Stress from all sides is brutally bearing down on the food and beverage industry. Supply chains are strained. Ingredient costs are rising. Climate change and consumer expectations are forcing rapid reinvention. Add to that growing tariff uncertainty and a wave of regulatory reform in the US, and it’s clear the sector is under unprecedented pressure. In short, we’re deep in a moment of change.
While that level of uncertainty can feel overwhelming, poly-crises such as these can be the crucible of creativity.
Take World War II that led to major advances in food science – from dehydration to canning and large-scale nutrition programs. Or the pandemic that accelerated timelines in the digitisation of food supply chains. And now the climate crisis means precision fermentation, cultivated meat and regenerative agriculture have to reach scale to shore up an increasingly fragile global food system.
Forging an equitable future
All of us have a part to play, and while we might not individually be changing the world today or tomorrow, if we use each day to advance our own projects – with integrity, imagination and intent – we can edge closer, together, to a more resilient and equitable food future.
That’s why I’m counting the days to being in Chicago for this year’s Future Food-Tech Summit. Over two packed days (June 2-3), some of the sharpest minds in food-tech will come together to ask hard questions, share breakthroughs, and build a more robust, resilient and climate smart food system.
From the pressure points to the pivot points, bringing the sharpest minds together to workshop solutions, share ideas and lift each other up, is how the industry will get unstuck.
Charting a new path for chocolate
For my part, I’m hosting the Chocolate in Crisis panel – a timely and urgent conversation about how we stabilize cocoa supply, explore viable alternatives, and navigate the cost, quality and climate implications of consumers’ insatiable appetite for chocolate.
I’ll be joined by Hershey’s Charlie Chappell, Celleste Bio‘s Michal Beressi Golomb, Voyage Foods’ Adam Maxwell, and Supply Change Capital’s Shayna Harris – each offering their own perspective on a sector at a crossroads. We know demand for chocolate is growing each year, so how will the sector manage the supply?
This is just one part of a much broader, deeper program. We’ll hear from General Mills, ADM, Mars and Solar Foods on the sustainable protein frontier. We’ll get a closer look at the fast-evolving world of fermentation, the regulatory levers shaping what’s next, and the investors placing smart bets on innovation. From natural food colorants to AI in formulation, there’s a sense that while the terrain is tricky, the pace of ingenuity is thrilling.
These kinds of inflection points – when so much is shifting at once – can be daunting. But they’re also where some of the most meaningful, game-changing creativity happens. When you get this many thoughtful, informed and dynamic people in a room, the energy changes. New connections spark. Shared problems start to feel solvable. The future starts to look a little clearer.
I hope to see you there.
Join FoodNavigator in Chicago in June
Jess Spiring Editor in Chief of FoodNavigator will be hosting a panel on Chocolate in Crisis: Unlocking Solutions to Stabilize Supply at Future Food-Tech in Chicago on June 2, 2025. Join her and 400 industry leaders – global founders, investors, CPGs and food brands – on June 2-3 to identify breakthrough opportunities to bridge supply chain gaps, commercialize alternative ingredients and advance protein diversification.
Who else will be there?
Here’s a flavor of some of the thought leaders set to join Jess in Chicago.
- Senior CPG professionals: Richie Gray VP & Global Head of Snackfutures Ventures at Mondelēz International will be joining FoodNavigator’s Elizabeth Crawford to discuss how partnership models can help drive breakthroughs in food. He’ll help to answer questions such as which stakeholders are essential to facilitate the continued acceleration of innovation in the food sector and how do partnering companies navigate elements such as scaling, regulation and IP.
- Regulatory experts: Also flying in from the UK is Thomas Vincent, Deputy Director of Innovation, at the Food Standard Agency to talk about the organisation’s new innovation hub. The initiative will develop and expand specialist expertise in regulating innovative technologies such as precision fermented food and ingredients, alongside the recently launched sandbox for cell-cultivated products. Hear how the hub will give greater clarity on regulatory requirements to innovators and investors – as the UK works to promote a pro-innovation regulatory system.
- Scale-up specialists: Diving into fermentation will be Mark Warner the CEO of Liberation Labs who will join a panel to discuss which methods – gas, biomass, or precision – are leading the market and how they differ in process and performance, as well as exploring enabling technologies which help drive growth and boost efficiency.
- Investors: The summit kicks off with a networking brunch with a range of investors such as Peakbridge‘s Julian Voss hosting tables. It’ll be a great opportunity for us all to ask our burning questions about how to succeed in the current investment landscape while fuelling up for two days of future-focussed collaboration.
