The New Food Conference 2024 from A to Z

Nutrition in Germany has changed: Meat consumption has fallen by 15 percent in five years and milk consumption by 8 percent in three years^{.1 2} At the same time, the production of plant-based meat alternatives has more than doubled since 2019^.3 The local market for alternative proteins is currently the largest in Europe^.4

The food industry is also clearly positioning itself for the future. For example, one of Europe's largest poultry companies recently announced the establishment of a subsidiary for proteins from fungal and cell-based fermentation this year^.5 Precision fermentation is a key technology. Precision fermentation is just one of many new terms - and keys to the future of the industry. What other topics are shaping the world of new foods and will dominate the New Food Conference?

Alternative proteins

Proteins for human consumption that do not require industrial animal husbandry are called "alternative proteins". These include products based on plants or fungi, but also cell-based solutions including those from →precision fermentation. They open up alternatives for consumers and alternatives for manufacturers and are the focus of the New Food Conference. Denise Blömers from the market research institute GfK will present the current trends that can be identified from the GfK Consumer Panel, i.e. the purchasing behavior of consumers in Germany.

Nutritional value message

The medium is the message: for health-conscious consumers, the nutritional value of →alternative proteins is crucial. The raw materials and their processing should be just as right as the communication surrounding the products. The aim is to meet consumers where they are and effectively resolve misunderstandings. At the conference, Denise Schmidt from Unilever, Armando Perez Cueto, Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Umeå University in Sweden, and Christopher Bryant, Consumer Acceptance Consultant, together with Anna-Lena Klapp, Head of Nutrition and Health at ProVeg International, will discuss how this works.

Decarbonization strategies

The switch to production processes that avoid greenhouse gas emissions is called decarbonization. →Alternative proteins can make a decisive contribution to reducing emissions in the food industry. This can be quantified and can help national decarbonization strategies to succeed. At the same time, alternative proteins with their low resource requirements strengthen food security worldwide. In a presentation, Ivo Rzegotta from the Good Food Institute Europe explains the crucial role that alternative proteins can play for companies and governments.

Investments

Where new markets emerge, investment is needed. The start-ups from the ProVeg Incubator, which has already helped more than 100 newcomers to conquer the market for →alternative proteins, are waiting in the wings. This year, Atlantic Fish Co, Optimized Foods and Friends & Family Pet Food Company from the USA, AIProtein from Egypt and Fisheroo from Singapore will be presenting their companies. Dana Wilson from the FAIRR Initiative investor network, for example, will be reporting on the trends that are inspiring investors.

Supply chains

The supply chains for plant-based alternative products start in the field and end at the supermarket checkout. They connect farmers with suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers. In order to make supply chains sustainable and stable, it is important to understand all their perspectives. To this end, the New Food Conference brings together the Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft network and the agricultural retailer BayWa with retailers and the Danish Vegetarian Association on one stage.

Nudging

Nudging helps consumers to make sustainable consumption decisions with small nudges. The aim is to make it easier for people to adapt their habits without exerting pressure or making demands. This can happen very quietly, for example when manufacturers replace animal ingredients with plant-based ones. With Alexander Lamm from International Flavors & Fragrances and Kim van Drie from Hands Off my Chocolate, the New Food Conference brings together two recipe experts. Together with Martine von Haperen, nutrition expert at ProVeg Netherlands, they will explore the 'silent protein revolution'.

Precision fermentation

When microorganisms convert substances, fermentation takes place. People have been fermenting their food for thousands of years, for example to make bread, cheese and sauerkraut. Precision fermentation is a biotechnological process for customized fermentation: bacteria, yeast or fungi "learn", for example, to produce milk proteins such as whey and casein or rennet without animals. The process could turn the production of dairy products on its head. It is considered so promising that it is the focus of this year's 50 million euro funding for alternative proteins from the European Innovation Council^.6 Casein manufacturer Fermify from Austria, whey protein manufacturer Vivici from the Netherlands, flavoring manufacturer Givaudan from Switzerland and investment company Gerber-Rauth from Italy explain how precision fermentation is changing manufacturing processes.

Scaling

When a product is launched on the market, the vision becomes reality. If the product is also well received by the target group, then it is time to scale the success: The target group, sales and market share should grow. This requires sustainable strategies. Whether private label manufacturer Lidl, meat processor Tönnies or the start-ups Planted and Nosh Bio, they have all successfully scaled plant-based alternative products - and will report on their experiences at the New Food Conference.

The New Food Conference will be held in English. Interested parties can take part on site or online or experience the pioneering presentations of the start-ups live as part of the Demo Day.

Sources

¹ Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (2024): Per capita consumption of meat falls to under 52 kilograms, published on 04.04.2024. Online at: https://www.ble.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2024/240404_Fleischbilanz.html

² Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (2024): Milk balance: once again less milk, cheese and butter consumed, published on 12.04.2024. Online at: https://www.ble.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2024/240412_Milchbilanz.html

³ Federal Statistical Office (2024): Trend towards meat substitutes unbroken: Production increases by 16.6% in 2023 compared to the previous year, press release from 02.05.2024. Online at: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2024/05/PD24_N018_42.html

⁴ The Good Food Institute Europe (2023): Germany plant-based food retail market insights 2020-2022. Online at: https://gfieurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2020-2022-Germany-retail-market-insights_updated.pdf

⁵ Lebensmittel Zeitung (2024): Alternative proteins: PHW expands new food division, published on 12.07.2024. Online at: https://www.lebensmittelzeitung.net/industrie/nachrichten/alternative-proteine-phw-baut-new-food-sparte-aus-178717

⁶ European Innovation Council (2023): Work Program 2024, published on 12.12.2023. Online at: https://eic.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-12/EIC-workprogramme-2024.pdf