How consumers shop and eat was already changing fast. But the pandemic has massively amplified these changes. So what impacts is this having across Unilever’s business and how is one of the world’s largest food companies stepping up to react?

Will we see brand consolidation or new innovations across certain food categories? Is the company having to adapt its net-zero targets? And what does Hanneke see as the prevalent food trends coming over the next 5 years?

Reuters News Interview with:

• Get insight on the biggest impacts we’ve seen from the spread of COVID-19 on both global and local food systems
• How can producers and suppliers best respond to the changing food landscape and what are the major risks to consider going forward?
• Are wholesale workforce changes inevitable, and what skills will be required as new ways of working come to the fore?
• Has the pandemic unearthed a need to enhance more localised supply chains, and how is technology able to help with this?

Panel discussion featuring:

How are consumer preferences changing with COVID, and how is Mondelēz reacting with its product range? Are we seeing some new products and packaging types being more successful than others? And how is the company adapting to changes in supply chains to ensure product quality and availability is not compromised?

Reuters News Interview with:

Some approaches promise to solve for sustainability by disrupting and fixing a “broken” system. The fact is, the U.S. food and agriculture supply chain is one of the most efficient, effective and sophisticated in the world. So how can companies tap into the root of their supply chains with an approach built not on disruption, but on trust? And how can this help the entire industry reduce emissions and make sustainability cost effective and sustainable for the long term both for companies, and for the farmers that they work with? 

Panel discussion featuring:

• What are the biggest problems with synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and what are the alternatives?
• Hear how Pivot Bio's unique crop nutrition solution is helping farmers be more productive and lighten their footprint on the land
• Learn how the company sees profitability and environmental stewardship going hand-in-hand and is helping farmers achieve both
• Get insight into the company's ambitions over the next five years and how it plans to drive increased adoption of its solutions

Hear the latest on the "Sustainable in a Generation Plan" that Mars has committed to globally - and why working with Danone, Unilever and Nestle on the Sustainable Food Policy Alliance is crucial in driving collaborative action to meet their ambitious goals.

What if each harvest gave more than it took away? Fueled by advances in technology and scientific understanding of plant productivity and soil health, an agricultural revolution is underway -- one that promotes profitability in the profession, sustainable business practices, and healthier ecosystems and foods. In this session, Ron will discuss Indigo’s role in driving value within the business of agriculture for all stakeholders and how it’s delivering profitability and sustainability by helping growers access new income streams by “farming carbon.”

In this section, we’ll take audience questions for the speakers from the three presentations preceding this.

The pandemic has resulted in consumers cooking from home more than ever before: it’s not just a trend anymore, it’s a habit. Find out how flavor company McCormick’s approach of “sourcing with purpose” has helped keep its core ingredients and products on grocery store shelves at a time when many are facing significant supply chain disruptions. What challenges and opportunities are they facing? As more consumers are opting to eat in, how is the company looking at forecasting and influencing the next consumer flavor preferences in light of the current circumstances?

Reuters News Interview with:

Hear how AppHarvest is building some of the largest indoor farms in the world, combining conventional agricultural techniques with today’s technology to grow non-GMO, chemical-free produce.

Reuters News Interview with:

• With the increasing awareness of climate change, how do we incentivise - or at least encourage - environmental stewardship on the farm?
• Hear the latest on how regenerative agriculture is rising up the agenda for farmers and food companies and the benefits it can bring
• Get insights on why improving soil health is one of the primary growth trends in agriculture and why investors see scope for real opportunities in this space
• What are companies, governments and public agencies doing to incentivise producers in this area – and is it working?

Panel discussion featuring:

Campbell Soup Company sources hundreds of ingredients and products to make its well-known snacks and meals. And in turn, it supplies a multitude of retailers, wholesalers and food service organizations with goods to use and sell. So, in the extremely uncertain times we find ourselves is, how is the company forecasting supply versus demand? How is it striving to stabilize costs, minimize waste and secure profitability both up and down its complex supply chains?

Reuters News Interview with:

In this session, we'll hear how Ahold is adapting to huge changes in food supply and demand being caused by the pandemic. Where are they seeing the biggest opportunities in the short and longer term, and how is this impacting their decisions around workers and resourcing, how they work with suppliers and what products and services they provide their customers with to grow market share?

Reuters News Interview with:

• Discover where big food companies see the biggest gains from incorporating digital technologies across both internal and supply chain operations
• Find out where digital tools and technologies are having the most impact now – and where the industry sees the biggest opportunities coming in the next 5 years
• Hear where companies are prioritising their technology investments both on-farm and further downstream. Where are they seeing real benefits?
• What’s the impact of COVID-19? Is it accelerating or slowing down digital transformation across the food value chain?

Panel discussion featuring:

Hear about Proagrica’s approach to enabling sustainable practices on farms through visibility into geospatial data. With a strong commitment to data standardization and supply chain connectivity, supply chain partners can overcome the barriers that hamper many sustainability initiatives, while maintaining data privacy. By connecting the data dots, companies can help feed a growing population and strengthen communities while protecting our environment via solid stewardship practices.

What does farm digitization mean for the sector and how can it help bridge the information gap across the food value chain? Hear about TELUS’ experience with the digitization of the healthcare industry in Canada and the similarities to Agriculture and Food.

There’s never been a better time to connect and learn more about digital transformation for your supply chain. Unprecedented global economic shifts, changing consumer demands, an increasing focus on environmental stewardship, major supply chain advances and a wave of new technological disruptions are creating real opportunities and challenges for farmers and companies operating right across the food value chain. Join us to hear, Paul Brunet in conversation with Ben Koch where we discuss Emerald Grain’s journey with Eka on digitally transforming agriculture and food supply chains and how they accelerated automated workflow, improved access to info and insights, streamlined decision making and facilitated cross-functional and ecosystem collaboration to improve business continuity.

• Discover where producers are seeing the biggest impacts of technology to drive on-farm operational efficiency and profitability
• Understand how technology is becoming increasingly important to enabling better outcomes for sustainable farming
• Hear the latest on industry efforts to improve rural broadband and why this is so important to the future of farming and food production
• Where do the challenges still lie? What's holding up progress on the adoption of technology in agriculture to create scalable impact?

In this section, we’ll take audience questions for the speakers from the presentations preceding this.

• A look at the current investment landscape for ag and food tech – what are the growing areas?
• What’s the impact of COVID-19 on investment in the space? Where are we seeing retraction and where are we seeing acceleration?
• Is there a lag in funding for midstream technologies and services? Is there a missing link between the producer and consumer?
• Get insights on a future poised to bring more M&A activity in the sector – and how this could look as the food value chain continues to evolve

Panel discussion featuring:

Get an understanding of how Conagra Brands is unpicking consumer data with rigorous data analysis to influence business decisions that drives results. What sort of data sets are important to them? How do they analyse them, and what impacts does it have on their branding, operations and go-to-market strategies?

• What changes are we seeing in how - and what - consumers are eating? And how does the food industry need to adapt to take full advantage?
• How are manufacturers and processors addressing the need to focus on health and nutrition in products and where are the gains being seen?
• Find out how retailers are best understanding the needs of their customers and feeding this down the chain to their suppliers
• Learn why demonstrating true traceability and sustainability is becoming more and more important as consumers demand more about the origin of the food they’re buying
• With the huge shifts happening across the industry, how can established players stay relevant as innovation accelerates across food?

Panel discussion featuring: