EIT Food’s 2023 flagship conference will be the last before institutional change at European level in 2024. It provides a unique opportunity for the largest food community in the world to inspire lawmakers, by sharing evidence-based insights, business cases, and concrete recommendations on how, together, we can make change happen to transform our food systems. With its extensive track record of infusing innovation in the ecosystem, accelerating its take up and adoption from farmers to consumers, and providing frequent unique feedback to decision makers, the EIT Food Partnership can once again help shape the more sustainable, resilient and transparent system we need.
By the time we meet, European lawmakers will be shaping the future framework for sustainable food systems, the EU Protein Strategy, while also working on soil health, packaging / labelling, consumer information, financial instruments, etc. At a time when the EU’s best in class stance may be challenged internationally and internally, when the transition and costs attached may be questioned, the EIT Food conference provides the perfect opportunity to shape the future of our food, drawing from an amazing community dedicated to innovation. We are non-partisan, work with facts and figures and for impact.
Before joining EIT Food, Andy built and turned around several businesses in Europe and the USA, and most recently engineered a successful exit for Open Innovation Service Leader NineSigma, which he ran for 10 years and sold in 09/2017. The majority of NineSigma’s clients are from the Agri-Food Industry.
Other stations in his career include 6 years at KPMG Consulting, where he built an international telecommunication strategy practice, and 5 years at Vanco plc, where as CEO North America and Central Europe he was part of the Executive team that took the business public on the London Stock Exchange. Andy joined EIT Food as CEO in November 2018.
Andy holds a Master’s degree that combines Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin, and he earned a Doctorate’s Degree with a thesis on (Open) Innovation Management from RWTH Aachen.
A provocative look at the EU transformational challenge, costs and opportunities attached, and who should pay.
Few issues raise more passionate debates than food. Few sectors have more gravitas and influence than agrifood. Few green transition paths have called for more drastic shifts in practices and finance than farming. And from cell-based meat to insects, few innovations come to face fiercer opposition. Food ecosystems epitomise complexity in our societies, with crucial choices for the future.
In this introductory session, we will take a sharp look at our model and path towards achieving sustainability goals. If our agrifood system is broken, can we still fix it? What have we learnt over the past four years? Are we Europeans on the right innovation track?
Peter Kearns was previously a Principal Administrator at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organisation based in Paris, France. He worked in the Environment, Health and Safety Division which addresses, amongst other things, issues related to the safety of chemicals, pesticides and biotechnology.
He headed OECD’s biosafety programme and was responsible for OECD’s Working Group for the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology and the Working Group for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds. Both programmes address the safety of products derived from transgenic organisms. The former focuses on environmental safety while the latter addresses food and feed safety issues. Both Working Groups comprise delegates nominated by OECD member governments together with other partner countries and stakeholders.
Peter also managed OECD’s Nanosafety Programme as well as its Programme on the Prevention, Preparedness and Response in relation to major chemical accidents.
Ninna is Green Spot’s CEO and co-founder, a pioneering Fermented and Upcycled food ingredients company headquartered in Toulouse & a demo plant in Carpentras France producing ingredients that allow food brands to appeal to modern consumers with fermented & upcycled, clean-label, nutritious, and plant-based flours. Ninna has a PhD in Biotechnology and from Brazil to New Zealand and now in France, she is on a mission to use science and technology to bring better and sustainable nutrition to all.
European leaders and decision-makers discuss the bloc’s situation and their nations’ contributions.
Climate, health and security challenges are but three facets of the transition our societies must complete to ensure our future wellbeing. Food ecosystems are stretched to the maximum. Yet, there is no one-size-fits-all solution and tensions are rife. From farmers to consumers, innovators to regulators, public to private investors, manufacturers, importers, retailers, intermediaries – interests can be conflicting. Have flagship initiatives translated into valid and effective solutions? Did Europe build the relevant instruments? Post Covid, with a war still raging at our borders, nearing the end of the EU legislature, what have we learnt? What can still improve and how fast?
Biography available soon.
The market, skill gaps, needs and offerings. In this session we hear from EIT Food education teams about gaps and opportunities to equip young people with future-proof skills sets. We discuss aspirations to be part of the solution and needs.
Dr Maarten van der Kamp is responsible for the creation and implementation of a robust portfolio of innovative educational programmes offered at postgraduate, professional development and VET levels to equip learners to drive the transformation of the food system. Before joining EIT Food, Maarten taught entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and sustainability at Cranfield School of Management and Hult International Business School. He did his PhD on the standardisation of sustainability at Lancaster School of Management. Before then, he worked as a senior engineer and team leader in Philips Medical Systems, and ran a network of entrepreneurship centres in support of excellent entrepreneurship education.
Ambitions and solutions for Europe: stakeholders present their expectations from the framework for sustainable food systems under preparation.
Natasha Foote joined EURACTIV as an agriculture journalist in November 2019. She was previously a freelance journalist, gaining experience in agriculture, environment and EU policy. Natasha holds a Master’s degree in Environment, Development and Policy with distinction from the University of Sussex.
Deputy Director-General in DG Health and Food Safety with responsibility for food safety and sustainability. She is also a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. She was previously Deputy Director-General for the Digital Single Market at DG CONNECT and Director of Modernisation of the Single Market in DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. Before that, she was Head of Unit for Company Law, Corporate Governance and Financial Crime in Directorate General Internal Market and Services, and Deputy Head of Cabinet to Internal Market Commissioners Charlie McCreevy and Frits Bolkestein. An English barrister by training, she worked in the Commission’s Legal Service and, before coming to Brussels, in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Dirk Jacobs is Director General of FoodDrinkEurope, the organisation of the European food and drink industry, one of Europe’s largest manufacturing sectors in terms of turnover, employment and value added. Mr Jacobs is a member of various EU platforms and regularly engages in global multilateral bodies such as the United Nations, WTO, FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius, OECD and FAO. He is Chair of a multi-stakeholder Task Force which led the development of an EU Code of Conduct for Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices, the first deliverable of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy. Mr Jacobs has long-standing professional experience covering various roles in international and EU public/political affairs and strategic communications. Previously, he served as FoodDrinkEurope’s Deputy Director General and headed its department for consumer information, nutrition and health. Mr Jacobs, a Dutch national, holds a Master of Science (MSc) in International Business Administration at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, studied international economics in Milan, Italy, and has obtained a post-graduate MBA degree in European Business studies in Brussels, Belgium.
Robert is Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Mosa Meat, the Dutch food technology startup that pioneered the first cell-cultured beef in the world. He also serves as President of Cellular Agriculture Europe, a Brussels-based industry association representing 12 companies working to bring cellular agriculture food products to consumers. He has 24 years of experience in public policy, advocacy, and international affairs. Robert holds Masters’ degrees in Political Management from The George Washington University and in Social Business & Entrepreneurship from the London School of Economics. He is also a classically trained chef graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.
Biography available soon.
Giulia Riedo works as a Sustainable Farming Policy Officer for the WWF European Policy Office in Brussels, I have been working on sustainable food system EU policies for the last year and previously I worked on climate adaptation and food system resilience for the Food and Agriculture Organisation and other entities.
Maija is a designer, innovator, creator, third time founder who has built and exited two tech companies – and one of the movers and shakers in the alternative protein field. Currently she’s acting as CEO and Co-Founder of Onego Bio, a food-biotech company producing egg proteins via precision fermentation. Maija has a passion to new protein sources that are delicious, nutritious and have minimal impact on the environment. As a pioneer in alternative proteins, she has been featured in Forbes, Food Navigator, Food Technology and Fast Company, to name a few. Maija has a Master of Art degree from Aalto University (Finland), School of Design and Architecture, department of Industrial and Strategic Design, and another degree from Aalto University School of Business, International Design Business Management program.
From policymakers shaping the legal landscape to farmers the natural one, from innovators and corporates to consumers redefining value chains, stakeholders have a vital role to play. EIT Food’s commitment to stimulate a transition towards healthier lives is constantly updated from a dynamic approach. In this session, we share our insights and discuss recommendations to make innovation happen in our food systems.
Biography to follow shortly.
Mathilde Do Chi is an international food law consultant. She has worked across the board in the food industry for both the private and public sectors ranging from law and consultancy firms, governmental research bodies, NGOs, the United Nations to a multinational. Her experience gave her a significant advantage in tackling legal and policy challenges from diverse angles.
Eager to combat climate change, help people reduce their consumption of animal-based products, eat healthfully, and ultimately eliminate animal suffering, she has been involved in veganism since 2020 through several vegan organizations as the Vice-President of Regulatory Affairs for both the Vegan World Alliance and the Vegan Society of Canada, and as the Chief Compliance Officer at BeVeg International.
Through Vegan Food Law, she combines her passion for veganism by helping you to launch animal-free food better for the planet, the animals and people’s health.
Biography available soon.
Biography available soon.
Workshop A – Round Table with top R&D food investors
Workshop B – Round Table with EIT Food startups
Job history:
Senior Policy Officer International Affairs Deutscher Bauernverband e.V
Accredited Parliamentary Assistant at MEP Christine Schneiders Office, Dealing with ENVI policy
Manager EU Digital Economy & Society at ZVEI
Political Advisor European AffairsPolitical Advisor European Affairs Diehl Group
Junior AssistantJunior Assistant, Europäisches Parlament, Elmar Brok MEP
Inspiring speech on security vs sustainability, EU’s actual threats, what we do about it.
Our food system is dependent on external factors and players, vulnerable and transitioning. Food security is increasingly prominent on the political agenda. But what do we mean exactly by food security in Europe? What would it take to improve? Do we really have an issue and where do we stand now?
This session will discuss major threats and opportunities for European food systems, looking at production, regulation, financing and top, defining players.
What is the current state of the Union’s food systems?
Alan Matthews is Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He is a past-President of the European Association of Agricultural Economists and is currently a member of Ireland’s Climate Change Advisory Council. He is a regular contributor to the blog capreform.eu on issues relating to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
His research interests include the behaviour of the Irish farm and food system, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, the relationships between trade and food security, and WTO trade norms and disciplines.
Innovative approaches towards sustainability and resilience.
Views from the US, Asia, Israel and the EU (EIT Food Partners and stakeholders, EU competitors).
Natasha Foote joined EURACTIV as an agriculture journalist in November 2019. She was previously a freelance journalist, gaining experience in agriculture, environment and EU policy. Natasha holds a Master’s degree in Environment, Development and Policy with distinction from the University of Sussex.
Arvea Marieni is a partner and board member of management advisory company Brainscapital and Technical Director for the Regenerative Society Foundation, Co-Chaired by US Economist Jeffrey Sachs, and Italian entrepreneur Andrea Illy. As a strategy adviser, climate policy expert and innovation manager, she specialises in EU-China environmental cooperation and serves as a European Commission expert and a consultant with the UNFCCC.
In her consulting practice, she assists public and private sector clients in the fields of environmental technologies, the ecological transition and sustainable business models, across various industries (e.g. shipbuilding, waste management and secondary raw materials, water treatment, refrigeration, medical engineering, logistics). Her current clients include the French chapter of buildingSMART, the industry body driving the digital transformation of the building asset industry.
In 2021, she was appointed as a jury member and rapporteur for the first edition of the European Innovation Procurement Awards (EUIPA). The awards, supported by the European Innovation Council (EIC) under HORIZON, aim to recognise public and private buyers in their efforts to promote and stimulate innovation procurement, with a view at creating new and sustainable markets, and tackling societal challenges such as climate change.
Since December 2021, Arvea is a faculty member and member of the scientific committee for the Master on Sustainability – at the 24ORE Business School, the Italian leading provider of higher and tertiary education services. 24ORE Business School was created in 1991 as a business unit of Il Sole 24 Ore, the national business newspaper owned by the Italian employers’ association.
Julie Vermooten started her career in European Public Affairs in 1995 with the Dutch Product Boards for Livestock, Meat and Eggs. After three years of active lobbying for agricultural interests, she was appointed to the French Business Confederation MEDEF as Special Advisor for Europe. She focused on advocating for French interests with members of the European Parliament for over 10 years. In 2008, Julie joined Cosmetics Europe, the personal care association, as Public Affairs Director. Cosmetics Europe represents 4000 companies through national cosmetics federations from all EU Member States and 18 international leading companies. From there she moved to the practical business world, to manage a Belgian startup, World Natural Care, putting in place a production facility and all necessary processes to develop and produce natural ingredients for efficient organic
cosmetics. In 2016, Julie was attracted back to the Brussels Bubble and took on the challenge to set up the European Public Policy Department for MSD Animal Health.
Julie Vermooten holds a Master’s degree in Animal Husbandry and agri-business management from Wageningen University and Research centre in the Netherlands.
Nir leads The Good Food Institute’s work in Israel. GFI focuses on accelerating the penetration of alternative protein technologies into global markets and promotes plant-based, fermented, and cultivated meat, eggs, and dairy through three programmatic areas: Science and Technology, Policy, and Corporate Engagement. Prior to GFI, Nir worked as a management consultant to startups, investors, food manufacturers, and NGOs. He is a member of the Israeli Bar, holds an LLB Law degree and an MBA degree from The Hebrew University.
A serial entrepreneur in the ag-tech industry, Felix has been working on his own solution to the food sector’s carbon footprint problem for years.
His company, Full Circle Biotechnology, is leading the way in combatting the devastating effects that soybean and fishmeal production have on the environment. He was among the first to commercially farm black soldier flies in Thailand, and currently uses insects and solid-state fermentation to recover nutrients that have escaped the food system. This creates an animal feed with a significantly lower footprint, while contributing an equally high-quality protein.
A previous venture involved devising a never-previously considered usage for N-Acetyl cysteine, a breakthrough that drug researchers commended as extremely innovative.
With dedicated backing from one of Europe’s most significant tech investors, Katapult, Felix is able to continue his mission while helping NGOs across Asia to progress in the sector. Having originally learnt his trade in the UK before establishing business in the Far East, he has a uniquely global viewpoint.
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Ana Euler has PhD and Masters degree in Environmental and Forestry Sciences (Yokohama National University, Japan), Bachelor’s degree in Forestry Engineer (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and Post-doctorate in Traditional Populations, Biodiversity Governance and Traditional Agricultural Systems (Research Institute for Development-IRD and Agricultural Research and International Cooperation Organization, CIRAD, France).
Researcher at Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), where currently she is the Executive-Director of Business working with Innovation and Technology Transfer, Bioeconomy and Social Inclusion. Former Amazon Conservation Officer at WWF-Brazil, Southwest Amazon Program Coordinator, she has more than 20 years of experience working in Amazon and also has conducted research in Africa (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Ghana). Between 2011 and 2014, she served as Director-President of the Amapa State Forestry Institute, implementing the Extractive Production Development Program , Forest Concessions Program, and launched the Amapá State Forestry Program and the Amapá Climate Change Forum.
Taking stock of Europe’s initiatives to launch and support deep tech talents – crucial to transitioning our food systems. Looking at the existing and building the future.
Jayne Brookman is a biochemist by training with a varied background in the academic, commercial and third sectors including lecturing on biotechnology at the University of Manchester and founding an antifungal drug discovery company, F2G Ltd. Jayne led the AgriFood team at the UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network, working with start-up and established food manufacturing and agriculture businesses, before taking up a role as KTN Lead for the Innovate UK – DFID AgriFood Africa project funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund. In September 2020, she moved to EIT Food as Director of the NW Region to continue her passionate quest to ensure that innovation within the food system is pulled through to the consumer.
Recent work has focussed on an SME engagement strategy for the region, contributing to and publicising EIT Food’s Aquaculture strategy, developing meaningful commercial interventions for childhood obesity and regionally important opportunities such as controlled environment agriculture and measures for reducing livestock emissions.
A focus on soil health and regenerative agriculture and informing farmers’ decisions. Too often, innovative farmers cannot access reliable data to build a business case, while finance providers are not all ready to assess these proposals. How do we move the needle? This session is co-created with forward-looking farmers organisations, with support from the EIT Food community.
Natasha Foote joined EURACTIV as an agriculture journalist in November 2019. She was previously a freelance journalist, gaining experience in agriculture, environment and EU policy. Natasha holds a Master’s degree in Environment, Development and Policy with distinction from the University of Sussex.
Hannah has joined constellr in 2022 as a Project Manager. constellr is a German and Belgium based space start-up building up proprietary space infrastructure to lead the way in measuring water, temperature, and carbon to assess vegetation and soil health at an unprecedented level.
Hannah is responsible for the development programme of the second generation of thermal infrared satellites to enable high-precision smart farming services across the globe, a project co-funded by the European Innovation Council, as well as business development projects in the public sector such as constellr’s contract with the European Commission and the European Space Agency to become a Copernicus Contributing Mission.
Prior to joining constellr, Hannah has worked for several years in the aerospace industry in positions ranging from Operations, Project Management and Customer Account Management. She is a graduate of the Vienna University of Economics and Business and the CEMS Master in International Management.
Valeria Forlin works on EU climate policies at the European Commission since 2016. She focuses on the role of the land sector in the fight against climate change – from decreasing agricultural emissions, to increasing carbon sinks in soils and forests, to providing sustainable food and materials.
Previously she worked at the university of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium, where she completed a PhD in environmental economics.
The international “4 per 1000” Initiative aims to demonstrate that agriculture, and in particular agricultural soils, can play a crucial role in food security and climate change.
Launched by France on 1 December 2015 during COP 21, it consists of federating all voluntary public and private stakeholders (national governments, local and regional governments & authorities, companies, professional organisations, NGOs, research establishments, etc.) within the framework of the Lima-Paris Action Plan (LPAP).
Major costs are associated with the transition and related discussions challenge the pre-existing set of instruments available to change makers. Can we shape and update the relevant public instruments while generating sufficient private take up to reach the next level? In this session we will discuss Horizon Europe next generation, CAP 2023 results, and relevant instruments.
Michiel Scheffer, a Dutch national, has three decades of experience in business, academia and public policy. He is equipped with a wide network in the world of research and innovation and has a remarkable professional experience of more than 20 years in the field of innovation, including on breakthrough technologies, disruptive innovations, start-ups impact investment.
Since 2000, he is the Founder and CEO of Polisema BV, which worked as adviser and investor for start-ups (in ICT, technical textiles, medical textiles, medical devices, energy storage, biorefinery). From 2000 until 2015, he was the Founder and CEO of Noéton Policy in Innovation BV, which was providing consulting services to firms in a range of areas including innovation management, program management and public affairs. In this capacity, he designed and managed several EU Funded Projects. He was three times elected regional party leader. As regional Minister of Gelderland, he was nominated for best regional politician in the Netherlands in 2018. In that capacity he was responsible for an ERDF Program and for Interreg DE-NL and member of the Committee of the Regions.
He worked with over 20 universities, and more than 200 partners across the EU in large R&D Projects and he is the author of more than 100 publications: scientific articles, edited books, newspaper opinions. He authored a PHD dissertation at the Utrecht University on ‘Trading Places, fashion, retailers and the changing geography of clothing production, a study on Netherlands, Belgium, France and UK’.
Michiel de Ruiter is the chairperson of EIT Food’s Supervisory Board since February 2022.
His fascination with food began during his studies at the Agricultural University of Wageningen. After his early professional life working with McKinsey in Amsterdam, Sao Paulo and Brussels, he worked in various companies as CEO in Switzerland and in The Netherlands, in the field of early life nutrition and food ingredients.
Since September 2020, he has been active in various supervisory and advisory role, including in the food industry. Following his strong belief that companies have a major role to play in preserving this planet for future generations, he also became active in advising boards on sustainability.
Biography available soon.
Biography available soon.
This session is an opportunity for interested partners to work together on common solutions as a response to EIT Food Call’s for impact.
Job history:
Senior Policy Officer International Affairs Deutscher Bauernverband e.V
Accredited Parliamentary Assistant at MEP Christine Schneiders Office, Dealing with ENVI policy
Manager EU Digital Economy & Society at ZVEI
Political Advisor European AffairsPolitical Advisor European Affairs Diehl Group
Junior AssistantJunior Assistant, Europäisches Parlament, Elmar Brok MEP
This session will take a fresh look at consumer centricity and discuss solutions in food diversification, improved consumer health and choices, and planet preservation.
Ultimately, food choice lies in the heads and pockets of consumers, many of whom consider the health of themselves and the planet. Are these considerations playing an increasing role in purchase decisions? Our research shows that consumer choice is deeply influenced by the quality and transparency of food information, as well as accessibility and affordability of products.
Can behavioural science provide new solutions to co-design more virtuous products that help diversify consumer choice and reduce our carbon footprint? Will changing consumer attitudes nudge powerful market forces within farming, manufacturing and distribution towards business practices that support the required transition?
Natasha Foote joined EURACTIV as an agriculture journalist in November 2019. She was previously a freelance journalist, gaining experience in agriculture, environment and EU policy. Natasha holds a Master’s degree in Environment, Development and Policy with distinction from the University of Sussex.
Biography available soon.
Klaus G. Grunert is Professor of Marketing at Aarhus University, and is the founder of the MAPP Research Center. He is a consumer behaviour researcher with an interdisciplinary orientation. Most of his research is on consumer behavour with regard to food and drink with a background in the disciplines of marketing, agricultural economics and food science. He has dealt with questions on the relationships of consumer decision-making, consumer values and attitudes, consumer experience and consumer lifestyle. His research has equal focus on scientific excellence and practical applicability and he has extensively cooperated with both industry and public policy institutions. He believes in interdisciplinarity and has cooperated widely with researchers in other social sciences as well as in the technological and natural sciences. Having an h-index of 95, he is the author of 12 books, more than 280 academic papers in international refereed journals and numerous other publications. Klaus is a past president of the European Marketing Academy and was professor of the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management.
EuroCommerce is the principal European organisation representing the retail and wholesale sector. It embraces national associations in 27 countries, , sector associations and leading global players.
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