Steered by a prestigious committee, NutrEvent offers a comprehensive programme dealing with the latest market trends and R&D innovations in Food, Human and Animal Nutrition.

Structured around 3 tracks, the conference sessions bring together international experts to discuss current innovation stakes and provoke conversations that matter for players in food supplements, finished food products and animal nutrition.

Interested in joining a panel?

Plenary Sessions

DAY 1 – Tuesday, October 17th

11.00 am – 12.30 pm CET

From sustainable to circular food system: How to generalise the valorisation of food waste and co-products into side streams and new resources?

While about 20% of total food production is lost or wasted, much of what is considered food waste could be turned into a valuable resource. Combating food waste is a major challenge today. Building a circular food system could contribute to a more sustainable world, reducing environmental damage while improving access for food insecure populations.
What are the challenges of moving from a linear to a circular food system today? What are the existing food waste recovery processes and how can they be generalised? What are the innovation and market opportunities for these value-added materials previously considered as waste? How can the circular economy approach be supported at the consumption level?

Moderator: Paula Alvarez, Technical Account Manager Spain & Portugal, AIT ingredients

DAY 2 – Wednesday, October 18th

2.00 – 3.15 pm CET

Delivering personalised nutrition and health: How can personalisation be applied to different individuals and different businesses? 

Personalised nutrition and health is fuelled by scientific developments, technological advances in data collection, growing consumer interest in wellness and growth of personalised experience expectations.

However, human desires are complex and trying to change behaviour is hard. Also, the diversity and amount of data points required to build comprehensive individual profiles for personalisation puts pressure on the costs and operability for personalised nutrition innovators. How will personalised nutrition ever truly be feasible on a large scale?

This panel of diverse experts looks at this issue from different viewpoints. What are the latest strategies to meet the challenges of personalised nutrition in terms of research, production, distribution and generation of health benefits? How can strategic partnerships and R&D collaborations – leveraging tech and nutrition know-how – take the industry to the next stage? How to develop a sustainable business model that links all the layers and businesses of personalised nutrition and health? Perhaps most importantly; how to involve the consumer, central to any personalised nutrition value chain?

Moderator: Nard Clabbers, Thought leader in personalised nutrition, NCNC Nutrition Consultancy

  • Ivan Stefanic, EIC Programme Manager for  Food Chain Technologies and Novel & Sustainable Food, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
  • Michael Collier, Strategic Consultant, Director Human Performance, McLaren Racing
  • Sinda Mahbouli, Chief Scientific Officer, Nutrinomics
  • Signe Causse, Global Marketing Innovation Lead, IFF
  • Anouk Gijbels, Post-doctoral researcher, Wageningen University & Research

T1: Latest trends in food supplement innovation

TRACK 1: Latest trends in food supplement innovation

This track will give an overview of the innovative trends in food supplement use and applications, the challenges in terms of clinical validation and benefit claims and will question innovation strategies and market access.

DAY 1 – Tuesday, October 17th

9.00 – 10.30 am CET

Microalgae in food supplements: Overview of the current applications and challenges

Microalgae is one of those unknown super ingredients: it has been estimated that there exists between 200.000 and 800.000 microalgae species and only a limited number is currently commercialised.
What is the current state of the microalgae use in food supplements? What are the most promising applications and what scientific evidence supports their efficacy? What are the challenges associated with their formulation and delivery in food supplements? What are the regulatory pathways for microalgae-based supplements and how to ensure the safety and efficacy of these products? What are the environmental and sustainability implications of microalgae cultivation? What can be foreseen for the future?

Moderator: Raphaelle O’Connor, Founder & Company Director, inewtrition

4.00 – 5.30 pm CET

Exploring gut microbiome understanding and research implications for probiotics development

The growing understanding of the gut microbiome could allow a more precise and personalised action through probiotics. But is this research a factor in the acceleration of probiotics development? What are the key bacterial strains and metabolic pathways that are essential for gut health, and how can we identify and isolate these for use in probiotics? To what extent does the amount of data complexify the probiotics research and development process? Is there significant differences in the scientific and clinical demonstration of probiotic effectiveness? Is the next step in gut microbiome research the development of precision probiotics? How can we optimize the formulation and delivery of probiotics to ensure maximum efficacy and impact on the gut microbiome?

Moderator: Colette Shortt, Regulatory & Nutrition Specialist

DAY 2 – Wednesday, October 18th

9.00 – 10.30 am CET

What’s new in food supplements for brain and mental health?

Since Covid-19, people are increasingly looking for holistic and preventive health solutions including food supplements. There seems to be an increased awareness of the importance of nutrition in the prevention of cognitive decline and mental health disorders. This roundtable will explore the latest scientific research and solutions for supplements for brain health, including key nutrients and ingredients that support cognitive function, mood, and mental well-being. What are the most promising natural supplements for brain health, and what scientific evidence supports their efficacy?
What are the key factors that affect the absorption and bioavailability of these supplements, and how can these be optimized to enhance their effectiveness? What regulatory challenges exist in the market for brain health supplements, and how can these be addressed to ensure the safety and efficacy of these products?

Moderator: Raphaelle O’Connor, Founder & Company Director, inewtrition

3.30 – 4.30 pm CET

Exploring potential of bioactive peptides as food supplements and nutraceuticals

In recent years, a large amount of food-derived bioactive peptides have been identified, most with interesting bioactivities and health benefits. The utilization of active peptides has significant potential for creating innovative food supplements. What are bioactive peptides, and how are they identified and extracted from food sources and by-products? What are their potential health benefits and how do they differ from other food supplements? What are the latest research and most promising applications for these compounds?

Moderator: Aurore de Monclin, Consulting Partner, Healthy Marketing Team 

  • Jerome Duramy, Business Development & Account Director, Europe, Nuritas
  • Joanna Moro, Bioactives Clinical Trials Specialist, Ingredia Dairy Experts
  • Benoit Cudennec, Associate Professor, Université de Lille
  • Louise Bennett, Professor of Food Chemistry, Monash University

T2: Innovation in finished food products: Combining nutrition and sustainability

TRACK 2: Innovation in finished food products: Combining nutrition and sustainability

The food product industry is evolving rapidly and becoming more innovative, looking for ways to make healthy, nutritious offerings that are not only attractive and accessible but also sustainable. This track will focus on alternative ingredients, initiatives in manufacturing and production process and efforts made by the industry on transparency and sustainability issue.

DAY 1 – Tuesday, October 17th

9.00 – 10.30 am CET

How can AI help to develop new combinations of ferments for future food?

There exist 450.000 species of plants and even more natural compounds, the combination are endless and exceed what the humans can test out. AI is the solution to crack the equation of precision fermentation.
How can AI allow us to scour through the combinations of ferments? How to efficiently build up the necessary dataset to analyse the most possibilities? What are the current applications of AI in the development of precision fermentation? What is required to accelerate the use of data in this sector? What are the possibilities for the future?

Moderator: Natanael Viñegra de la Torre, Project coordinator R&D&innovation, CNTA

2.00 – 3.30 pm CET

Latest innovations and future growth segments in alternative sources of proteins

Plant-based foods, ferments, cultivated meat, insects…the alternative sources proteins are diversed. Some like plant-based foods are taking more and more place in the marlet but what about less know options?
What is the current state of the market for alternative sources of protein? What trends and innovations are we currently observing?  What are the obstacles to further develop these solutions? What are the regulatory and safety considerations associated with alternative sources of protein, and how can we ensure that these products meet industry standards? How are investors identifying and supporting the most promising alternative protein startups and technologies? What growth segments can be anticipated for the future?

Moderator: Luca Bucchini, Chair, European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) & Managing Director, Hylobates Consulting

DAY 2 – Wednesday, October 18th

9.00 – 10.30 am CET

Future opportunities in plant-based food: What are investors looking at?

Plant-based foods have developed rapidly and gained a foothold in the market in recent years, although some companies have recently experienced setbacks. Thus, a need for more investment in research and infrastructure remains to scale up the production and reduce prices. What are the latest market trends in plant-based food, and how are investors responding to them? What are the key factors that investors consider when evaluating plant-based food companies, and how can entrepreneurs and startups best position themselves for investment? What are the potential risks and challenges associated with investing in plant-based food companies, and how can these risks be mitigated? How can plant-based food companies best differentiate themselves in a crowded market, and what are the key success factors for scaling up and reaching new customers? This session will feature leading investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts driving innovation and growth in the plant-based food sector.

Moderator: Roberta Re, Food & Drink Investment Specialist, UK Government’s Department for International Trade

11.00 am – 12.30 pm CET

The science of fermentation: Exploring latest biomass and precision fermentation applications in building the next generation of food products

The benefits of fermentation have been scientifically proven, and biomass and precision fermentation are advancing at a fast pace. What are the latest advancements in biomass and precision fermentation, and how are these techniques being applied to create new food products? What are the impacts on taste, texture, and nutritional content? How are products based on these processes perceived by consumers? What are the regulatory challenges associated with using genetically engineered microorganisms in food production?

Moderator: Martin Ham, Business Development Manager, NIZO

T3: Animal nutrition innovation highlights

TRACK 3: Animal nutrition innovation highlights

In the field of animal nutrition, innovation makes it possible to respond to many challenges, improving the economic performance of livestock farms, contributing to better safety and quality of human food, reducing animal medication, and promoting animal welfare. This track will review innovation sources in the sector and will focus on feed ingredients and additives reducing environmental impact and strengthening the overall health status of animals.

DAY 1 – Tuesday, October 17th

2.00 – 3.30 pm CET

To what extent is the trend towards functional ingredients in human food being transferred over into pet food?

Awareness about the importance of a healthy nutrition is now deeply rooted in our dietary habits. We consider our pet as members of the family, it is only natural that we transfer our concerns about nutrition to them. Functional ingredients and foods are taking more place in our own plates so why not in our pet’s bowls? To what extent is the trend towards functional ingredients in human food being transferred over into pet food, and what are the implications of this trend for the industry? What are the most popular functional ingredients and what is the current market in pet food? How to keep pet food simple while improving the quality of nutrition?

Moderator: Isabelle Guelinckx, Executive Director ad interim, ILSI Europe 

4.00 – 5.30 pm CET

Latest biotech approaches for innovation in pet food & feed

Finding alternative ways to feed livestock and our pets is essential to limit the stress on the planet’s resources. Leveraging cutting-edge biotechnology techniques to create new products and services for the pet food and feed sectors provides numerous options: cultured food, molecular biology, genetic engineering…
What are the latest biotech innovations in pet food and feed industry and how are these technologies being applied to create new products? What are the current bridges between human and animal nutrition for these techniques? What are the challenges and opportunities associated with these emerging technologies, including ethical considerations and regulatory compliance?

Moderator: Lethicia Magno, Innovation Consultant, G.A.C Group

DAY 2 – Wednesday, October 18th

11.00 am – 12.30 pm CET

What are the latest innovations and uses for waste valorisation in feed?

Waste valorisation is key in using our resources more efficiently and the feed industry still has opportunities for progress in this matter.

What is currently being done to better manage and valorise waste in the feed sector? What are the latest innovations and techniques with the potential to create value from waste materials? What are the favoured waste and by-product sources in feed? What are the future opportunities and challenges associated? What kind of collaborations can be set up to create a more sustainable and efficient feed waste management system? This panel will delve around cutting-edge innovations and applications driving sustainability in the feed industry.

Moderator: Nico van Belzen, Director General, ScienceConsult