The New Food Conference – Europe's largest conference on alternative proteins – will be joining Anuga, the world’s leading food trade fair, in October 2021, with ‘cultivated proteins’ set to be the focus topic of discussion. 

Consistently striving to highlight the most important future themes of the food and beverage industry, Anuga will next year welcome the New Food Conference to co-locate and offer what it said would be a “perfect combination for the international trade audience”. The conference, which runs from 10–11 October 2021 and is organised by ProVeg International, will place emphasis on “cultivated proteins” and is inviting decision-makers from the food industry to take a look ahead to the future in which such foodstuffs will increasingly take centre stage. 

The rise and rise of plant-based products



Our food system is undergoing change: Plant-based meat, milk and cheese alternatives have experienced unparalleled growth over the past years and the upward trend is ongoing: It is estimated that the global market for plant-based products will be US$74 billion in 2027 with an annual growth rate of 12 per cent, according to Meticulous Research’s findings from (September 2020). 

In the meantime, almost all large food companies and retailers have their own plant-based products – in Germany alone, in the first quarter of 2020 sales of plant-based products rose by 37 per cent compared the same period of the previous year (Nielsen, July 2020). Next October, the New Food Conference will focus on such developments. The conference was staged for the first time in 2019 with the aim of offering international representatives of the food industry and innovative pioneers an exchange platform and to further push the development of alternative proteins. 

Cellular agriculture, fermentation processes and ‘hybrid’ products 


‘Cellullar agriculture’ start-ups all over the globe have been under the focus of attentive investors for some time, and their products are considered to be an essential element of our future food sources. Cellular agriculture means the production of animal products without the many problematic consequences of conventional animal husbandry. 

“Cultivated proteins have a huge potential in terms of satisfying the growing hunger of the world's population for animal products in a resource-saving manner,” noted Katleen Haefele, International Head of Food Services and Events at ProVeg. “We are delighted to have such a strong partner as Anuga at our side, with whom we can jointly push forward innovative and future themes. The co-operation with the leading food trade fair is once again turning alternative proteins into the centre of attention of the food industry.” 

In addition to cellular agriculture, fermentation processes and the possibility of hybrid products comprising of plant-based and cell-cultivated elements will be a further theme of the conference. 

Anuga: The industry’s trend and innovation platform 


“Plant-based foodstuffs are experiencing a true boom – not only as alternatives to meat, but also as an elementary health and fitness component. Year after year here at Anuga, we have also recorded a stronger growth in the number of exhibitors in this segment,” observed Stefanie Mauritz, the leading event’s Director. “We are thus delighted that together with ProVeg we are for the first time placing an even greater focus on this theme, within the scope of the New Food Conference at Anuga 2021. As the world's largest trade fair for food and beverages, as well as being a trend and innovation platform, we can thus set important impulses with regards to the key future themes of the industry.” 



Further information on the New Food Conference, a review of the 2019 event, as well as admission tickets, are available at: www.new-food-conference.com





At a glance: 
 

Event: New Food Conference Cologne 



Date: 10–11 October 2021 



Location: Koelnmesse/Congress Centre North, Messeplatz 1, 50679 Cologne 



Organiser: ProVeg International 

Participation fee: €449 (reduced price for start-ups €199) 



Applications and information: www.new-food-conference.com/cologne