Is the Future of Foods Blended - Plant, Fungi, and Animal Proteins?

This panel explores the rise of balanced protein products as a powerful intermediary in the food transition. Rather than an all-or-nothing approach, the future of protein may involve strategically combining diverse sources to achieve optimal taste, nutrition, sustainability, and affordability.

The session will focus on key blends:

Farmed Meat + Plant-Based: Products like blended burgers (e.g., beef/mushroom) that reduce conventional meat content while leveraging plant ingredients to improve nutrition (fiber, reduced fat) and environmental impact.

Plant-Based + Cultivated Meat Ingredients: This emerging segment combines cost-effective plant proteins with cultivated animal fat or tissue to dramatically enhance flavor, texture, and mouthfeel, addressing taste parity barriers for purely plant-based alternatives.

The panel will discuss consumer acceptance, the regulatory challenges of labeling these novel combinations, and whether blends are the most practical way to introduce innovative proteins to the mass market and achieve large-scale protein diversification.