Description

After Impossible Burger made a big splash in 2011, where does the alternative protein food industry stand today and what are the latest developments in plant based and cell-cultured food?

The production of food in the lab, or alternative protein production, is one of the most thought-provoking movements in food production since agriculture evolved around 12,000 years ago and we are excited to debate this food revolution.

 
Traditional food production from animals has come under scrutiny due to environmental and animal welfare concerns. The meat industry uses about 80% of all agricultural land and accounts for 14-18% of greenhouse emissions and overfishing of the oceans, rivers and lakes poses problems for the lovers of seafood. In addition, a growing population and rising food demand call for increasing food production.

 
Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger were among the first companies to address these problems and started a food revolution when the companies were established in 2009 and 2011, respectively. The mission of these companies has been to provide delicious meat without using animals to reduce the impact of traditional animal agriculture. Many alternative food companies have been established since then to replace meat, dairy, eggs, and fish with products based on alternative proteins to secure food for a growing population while addressing sustainability and environmental challenges in the animal agriculture and fishing industries and beyond.

 
Several technologies are applied today to produce alternative proteins and foods. Plant based proteins are sourced from legumes, nuts and seeds. Cell-based proteins are produced from single animal or fish cells and cultivated to produce different meat cuts and fish, and insect proteins as well as fungal proteins are also being used as alternative protein sources.

Hence, alternative animal free products can be found today in restaurants and grocery stores. However, growth and revenue of these companies have hit several roadblocks. Scalability and profitability have been difficult to achieve and stock prices of these companies have taken a hit recently.  Are we at a turning point or are we just getting started for real?  

Join us for an exciting discussion with experts in the space to learn how they started out, how they produce the food in the lab, market traction, obstacles and future opportunities. Can these foods be produced economically and more sustainably, with the same or better taste and nutritional values and can we feed the world population more effectively and help reduce the environmental impact of animal production?

Speakers

David Meyer
Co-Founder, CEO
Food Systems Innovations

Patricia Bubner
CEO & Founder
Orbillion Bio (YC W21)

Katja Roth
Former VP of Marketing
Current Foods

Babak Kusha
Patent Partner and Co-Team Leader Retail & Consumer Goods Industry Team
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

Moderator

Erica Riel-Carden
Chairwoman of the SCU Center for Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Principal at Global Capital Markets 

Registration

GABA Members: $25.00

Non-GABA Members: $40.00

Day of the Event: $50.00 

Participants must register ahead of time. Registration ends on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 12 pm.

Refreshments and appetizers will be provided by our generous location sponsor Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.

GABA Registration and Refund Policy