Food & Beverage

Food Matters Live – Rotterdam 2026

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uilding on the success of our Rotterdam debut, Food Matters Live will return to the Ahoy Convention Centre on 22-23 September, bringing together Europe’s product development community – an ambitious network of industry professionals at the heart of a region recognised for sustainable food and nutrition innovation. Across two inspiring days, discover the lat…

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16Voices
20Underwriters
0Exhibitors
15On the bill · sessions
35Companies · in total
§I

The Voices

Programmed at Food, in alphabetical order.
Anda Penka
CEO & Founder · Fermentful
Arend Bouwer
Managing Director · Farm Dairy
Birgit Dekkers
COO and Founder · Rival Foods
David Knibbs
CEO · Tofoo
Hans Verhagen
Owner and Consultant · Food Safety & Nutrition Consultancy
Henk Schouten
Chairman · Schouten Family Companies
Henk Van Os
Food Technologist/Consultant Taste & Health · Albert Heijn
Hille van der Kaa
CEO & Founder · Those Vegan Cowboys
Irene Smit
Independent Consultant Food, Health & Prevention
Leo Koning
Manager The Protein Community · Foodvalley
Mariëtte Abrahams
Founder & CEO · Qina
Matthias Krön
CEO · The New Originals Company
Priyansha Reddy
Commercialisation Manager · The Good Food Institute Europe
Rutger Rozendaal
CEO · The Vegetarian Butcher
Wojciech Korzeniowski
Private Label, Intercompany & ISLT Director · Valeo Foods CEE
Yvonne Kok
Senior Innovation Manager, Garden Gourmet Europe · Nestlé
§II

Underwritten By

The houses behind the program. Tiers as disclosed.
77 FoodsPartner
AAK
AccenturePartner
Action Against HungerPartner
Action on SaltPartner
Action on SugarPartner
Advocate GroupPartner
AgrazonPartner
AgriloopsPartner
Agro Innovation LabPartner
CorbionPartner
Daabon
ENOUGHPartner
Gnosis by LesaffrePartner
Raps UKPartner
StartLifePartner
The Danish-UK AssociationPartner
The Economic and Trade MissionPartner
The Food AgencyPartner
UPP FreyaPartner
§III

The Programme

Selected from 15 sessions on the bill.
  • 22nd September 09:45

    European consumer insights: trends shaping food innovation

    European consumers are redefining food innovation – demanding transparency, functionality, trust and value. This opening panel dives into what’s driving their choices, from cost an…

    Insights and Consumer Trends Stage
  • 22nd September 11:00

    Reset to Reignited Growth: How Plant-based Can Accelerate Europe’s Food Transition

    Europe stands at a pivotal moment in the protein transition.

    The Future of Protein
  • 22nd September 11:10

    From Dairy to Plant Based: Redefining Premium Protein Innovation

    This presentation will explore the transition from traditional dairy to plant-based protein offerings.

    The Future of Protein
  • 22nd September 11:20

    Innovation in Practice: Formulating Alternative Proteins for Nutrition and Claims

    This practical showcase explores how reformulation and fortification can unlock new opportunities.

    The Future of Protein
  • 22nd September 11:30

    Alternative Proteins: Challenges and Opportunities for Food Safety (Novel Foods) and Health and Nutrition Claims

    This session will highlight how food companies can ensure alternative protein products meet the highest standards of safety and health and nutrition claims.

    The Future of Protein
  • 22nd September 11:40

    Panel Discussion: Hybrid Proteins at Scale – Can Europe Deliver?

    The Future of Protein
  • 22nd September 14:50

    Private Label: Powering Food Innovation in Europe

    Discover how private label is shaping the next phase of food innovation.

    Private label: powering food innovation in Europe
  • 23rd September 09:45

    Fermentation in the spotlight: Europe’s advantage

    Why fermentation is moving from tradition to trend Why Europe is uniquely positioned to lead in fermentation innovation What this means for NPD teams and ingredient suppliers

    Fermentation at scale: designing for taste, trust and retail
  • 23rd September 10:00

    The Rise of the Stainless-steel Cow

    In this talk, Hille van der Kaa shares the story behind the 'stainless steel cow'.

    Fermentation at scale: designing for taste, trust and retail
Intermission
Part the Second · For the Buyer

An audience of 35 companies, parsed from the program.

35 companies in attendance.

The numbers below are derived from the speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors on this page — cross-referenced into one ledger. They are the only thing here that 10times.com cannot tell you.

01Fig. 01 — Composition of the House
0All threespeak · spons · exh
20Sponsoringsponsor only
0Exhibitingexhibitor only
15Companies Speakingspeaker only
02Fig. 02 — The Voices, by Seniority

63% of the speakers carry senior titles — C-suite, Founder, VP, or Director-level.

  • C-suite744%
  • Founder / Owner16%
  • Director / Head of213%
  • Manager / Lead319%
  • Engineer · IC213%
  • Other roles16%

Of 16 on the bill · classified by free-text title

03Fig. 03 — The Heaviest in the Room
  1. 0177 FoodsSp·P
  2. 02AAKSp
  3. 03AccentureSp·P
  4. 04Action Against HungerSp·P
  5. 05Action on SaltSp·P
  6. 06Action on SugarSp·P
  7. 07Advocate GroupSp·P
  8. 08AgrazonSp·P
  9. 09AgriloopsSp·P
  10. 10Agro Innovation LabSp·P
  11. 11CorbionSp·P
  12. 12DaabonSp
  13. 13ENOUGHSp·P
  14. 14Gnosis by LesaffreSp·P
04Fig. 04 — By Tier
partner18
90% of 20
unspecified2
10% of 20