Bridge2Food North America 2026

This opening panel examines the defining forces shaping food innovation through 2026 and beyond. Drawing on recent market data, venture activity, regulatory signals, and consumer behavior shifts, speakers will explore where growth is accelerating and where expectations are being reset. Topics include the influence of GLP 1 drugs, affordability pressures, sustainability realism, digital commerce, and evolving health priorities. The discussion will move beyond hype to identify which technologies, categories, and business models are positioned to scale, and which face structural or trust barriers. Attendees will gain a grounded view of how macroeconomic, cultural, and policy trends are converging to reshape the global food system.

Explore how biosolutions such as enzymes, cultures and fermentation technologies can support innovation across food and beverage categories. This session will highlight opportunities to improve taste, texture, nutrition, shelf life, clean labels, processing efficiency and sustainability, with practical insights for R&D teams moving from laboratory trials to commercial production.

Presented by: Novonesis

Investors are increasingly scrutinizing whether food innovation solves real problems at the right cost. This session explores how capital allocators are evaluating simplicity versus technical sophistication in product development. Speakers will discuss why clean formulations, operational efficiency, and clear consumer value are often favored over overly complex solutions, even as breakthrough technologies remain attractive when scale is credible. The session will highlight how investment criteria have shifted in the past 3 years toward profitability, resilience, and supply chain feasibility, offering practical insight for startups and established brands seeking funding or strategic partnerships with large corporates.

Consumer acceptance remains the decisive factor for food innovation success. This session examines the psychological drivers behind trial, adoption, and rejection, including trust, familiarity, emotional resonance, and perceived risk. Drawing from behavioral science, recent consumer research, and real market examples, speakers will unpack how health claims, ingredient transparency, brand storytelling, and social influence shape purchasing decisions. The discussion will also address why some innovations struggle despite technical merit, and how brands can better align product design and communication with evolving consumer values in a crowded and often skeptical marketplace.

Global flavors continue to drive excitement across food and beverage categories, fueled by migration, travel, social media, and younger consumers seeking authenticity. This session explores how cultural cuisines are being translated into scalable products without losing credibility or sensory integrity. Speakers will examine which regions and flavor profiles are gaining momentum, how brands are navigating appropriation versus appreciation, and the role of chefs and creators in shaping flavor adoption. Attendees will gain insight into how global flavors can unlock growth while aligning with evolving consumer expectations for transparency and storytelling.

GLP-1 therapies are reshaping eating behaviors, reducing appetite and calorie intake while raising expectations for foods that deliver more nutrition with same or less calories. This panel examines how nutrient density is being redefined in the age of the GLP-1 and the halo effect it creates, where certain ingredients, claims, and product formats benefit from heightened perceptions of health and functionality. Panelists will discuss formulation strategies that support satiety and micro/macronutrient adequacy, the marketing and communication challenges of emerging health halos, and the strategy considerations brands are facing. The session offers practical insights for navigating responsible innovation in a rapidly evolving nutrition landscape.

As protein demand climbs alongside GLP-1-driven protein-seeking behavior, plant-based dairy formulators face a hard ceiling: pushing protein content upward without sacrificing taste, texture, or clean label positioning. This session unpacks the real trade-offs behind the marketing claims, from pea, soy, and faba bean protein selection and their divergent effects on gel firmness and emulsification, to the flavor-masking and processing techniques needed to overcome beany off-notes and grainy mouthfeel.

Drawing on Ripple Foods' own formulation work, the talk will spotlight how "high protein" needs to mean more than a number on the label, especially for kids. That includes collaborating with pediatricians and RDAs to build in nutrition beyond plant protein alone (DHA, choline, prebiotic fiber), and formulating to meet WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program standards so that these products can reach the families who need better nutrition most, not just the shoppers who can already afford it.

Protein remains a central driver of food and beverage innovation, but the conversation is evolving. No longer defined solely by grams on the front of pack, protein is increasingly evaluated through the lens of quality, source, functionality, and overall health impact. As consumers become more informed, protein is shifting from a point of differentiation to a baseline expectation. This panel will explore how brands can move beyond “high protein” claims to create meaningful value through formulation, ingredient storytelling, and targeted benefits such as satiety, metabolic health, and active nutrition. Industry leaders will discuss how to stand out in an increasingly saturated protein market.

Through our Protein Catalyst initiative, the MBOLD coalition is conducting and then sharing pre-competitive, industry-oriented research to help fuel understanding and utilization of oats, dry beans and chickpeas as protein ingredients.  This session will present the Protein Catalyst Phase 1 research into processing optimization, cost dynamics, opportunities to valorize side streams and other key factors across our three priority botanicals:

• Oat:  Valorization Of Oat Milk Okara And Dry Fractionation
• Dry Bean:  New Insights Into Navy And Pinto As Protein And Fiber Ingredients 
• Chickpea:  What Becomes Possible With Improved Genetics

Join industry peers for an engaging evening of innovation, dining and conversation at the MBOLD Startup Pitch Slam. Watch emerging companies present their ideas and solutions to a panel of judges, then help select the audience favorite by casting your vote. Following the pitches, the judges will discuss the entries and announce their chosen winner.

The experience takes place during an all-inclusive networking dinner, with drinks and a full-course meal provided. It is an excellent opportunity to discover new technologies, connect with entrepreneurs and build relationships with fellow food industry professionals in a relaxed setting.

Protein demand is surging, but consumers are stuck in a "protein predicament": they know they want more, yet remain confused about how much they need and what "complete," "high quality," or "healthy" really mean.

Mattson dug into this gap through a mix of nutrition science, consumer research, market analysis, and AI-enabled tools, focusing on high-need groups like GLP-1 users, peri/post-menopausal women, healthspan-focused older adults, and performance-driven consumers. Across all of them, protein reads as essential, supporting satiety, strength, and energy, but confusion persists around ultra-processing, isolates, plant vs. animal sources, and how to trust protein claims.

This session translates those findings into practical takeaways: where protein innovation is over-serving consumers, where it's falling short, and where the real white space is for products that are nutritionally relevant, consumer-resonant, and commercially viable.

More details coming soon...

What happens when plant-based becomes the default and meat becomes the opt-in? Across hospitals, stadiums, schools, and corporate dining, choice architecture is quietly reshaping how millions of Americans eat - without restricting freedom of choice. This session explores how institutional foodservice operators can use plant-based defaults, balanced protein options, and plant-forward menu design to meet carbon goals, lower food costs, and improve inclusivity. Drawing on real-world results from healthcare systems, universities, and corporate cafeterias, the conversation examines what works, what scales, and where the next frontier of demand-side transformation is heading. Particular emphasis will be given to the implementation of such strategies and a tool kit for CPGs and food service operators will be shared.

While first-generation precision nutrition platforms successfully leverage artificial intelligence to analyze individual consumer biometric data, a critical operational execution gap remains within the broader agribusiness value chain. Traditional agricultural processing and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) marketing models remain optimized for economies of scale and broad, standardized distribution. Consequently, they fail to capture the high-margin premiums offered by two critical consumer extremes demanding real-time, personalized nutrient profiles: data-literate Gen Z/Alpha demographics optimizing physical performance, and an expanding aging population managing age-related muscle decline (sarcopenia) alongside complex, pre-existing health conditions.

Building upon the functional marketing and benchmarking methodologies utilized by traditional high-touch protein firms, this presentation establishes an agribusiness framework for executing advanced consumer micro-segmentation. We analyze the consumer economics, operational feasibility, and institutional standardization of interfacing AI-driven personal nutrition targets (ingested via fitness wearables or healthcare monitoring systems) directly with modular, short-run agricultural processing and automated packaging lines. By shifting from broad-spectrum distribution to hyper-individualized, micro-batch fulfillment, agribusiness firms can eliminate consumer meal-preparation friction, ensure strict nutritional standardization for medical and senior-living environments, and capture unprecedented value-added premiums at the retail and institutional interface.

Despite growing awareness of gut health and metabolic wellness, most consumers still fall significantly short of recommended fiber intake. At the same time, fiber’s expanding role is now beyond digestion, including satiety, vitality, signaling, blood sugar management, and long-term health outcomes. This session will explore how brands are translating this clear nutritional gap into compelling consumer propositions. Industry leaders will discuss what is driving renewed interest in fiber, which product formats and claims resonate most, and how to balance functionality with taste and accessibility. The discussion will highlight how fiber is evolving from a niche health message into a mainstream driver of product innovation and demand.

The debate around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is reshaping consumer perception and policy discussions in the US and around the world. This session explores how clean label claims intersect with processing realities, nutrition science, and consumer understanding. Speakers will unpack where science aligns or conflicts with perception and how brands can communicate responsibly. The discussion will address regulatory scrutiny, agreed-upon definitions of UPFs, and the risk of oversimplified narratives.