European Hybrid Foods
Conference
Where Strategy meets Innovation
14-16 September, Amsterdam
The European Hybrid Foods Conference 2026
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.
DOWNLOAD HERE YOUR FREE REPORT "THE PLANT-BASED FOOD OPPORTUNITY"
New insights into how and where research can drive the growth of hybrid foods in Europe!
Programme
Monday 14 September
18:30 - 20:00 Welcome reception
Tuesday 15 September
08:00 - 09:00 Registration
09:00 - 09:10 Welcome & Opening - By Chairs: Michel Mellema, Global Innovation Director, IFF (NL), Jaap Harkema & Gerard Klein Essink, Co-Founders, FoodConNext Foundation (NL)
09:10 - 09:20 Community Building
09:20 - 09:45 The Bigger Hybrid Foods Planetary Health Diet Perspective - Speaker tbc
Hybrid foods as a bridge to 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.
09:50 - 10:15 The European Hybrid Dairy Retailing Outlook - Jakob Skovgaard, Co-Founder & CEO, PlanetDairy (DK)
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.
10:20 - 10:45 The European Hybrid Food Service Outlook - Carlijn Teunissen, Sustainability Specialist ESG, Vermaat - Compass Group (NL)
Hybrid food service in practice: how Vermaat’s hybrid strategy evolved, which categories and business cases work, and how partners across the value chain can scale hybrids for affordability, health, and climate impact.
10:45 - 11:30 Morning Networking Break
11:30 - 11:55 The European Hybrid Meat Opportunity - Jos Havekotte, Founder, Innovate.NU (NL)
European hybrid meat outlook: where blended meat‑plant products can win first, what it takes to get them on shelf and menu, and how to build profitable, scalable concepts that consumers actually adopt.
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12:00 - 12:25 The Hybrid Foods Value Chain Challenges - Panel
What are the Critical Challenges for the Food Value Chain? Discussion on: Consumers, Positioning, Category Development, Value Chain, Product Quality, Pricing, and the impact of National Strategies?
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?! - Panel
Positioning hybrids so consumers “get it”: where to place them in store and on menus, how to name and message them, and how to avoid confusion between hybrid, plant‑based, and conventional products.
14.30 - 14.55 Hybrid Food Categories Building: Where to Start and What is the End Game? - Panel
What share of animal protein could realistically be hybridized by 2030? When does hybrid become mainstream, not niche? Hybrid meat: Which cuts and formats first? Fresh vs frozen vs processed? How to price vs 100100% dairy or meat? Hybrid dairy: Which cheese, milk, and yogurt roles fit hybrids? Retail vs food service priorities?
15.00 - 15.25 The wider B2B Hybrid Food & Ingredients Opportunity in Europe - Panel
Hybrid B2B opportunity: discover how hybrid ingredients can enhance meat, fish, and dairy products, and learn how manufacturers, wholesalers, and brands can develop profitable, scalable hybrid applications across Europe.
15:25 - 15:55 Networking Break
15.55 - 16.20 The French Food Service & Consumer Opportunity - Panel
French hybrid meat on the menu: fresh consumer insights and a meat brand’s playbook for building the French food service market with hybrids, from concept and positioning to winning operator adoption.
16.25 - 16.50 Getting the Regulatory Dairy & Meat Naming Right?! - Panel
Dairy & meat naming under the microscope: what EU rules allow, where hybrids risk mislabelling, and how brands can work with labs and regulators to get claims, categories and on-pack wording right.
16.55 - 17.20 The Key Sensoric Hybrid Hurdles for Consumers: What's at Stake and What to do? - Panel
Sensory hurdles as a shared challenge: how brands, chefs, suppliers, and retailers can improve texture, taste, cooking experience, and shelf life so hybrids meet consumer expectations every time.
17.20 - 17.30 Strategy Conclusions - Michel Mellema, Global Innovation Director, IFF (NL)
17.30 - 18.30 1-on-1 Networking
19.30 - 21.30 Community Dinner
Wednesday 16 September
08.00 - 08.50 1-on-1 Networking
08.50 - 09.00 Welcome by Chair
09.00 - 09.15 Workshop: Using AI to Develop the Best Hybrid Foods - Jochen Matzer, CEO, Red Rabbit (GE)
09.15 - 10.30 Hands-on hybrid tasting: small-group sessions with 8 innovation partners (a.o. PlanetDairy, Farm Dairy, Crespel & Deiters, ADM, Cosun, Planetary) to compare hybrid cheeses, drinks, yogurts, meats and bakery products, discuss recipes and cooking performance, and share live feedback.
10.30 - 11.00 Morning Break
11.00 - 12.30 Sensory Tastings with 8 Innovation Partners - Continued
12.30 - 13.00 Lunch break
13.00 - 13.45 The Hybrid Value Chain Outlook 2028 - Expert Panel
13.45 - 14.00 Strategic Wrap Up - By Chair: By Chairs: Michel Mellema, Global Innovation Director, IFF (NL), Jaap Harkema & Gerard Klein Essink, Co-Founders, FoodConNext Foundation (NL)
Speakers
25+ Thought Leaders from Retail, Food Service, Food Brands, Ingredient Suppliers & Service Providers
Leading Partners
Why attend?!
Strategic clarity on the hybrid’s role in your portfolio
• Understand how hybrid meat, dairy, fish, and egg products can
support growth, margin, and ESG targets simultaneously.
• 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
• Meet senior leaders from retail, food service, food brands,
manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and machinery providers.
• Use curated networking and structured sessions to accelerate
partnerships, pilots, and route-to-market deals
Direct insight into European market dynamics
• Gain a Europe-focused view on regulation, retail, and food service priorities, and country-specific demand patterns.
• Benchmark your roadmap against peers and early movers to avoid false starts and stranded innovation.
De-risk decisions and accelerate execution
• 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
From concept to scalable business
• Learn how others are industrializing hybrid products: from formulation, co-manufacturing, to supply, quality, and CAPEX.
• Identify what can be done within existing assets and where new capabilities, partners, or technologies are required.
Venue
Radisson West Hotel Amsterdam
La Guardiaweg 59
1043 DE Amsterdam
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