Independent Forums presents Future Food Systems Chicago: Igniting Innovation, taking place at The Merchandise Mart on 24 October 2024, and featuring speakers from Mondelēz International, Beam Suntory, The Cheesecake Factory, Kerry, PURIS Holdings, Fall Line Capital, AQUA Cultured Foods, and more.
Independent Forums is proud to host the next edition of Future Food Systems in Chicago, Illinois. The event series, now in its third year, brings together stakeholders from the food and beverage sector to address how the industry can harness innovation, technology, and collaboration to improve the current food system.
“We’re excited to bring together a diverse group of changemakers”
“Chicago is positioning itself as a global leader in food innovation and manufacturing, and we’re excited to bring together a diverse group of changemakers across the food and drink sector in such a vibrant hub,” said Dominica Andrews, managing director of Independent Forums.
Building on the success of the London event held earlier this year, the event theme ‘Igniting Innovation’ was chosen to promote optimism in the face of the significant challenges to the current food system.”
The Chicago event will be held in association with 1871, a private collective of trailblazing founders, visionary leaders, resilient innovators, and steadfast supporters in tech.
Talks, case studies, panels, and open audience discussions
The event format will feature a combination of talks, case studies, panels, and open audience discussions. Themes span a range of topics from production to the consumer experience. Session titles include: ‘The Future of Regenerative Agriculture; ‘Traceability, Transparency, and Collaboration Across the Supply Chain’; ‘Driving Circularity and Innovation’; ‘The Future of Protein’, and ‘Innovation and The Consumer’.
The day will be chaired by Tyler Strom, managing director at the Illinois Agri-Food Alliance, and speakers include: Nicole Atchison, chief executive officer at PURIS Holdings; Megan Bloomer, vice president of sustainability and corporate social responsibility at The Cheesecake Factory; Catalina Castañeda, co-founder at bellie; Brittany Chibe, co-founder and chief executive officer at AQUA Cultured Foods; Oliver Drazsky, co-founder at bellie; Yanniv Dorone, vice president at Fall Line Capital; Alicia Jenish-Mc Carron, director of culinary programming at The Good Eating Company; Priya Kvam, associate director, Americas and global development at Forum for the Future; Christina O’Keefe, director of sustainability for North America at Kerry; Marc Rakoczy, director of global sustainable and regenerative agriculture at Beam Suntory; Michel Santos, senior director, global sustainability at Bunge; Patrick Shewell, director of global packaging sustainability at Mondelēz International; Marc Zornes, founder of Winnow; and more.
The event will also feature an experiential element where companies like AQUA Cultured Foods, a brand that uses traditional and biomass fermentation to create fish-free products, and bellie, a brand focused on supporting gut health through scientific backing, will showcase their products.
Attendees will comprise of sustainability, supply chain, research and development, innovation, agriculture, and culinary professionals from retailers, hospitality providers, food brands, ingredient manufacturers, and agri-business companies. The conference will also be joined by investors, start-ups, consultants, technology providers, NGOs, research institutes, and more.
For speaker, session, and registration details, visit: www.futurefoodsystems.co/chicago
