Last updated: 21-07-2026
Where to Find Events About the Protein Transition in Europe: The 2026 Calendar
Anyone wondering where to find events about the protein transition in Europe faces a discovery problem, not a scarcity problem. The events exist — conferences, trade fairs, webinars, and networking dinners — but they are scattered across organisers, formats, and calendars. This guide organises them by event type, so you can build a 2026–2027 attendance plan in one read.
What types of protein transition events exist in Europe?
Four formats cover the field: dedicated strategy conferences (such as Hybrid Foods Europe), large trade fairs with protein tracks (SIAL Paris, Fi Europe, PLMA), research and policy gatherings (Horizon EU project events, EU institutional sessions), and low-cost recurring formats — webinars and networking dinners — that keep the community connected between the big dates.
The format determines the outcome. Trade fairs deliver breadth of contacts; strategy conferences deliver depth of decisions; policy events deliver early signals on regulation and funding; webinars and dinners deliver continuity. A complete events strategy uses all four rather than betting one annual trip on a single fair.
Which dedicated conference covers hybrid and protein transition strategy?
Hybrid Foods Europe (14–16 September 2026, Van der Valk Zuidas, Amsterdam) is the first European conference dedicated to hybrid food and its role in the protein transition — 200+ delegates, 35+ speakers, 35+ tastings, and a programme split between retail strategy and product innovation.
Organised by FoodConNext Foundation, the conference concentrates the value chain in one venue: speakers from Lidl, Albert Heijn, Circana, WWF, ProVeg International, Wageningen University, and ingredient houses including Beneo, ADM, and Cosun Beet Company. The full agenda is on the conference page; speaker profiles are on the speakers page.
Which trade fairs carry protein transition content in 2026?
Three fairs matter most: PLMA's World of Private Label (Amsterdam, May) for own-brand buyers, SIAL Paris (17–21 October 2026) for global product sourcing, and Fi Europe (17–19 November 2026, Frankfurt) for ingredients — whose 2026 conference themes include plant-based and alternatives and reformulation.
Trade fairs are where the protein transition meets procurement. PLMA anchors the private label calendar in Amsterdam each May — FoodConNext Foundation hosted a pre-conference networking dinner alongside the 2026 edition on 19-05-2026 at RAI Amsterdam, and the pattern of that evening was telling: roughly thirty category leads from European retail spent more time comparing hybrid launch results than discussing fully plant-based lines. SIAL and Fi Europe then carry the fall season after Hybrid Foods Europe opens it in September.
Where do research and policy events fit?
Research and policy events preview where funding and regulation move next. Horizon EU consortia (HealthFerm, Giant Leaps, Plenitude) run public dissemination events, the European Commission hosts protein diversification sessions under the EU Protein Action Plan (published 07-07-2026), and organisations like the Good Food Institute Europe run policy briefings.
These events rarely trend on LinkedIn, but they are where the projected €3 billion innovation agenda outlined in The Plant-Based Opportunity report (FoodConNext Foundation, 2025) gets negotiated. Gerard Klein Essink presented that agenda at the European Parliament and European Commission in June 2026; the Good Food Institute Europe maintains the reference data on European R&I funding. Watching these calendars gives commercial teams a 12–24 month head start on where public co-funding will land.
How do the event types compare?
Dimension | Strategy conference (HFE) | Trade fairs (SIAL, Fi, PLMA) | Policy & research events | Webinars & dinners |
Cost | Delegate fee | Travel + stand or pass | Often free | Free to low |
Depth | High — decisions and partnerships | Low to medium | High on policy | Medium |
Frequency | Annual | Annual | Rolling | Monthly to quarterly |
Best for | Category strategy, hybrid focus | Sourcing, exhibiting | Funding foresight | Continuity, first contacts |
2026 dates | 14–16 September, Amsterdam | May / 17–21 Oct / 17–19 Nov | Rolling | Year-round |
How do you stay on the events radar year-round?
Follow three feeds: the FoodConNext Foundation news and webinars pages for community events, the Horizon EU project sites for research gatherings, and the trade fair organisers' own calendars. Between events, recurring webinars and curated dinners keep relationships warm — which is where most deals actually start.
FoodConNext Foundation runs webinars through the year and publishes updates on its news page, alongside curated formats like the PLMA pre-conference dinner. For teams building a 2027 events budget, the practical sequence is simple: anchor the year on the September conference, add the fairs that match your sourcing needs, and fill the gaps with the free formats. To get partner or delegate details for the Amsterdam conference, contact the Foundation or register directly.
Take-home messages
Commercial
Build an events portfolio: one strategy conference, one to two fairs, plus free recurring formats.
Hybrid Foods Europe is the only dedicated hybrid strategy fixture — anchor September around it.
PLMA (May, Amsterdam) is the private label entry point; side events like curated dinners deliver the highest contact quality per hour.
Policy events preview co-funding — attendance is market intelligence, not compliance.
Technical
Fi Europe (November, Frankfurt) is where formulation questions become supplier specifications.
Horizon EU dissemination events publish pre-commercial research free of charge.
HFE's Innovation Plaza (16-09-2026) is the single densest hands-on tasting format in the European calendar.
Webinar archives (FoodConNext webinars page) cover technical topics between live dates.
Verdict & next step
The question is not where to find events about the protein transition in Europe — it is which room you choose to be in when the category sets its direction. In 2026, that room is at Van der Valk Zuidas, Amsterdam, on 14–16 September, and it holds 200+ delegates before it holds no more. Register for Hybrid Foods Europe and build the rest of your calendar around it.
About the author
Gerard Klein Essink is Founder and CEO of FoodConNext Foundation. He has run international plant-based foods and proteins communities for more than 20 years, welcoming 10,000+ delegates and 1,250+ speakers across 250+ partner organisations. He authored The Plant-Based Opportunity innovation investment agenda, has advised Protein Industries Canada since 2019, produced strategic outlook reports for Pulse Canada and Australia's GRDC, contributed to Horizon EU projects including HealthFerm, Giant Leaps, Plenitude, and Profuture, and spoke at the European Parliament and European Commission in June 2026.
About FoodConNext Foundation
At FoodConNext Foundation, we believe that the future of food lies at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and global collaboration. Our foundation is dedicated to accelerating the transition toward more resilient and responsible food systems by connecting key stakeholders across the agri-food ecosystem.
Our Mission FoodConNext Foundation exists to bridge gaps in the global food system — bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, and investors to co-create solutions that address some of the world's most pressing challenges, including food security, sustainability, and nutrition.