Hybrid foods are reshaping the protein landscape.
The first European Hybrid Foods Conference connects leaders from across the value chain - retail, food service, food brands, manufacturers, ingredient and machinery suppliers - to accelerate the journey from innovation to large-scale adoption.
Discover how hybrid meat, dairy, fish, and egg products can help build a more sustainable, affordable, and resilient food system. Learn from pioneers driving hybrid development, explore real-world success stories, and uncover strategies for formulation, scaling, and positioning that turn potential into profit.
Join the decision-makers, innovators, and technical experts shaping the future of food in Europe.
Be part of the movement. Shape the hybrid future.
200+ Delegates | 35+ Speakers | 25+ Exhibitors
35+ Tastings | 10+ Workshops
Industry Leaders Joining
Expert Speakers
Unique Programme
The cutting edge programme is focussing on:
> Retailing & Food Service Strategies in Europe (Day 1 - 15 September)
> Product Innovation Strategies (Day 2 - 16 September)
Monday 14 September 2026
18:00 - 19:30
Welcome Reception
20:00 - 21:30
Dinner speakers/panel members
Tuesday 15 September 2026 - Retail and Food Service Strategy Day
08:15 - 09:00
Registration
09:00 - 09:10
Welcome & Opening - By Chairs
Michel Mellema, Global Innovation Director (NL)
Gerard Klein Essink, Co-Founders, FoodConNext Foundation (NL)
09:10 - 09:20
Community Building
09:20 - 09:45
Driver Health: The Bigger Hybrid Foods Planetary Health Diet Perspective
Hybrid foods can be a bridge to achieving planetary‑health diets?
How meat‑ and dairy‑plant hybrids can lower emissions, improve nutrition and affordability, and fit into mainstream European retail and food service?
How to develop an effective Planetary Health Diet company and product strategy?
Joanna Trewern, Director Partnerships, Proveg International (ES)
9:50 - 10:15
Driver Climate: The European Hybrid Food Climate Challenges for Retail
How do the climate and protein goals of leading European retailers look like?
What retailers can and can not do?
How can governments make these goals achievable?
Nico Muzi, Co-Founder, Madre Brava (BE)
Stella Hoynalanmaa, Director Food Programme, WWF (FI)
10:20 - 10:45
Plant Based Pathways to Modern Nutrition
Landscape of Plant based and Hybrid Food and Beverages
Demand Trends 2026 and Beyond
Success Code To Win
Ananda Roy, SVP Global Thought Leadership | Consumer Goods Industry Advisor Europe, Circana (UK)
10:45 - 11:30
Morning Networking Break
11:30 - 11:55
The European Hybrid Dairy Retailing Outlook
European dairy outlook:
How hybrid cheeses, milks and yogurts can unlock new commercial opportunities in European retail?
From margin and sustainability gains to consumer acceptance and category growth
The B2B options to get the successfull product-market strategies
Jakob Skovgaard, Co-Founder & CEO, PlanetDairy (DK)
12:00 - 12:25
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The European Hybrid Meat Opportunity
European hybrid meat outlook:
Where blended meat‑plant products can win first?
What it takes to get them on shelf and menu?
How to build profitable, scalable concepts that consumers actually adopt?
Jos Havekotte, Founder, Innovate.NU (NL)
12:30 - 13:55
Lunch & Networking Break Meeting
13:55 - 14:05
Community Building
14:05 - 14:25
The Strategic Consumer Challenge: Getting Positioning and Placing right?!
What is at stake when communication about hybrid to the consumer?
What is the consumer proposition: reduced fat, blended, improved formulation?
How to get the numbers right and measure the impact? A collaboration project between Lidl and Wageningen University
Chantal Goenee, CSR, Lidl (NL)
Marleen Onwezen, Prof. Dr. Consumer Behaviour, Wageningen University (NL)
14.30 - 14.55
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The Missing Ingredient: Consumer Acceptance
How to Build a Hybrid Food Category:
Finding the right language: How consumers understand and talk about hybrid products
Overcoming barriers: Building trust, relevance and purchase intent
Creating consumer pull: Turning insights into category growth
Niels Hower, Member Executive Board, Beneo (GE)
15.00 - 15.25
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The wider B2B Hybrid Food & Ingredients Opportunity in Europe
How to meet consumers’ taste & texture needs, and how can new ingredients help here?
How to add health, CO2 footprint and affordability to the equation, to strengthen the value proposition?
How to position hybrid foods in such a way that they appeal to consumers?
Andre Limmer, Founder, nextFood.ai (GE)
Christopher Busch, Head of Research & Developement, Crespel & Deiters (GE)
15:25 - 15:55
Networking Break
15.55 - 16.20
Taking Hybrid Meat Food Service Solutions to the Next Level
What can Europe learn from North America?
How to raise the quality bar for hybrid meat?
What's next for hybrid foods in the European Food Service?
Hubert Lehnard Head of Business, Elsa Group (SW)
Roland Snel, Technical Director Proteins, ADM (NL)
16.25 - 16.50
The Regulatory Hurdles and Options; Naming, Claims and Labeling
Dairy & meat naming under the microscope:
What EU rules allow?
Where hybrids risk mislabelling?
How brands can work with labs and regulators to get claims, categories and on-pack wording right?
Hans Zijlstra, Quality, Technology & Innovation Lead, FarmDairy (NL)
Laura Goossens-van den Heuvel, Manager Product Compliance Eurofins Food Safety Solutions (NL)
Martine van Haperen, Expert Food & Health, ProVeg (NL)
16.55 - 17.20
The Consumer Bar for (Chilled) Hybrid Meat by 2028? - Panel
What do consumers expect?
What are the top 3 current product challenges?
How can a retailer, manufacturer, and ingredient supplier get there?
Henk van Os, Consultant Health & Taste, Albert Heijn (NL)
Vincent van Kuijen, Commercial Director, Hilton Food (NL),
Fabian Griens, Technical Sales Manager, Cosun Beet Company (NL)
17.20 - 17.30
Strategy Conclusions
Michel Mellema, Global Innovation Director (NL)
17.30 - 18.30
1-on-1 Networking
19.30 - 21.30
Community Dinner
Wednesday 16 September 2026 - Product Innovation Strategy Day
08.00 - 08.50
1-on-1 Networking
08.50 - 09.00
Welcome by Chair
Michel Mellema, Global Innovation Director (NL)
09.05 - 09.25
Formulating Hybrid Dairy: Challenges & Opportunities
What are the big challenges for making the best hybrid dairy products?
Where is the current quality bar for consumers?
How can ingredient suppliers help to accelerate uptake?
Dennis Favier, Founder & Owner, Studio Fava (NL)
09.30 - 12.30
Innovation Plaza: Hands-on hybrid tasting: small-group sessions with innovation partner discussing also formulations, cooking performance, shelf life, colour, ratio animal - non animal proteins, nutrition, and live feedback
Hybrid cheese & dairy - PlanetDairy (DK)
Hybrid dairy - Farm Dairy (NL)
Hybrid meat - Smaqo (SW)
Hybrid meat - Innovate.NU (NL)
Vegetable proteins
Wheat & Pea - Crespel & Deiters (GE)
Soy - ADM (NL)
Sugar beet + Faba - Cosun (NL)
Textured flakes & fibres - Beneo (GE)
Mycoproteins - Planetary (CH)
Mushroom ingredients - 50Cut by JOYN Foods (US)
Mushrooms & ingredients - Scelta (NL)
New Technologies - JBTMarel (US)
12.30 - 13.30
Lunch & Networking Break
13.30 - 14.15
The Hybrid Value Chain Outlook 2028 - Expert Panel
14.15 - 14.30
Strategic Wrap Up - By Chairs
Michel Mellema, Global Innovation Director (NL)
Gerard Klein Essink, Co-Founders, FoodConNext Foundation (NL)
Partners Hybrid Foods Europe
Since 2002
10,000+ Delegates | 1,250+ Speakers | 250+ Partners | Average Conference Rating: 8.8
and 95% of the delegates came back to conferences organised by Gerard Klein Essink & his team
From concept to scalable business
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Learn how others are industrializing hybrid products: from formulation, co-manufacturing, to supply, quality, and CAPEX.
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Identify what can be done within existing assets and where new capabilities, partners, or technologies are required.
Why Attend
Hybrid Foods Europe?!
Attend Hybrid Foods Europe to get a clear, investable view on where value will be created in hybrid foods — and what that means for your strategy, P&L, and risk profile.
Strategic clarity on the hybrid’s role in your portfolio
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Understand how hybrid meat, dairy, fish, and egg products can support growth, margin, and ESG targets simultaneously.
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See where hybrid fits versus conventional and fully plant-based in terms of consumer acceptance, scalability, and economics.
Access to the full value chain in one room
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Meet senior leaders from retail, food service, food brands, manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and machinery providers.
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Use curated networking and structured sessions to accelerate partnerships, pilots, and route-to-market deals
Direct insight into European market dynamics
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Gain a Europe-focused view on regulation, retail, and food service priorities, and country-specific demand patterns.
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Benchmark your roadmap against peers and early movers to avoid false starts and stranded innovation.
De-risk decisions and accelerate execution
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Pressure-test your assumptions on pricing, positioning, and
assortment with experts and peers. -
Translate high-level sustainability and nutrition commitments into concrete hybrid initiatives with clear business cases
Media Partners Hybrid Foods Europe
Venue
It's so easy to get there!
From Schiphol Airport by train 9 min to train station Amsterdam RAI. See your train options: https://bit.ly/4cNdolI
Van der Valk Zuidas
Tommaso Albinonistraat 200
1083HM Amsterdam
Tel +31 (0)20 8000900
www.hotelamsterdam-zuidas.nl
When you register, you will receive a code to pick up your special room discount for delegates