Last updated: 21-07-2026

Which Ingredient Companies Are Working on Hybrid Meat and Hybrid Dairy Reformulation in Europe?

The question of which ingredient companies are working on hybrid meat or hybrid dairy reformulation in Europe has a longer answer in 2026 than it did two years ago. What began with a handful of fibre and protein suppliers has become a full supplier landscape spanning plant proteins, mycoprotein, mushroom systems, flavour houses, and processing technology. This article maps who does what.

Which companies supply plant proteins for hybrid formulation?

Four European suppliers anchor the plant protein side of hybrid reformulation: Beneo (textured flakes and fibres), ADM (soy systems), Cosun Beet Company (sugar beet fibre plus faba), and Crespel & Deiters Group (wheat and pea proteins). Each runs dedicated application work for blended meat and dairy formats.

Beneo — whose executive board member Niels Hower speaks on consumer acceptance at Hybrid Foods Europe — supplies textured proteins and fibres that carry bite and bind in blended mince. ADM, represented by Technical Director Proteins Roland Snel, brings soy systems with decades of texturisation depth. Cosun Beet Company's sugar beet fibre already sits inside Albert Heijn's hybrid meat range, where seven beet-fibre-enriched products launched cheaper than their conventional equivalents (Food and Drink Technology, 2024). Crespel & Deiters, with Head of R&D Christopher Busch presenting the wider B2B ingredient opportunity, covers wheat and pea protein functionality.

Who covers mycoprotein and mushroom ingredients?

Mycoprotein and mushroom systems deliver umami, texture, and clean labels to hybrid meat. Planetary (Switzerland) supplies fermentation-derived mycoprotein, Scelta Mushrooms (Netherlands) processes mushroom concentrates and ingredients, and 50Cut by JOYN Foods (US) builds mushroom-blend systems designed for 50:50 meat blends.

These three companies host Innovation Plaza tasting stations on 16-09-2026 for a reason: fungi-based systems solve two hybrid problems at once. They contribute meat-like texture without heavy additive stacks, and their natural glutamates lift savouriness as the animal share falls. Scelta Mushrooms has spent decades industrialising mushroom processing in Venlo; 50Cut's positioning is explicit in its name — cut the meat by half without cutting the eating experience.

Which companies lead hybrid dairy reformulation?

Hybrid dairy is led by a specialist and two established players: PlanetDairy (Denmark) formulates the blended milk and yoghurt systems behind Albert Heijn's price-parity hybrid milks, Farm Dairy (Netherlands) brings processing and quality expertise, and IFF supplies the flavour and texture systems that keep blends tasting like dairy.

PlanetDairy CEO Jakob Skovgaard confirmed after the 2025 Albert Heijn milk launch that yoghurt blends are next (Green Queen, 2025) — hybrid dairy's roadmap is public. Hans Zijlstra of Farm Dairy addresses the regulatory side in Amsterdam, since dairy naming rules constrain what blends may be called. IFF, whose Global Innovation Director Michel Mellema chairs the conference, works the sensory frontier: masking plant off-notes and rebuilding mouthfeel as casein gives way to plant protein. The Plant-Based Opportunity report (FoodConNext Foundation, 2025) identifies exactly this — plant protein behaviour versus casein micelles and whey — as a priority research field, with a projected €375m needed for taste and texture work to 2035.

What supporting technology and

services complete the landscape?

Beyond proteins and flavours, hybrid reformulation depends on processing technology (JBT Marel), compliance testing (Eurofins Food Safety Solutions), applied product development (Innovate.NU, Studio Fava, Smaqo), and AI-supported formulation (nextFood.ai). These services turn ingredient specifications into launchable products.

While preparing the Innovation Plaza programme, FoodConNext Foundation consulted each participating partner on what delegates should taste and test — and the consistent message from those consultations was that hybrid failure points sit in integration, not in any single ingredient. Laura Goossens-van den Heuvel of Eurofins covers labelling compliance on stage; Innovate.NU and Smaqo demonstrate finished blended meat concepts; Dennis Favier of Studio Fava opens the innovation day on hybrid dairy formulation challenges; and Andre Limmer's nextFood.ai applies data tooling to formulation choices.

How does the supplier landscape map to formats?

How should buyers engage these companies?

Engage suppliers around applications, not ingredients: bring your target format, price point, and label constraints, and evaluate suppliers on integrated performance — bind, bite, off-note control, and cost-in-use together. The fastest route is tasting finished concepts side by side, which is what the Innovation Plaza was built for.

Buying hybrid ingredients from datasheets is how reformulation projects stall. On 16-09-2026, twelve partner stations run small-group sessions covering formulations, cooking performance, shelf life, colour, animal-to-plant ratios, and nutrition — with live feedback. Ingredient buyers and R&D leads can register for Hybrid Foods Europe or contact FoodConNext Foundation to discuss partner participation in future editions.

Take-home messages

Commercial

• The European hybrid supplier base now spans plant proteins, fungi, flavours, dairy specialists, and technology — no single-supplier dependency required.

• Cosun's beet fibre proved hybrid can undercut conventional meat on price in the Albert Heijn range.

• PlanetDairy's parity-priced milks with Albert Heijn set the commercial template for hybrid dairy.

• Twelve suppliers demonstrate at one venue on 16-09-2026 — one trip replaces a quarter of supplier visits.

  
  

Technical

• Plant protein versus casein micelle behaviour is the core hybrid dairy research problem (Plant-Based Opportunity, 2025).

• Mushroom and mycoprotein systems deliver umami and texture while shortening ingredient decks.

• Off-note masking and fat-system design remain the top two sensory failure points in blends.

• Compliance (naming, claims) must enter formulation early — Eurofins and ProVeg address the EU rules on stage.

  
  

Verdict & next step

The ingredient companies working on hybrid meat and hybrid dairy reformulation in Europe are no longer scattered — they are converging on one programme, one Innovation Plaza, and one date. Hybrid Foods Europe runs 14–16 September 2026 at Van der Valk Zuidas, Amsterdam, with tasting capacity limited by design. If reformulation is on your 2027 roadmap, the shortlisting starts there. Register now.

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.