vast global supply chain than ever before, challenging old ways of thinking and unlocking critical global insights.  Learn how top-100 global brands are harnessing the power of a global ingredient data network to accelerate innovation, slash time to market, and stay ahead in a changing world.

Innovation & Technology

Consumer-centric Innovation 2.0: Early Techno-Commercial Signals of Our New Future

Edward Bergen, Senior Analyst: Food & Nutrition, FutureBridge

Exponential advancements in food technology and fast-changing consumer demands are disrupting food innovations.
Businesses must adapt to remain relevant and invest in food technologies carefully to address efficient food production while catering to the food experience that consumers demand and considering their acceptance of synthetic food.
Drawing on FutureBridge’s ongoing coverage of thousands of disruptive innovators and their technologies and business models, our senior analyst Edward Bergen will provide actionable insights on:
  • The hidden future opportunities and challenges in food and nutrition
  • Emerging technologies on which globally leading businesses are placing their bets
  • Best practices for brands and other value-chain players to navigate this uncertain future of food and beverages

15:15 - 16:05

Networking Break & Meetings

16:05 - 16:35 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

EIT Food Accelerates Innovation to Build a Future-Fit Food System

Georg Schirrmacher, Managing Director, EIT Food CLC Central GmbH

EIT Food is the world’s largest and most dynamic agri-food innovation community. We accelerate innovation to build a future-fit agri-food system that produces healthy and sustainable food for all.

Supported by the EU, we invest in projects, organisations, and individuals that share our goals for a healthy and sustainable food system. We unlock innovation potential in businesses and universities and create and scale agri-food startups to bring new technologies and products to market. We equip entrepreneurs and professionals with the skills needed to transform the food system and put consumers at the heart of our work, helping build trust by reconnecting them to the origins of their food.

We are one of 9 innovation communities established by the European Institute for Innovation & Technology (EIT), an independent EU body set up in 2008 to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.

Consumer Insights & Marketing

Young Generation is Losing Its Interest in Traditional Wine. CBD Infusion Into Wine Helps to Reinvent the Category and Attract New Customers

Mark Grazhul, CEO, Nature Force Technologies AG

Values of the brand and product will reflect the values of millennials and generation Z:
  • Sustainability is vital to make the product more appealing to the young and environmentally conscious generation.
  • Flavour, as the young generation is more open to experimenting with flavours.
  • Marketing - We love you as you are, and everyone is invited to the party.

16:40 - 17:10 - Keynote

Innovation & Technology

A New Era For E-commerce: Winning in Grocery’s Fastest-Growing Channel

David Hardiman-Evans, Senior Vice President, Global Business Development, Ocado Solutions

For many years, grocery has been steadily migrating online. The Covid-19pandemic radically accelerated this transition. This growth in demand is driving grocery retailers worldwide to think about how they fulfil online and build an e-commerce channel that can continue to scale sustainably over time. In a world where
online spending will continue to rise in the coming years, e-commerce profitability is no longer just desirable, it’s essential. David Hardiman-Evans discusses the global trends in online grocery, the top considerations for grocers and where Ocado sees potential for the future.

17:10 - 17:15

Chair's Closing Remarks & End of Day 1

17:15 - 18:15

Evening Networking Reception

08:00 - 08:40

Registration & Refreshments

08:40 - 08:45

08:45 - 09:15 - Keynote

Innovation & Technology

The Power of Purpose-Driven Innovation

Royce Van Der Zwan, Global Head of Operations & Commercial, Nandos FMCG

Nando's restaurants and FMCG has enjoyed accelerated growth over the last two decades. From humble beginnings, at the foot of Africa, the business has built a global brand renowned for its unique positioning, identity and offering.  However, behind this lies a deeply-rooted social purpose embedded into the brand's commercials and operations. It is this value-set that is the driving force behind the customer proposition and innovation agenda. This presentation will showcase how Nando's marries innovation and social purpose to truly Change Lives - for customers, employees, partners and communities.

09:20 - 09:50 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

When a Small Spin Off – Technologically Driven – Tries to Scale Up

llaria Pietrogrande, New Business Models Marketing Director , Barilla

BLURAPHSODY is a 3D-printed pasta start-up. Born inside the large Barilla Group we are on the path to finding the right business model to express its potential in the luxury food segment.

R&D & Formulation

Plant Based Food and Its Development

Alberto Musacchio, CEO, Food Evolution

This session will provide a brief history of products derived from plants and who created them. Alberto Musacchio will explore the products and how they evolved by considering the following aspects:
  • What is a meat analogue and how is it created? Is it beneficial?
  • The benefits of a veggie steak for vegans! Who is a flexible thinker. ! The Soy Boy
  • Where the earth is headed? How much of an impact do intensive animal farming and agriculture have on it?
  • Food effectiveness and the ratio of plant to animal protein.
  • Innovation versus tradition
  • Cop 26 and later and actual outcomes. JFK's Perspective on the environmental crisis

09:55 - 10:25 - Solution Spotlights

Consumer Insights & Marketing

Unlocking the Power of Advertising and Product Claims Management

Rita Iacoviello, Strategy Director, Food & Beverage Europe, Veeva Systems

Advertising and product claims are critically important to Food & Beverage Companies. They represent the battleground for consumer choice as they define the product attributes and benefits, help to differentiate from competition, support the strength of brands and perhaps most importantly build trust with consumers.

Managing claims in F&B has become increasingly complex. Current trends related to functional ingredients, health claims, sustainability and accelerated product launch cycles are requiring even more urgency around efficient and effective claims management.

Learn why F&B market leaders are investing in cloud technology solutions to accelerate time to market, reduce risk and protect their brands.

In this session, you’ll hear how Veeva Claims cloud software solution is supporting F&B Companies to:

  • Streamline product and advertisement claims management
  • Enable more transparency across the company, more efficient processes and more agility
  • Accelerate Innovation and reduce risk
  • Stay ahead of competition

10:25 - 11:15

Networking & 1-2-1 Meetings

11:15 - 11:45 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

Investing In The Technologies That Will Transform The Food System

José Luis Cabañero, Founder & CEO, Eatable Adventures

The life science revolution is entering the agrifood space, introducing applied technologies that will transform it by creating more sustainable supply chains that will reduce greenhouse gases emission, introducing new ingredients and protein sources with reduced carbon footprint, evolving agriculture, promoting biodiversity, increasing convenience and facilitate access to food ensuring affordable healthy food and quality nutrition for everyone.

Consumer Insights & Marketing

Transparency as Key Unique Selling Point (USP): Never Underestimate the Thirst for Knowledge of Your Clients

Valeria Osti Guerrazzi, Country Manager, KoRo

Alice Tarditi, Country Manager, KoRo

Offering top high-quality products at fair prices while being receptive to new food trends is sometimes not enough to beat your competitors. In KoRo's cases, transparency is key to offering our customers the best service and building a strong community around our brand.

11:50 - 12:20 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

Building an Innovation Ecosystem: A Look Inside an Italian Protein Company

Eda Fetahu, Open Innovation Expert, Amadori

In this presentation, we will discuss how Amadori contributes to the innovative food ecosystem by being an important player in the space. We will first give an overview of the company's internal structure, highlighting how we have set up dedicated teams and resources to drive innovation forward. We will then discuss our collaboration and partnership approach, and how we are working with other stakeholders in the food innovation ecosystem to drive change and make a meaningful impact.

Innovation & Technology

Improving Food Sustainability Through Data Digitalization: the Parmalat Scenario

Paolo Bulgarelli, Milk Purchasing Quality Manager, Gruppo Lactalis Italia

  • How open innovation started in Parmalat? Our Manifesto
  • Inno needs & different types of collaborations with startup & corporate
  • Example of success story in the milk supply chain with xFarm

12:25 - 12:55 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

How Technology is Changing the Way We Shop

Helene Saurais, Co-founder, Inoqo

Amidst a sea of information overload and misinformation, it's challenging for consumers to understand the true sustainability of their grocery purchases. Fortunately, technology is coming to the rescue. An innovative consumer app enables shoppers to access their grocery basket's impact easily. Join us in this keynote to explore how this game-changing technology is revolutionizing the way we shop, empowering us to make more conscious choices. From gaining insights into the true impact of any product to discovering new sustainable options, we'll delve into how climate technologies are creating a more sustainable future for all.

12:55 - 13:55

Networking Lunch

13:55 - 14:25 - Case Studies

Innovation & Technology

Winelivery, From a Delivery Business to a Customer Data Platform

Francesco Magro, Founder & CEO, Winelivery

We started Winelivery in 2016 with the dream of being able to change the way people consume beverages. We were successful on the market during these years, but with a very different value proposition from what we had in mind at the beginning.

During this session, we would like to present how we evolved Winelivery into a tech company that can support brands and producers in communicating and delivering their products and making better decisions.

R&D & Formulation

New Wave of the Sustainable Food Revolution – Harnessing Living Microorganisms for Protein Production

Laura Toppinen, Head of Brand & Communications , Onego Bio

The presentation will highlight the benefits of precision fermentation and its potential to solve many environmental and food security issues. Our technologies meet the needs of the food industry and consumers looking for next-generation alternative ingredients (without sacrificing price, taste, texture, nutrition, or environmental impact). All of these are possible with our naturally efficient technology of producing bioidentical egg protein.

14:30 - 15:00 - Keynote

Consumer Insights & Marketing

How Marmite Used Insights to Drive Innovation and Communication to Invite Consumers to Re-Evaluate the Brand

Jonathan Roberts, Senior Brand Manager - Snacks Innovation, General Mills

Discussing the insights that inspired the 7 Cannes Lions award-winning Marmite Gene campaign and how concurrently this drove innovation on the brand and inspired a whole new generation of Marmite lovers. In this session, we will discuss why Marmite needed to adjust its strategy despite the fantastic long-term success of “Love it or Hate it”.

15:05 - 15:50 - Panel Discussion

Consumer Insights & Marketing

How are Women in Leadership Promoting Equality Among Workers in the Food Industry?

Eda Fetahu, Open Innovation Expert, Amadori

Claudia Vasquez, CEO and Director, Origenal Story 

Matilda Freund, Retired (Mondelez) VP Global Food Safety, Freund Consulting Company

Nicole Umana, Global Agile Innovation Human Intelligence Director, Mars Wrigley

Sharon Cittone, Founder and CEO, Edible Planet Ventures

Tanja Dinić, Director of Internal Audit for Food Safety, Fortenova Grupa

Less than 20% of senior leadership roles in the food and beverage business are held by women, even though women make 80% of the world's food purchasing decisions. What steps are businesses taking to be more inclusive?

Examining the causes of the underrepresentation of women, the measures that companies may take to encourage gender parity, and the steps that can be taken to increase the effectiveness of efforts for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 Does corporate policy have a role in shaping a more inclusive company culture, and if so, what role is that?

15:45 - 15:55

Chair's Closing Remarks & End of Summit