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Bringing you a compilation of the biggest trends facing the industry from some of the most knowledgeable industry leaders, recorded live at IFE Manufacturing, part of Food, Drink & Hospitality Week 2026.
Artificial intelligence in action: Ingredient discovery and new product development reimagined
This session explored how AI was reshaping food and drink innovation, from identifying consumer trends and generating formulation ideas to accelerating product development. It also examined the challenges of integrating AI into R&D, including data quality, transparency, and the role of human expertise.
Moderator:
- Mike Adams, Head of Product Innovation and Insights - Campden BRI
Speakers:
- Anna-Sophie Deetjen, Founder - Nesta
- Natalia Chrusny, Product Owner Sensory Bot (Delivery) - MMR Research Worldwide Ltd.
- Ryan Rafferty, UK Sales Executive F&B - Centric Software
- Vinay Indraganti, Founder and CEO - BCD iLabs
Cyber ready: Protecting your business in a high-risk digital world
This FWD-led session explored the evolving cyber threat landscape facing food and drink businesses, examining how wholesalers could strengthen cyber defences, manage third-party risk, and improve readiness to protect supply chains from disruption.
Moderator:
- James Bielby, Chief Executive - Federation of Wholesale Distributors
Speakers:
- Andrew Dalziel, Vice President of Industry and Solution Strategy - Infor
- Rob Mannion, Founder and CEO - B2B Store
- Tom Morrison, Co-Founder - OpenInfo
From invisible to unmissable: How AI search can find your brand
Led by Sam Chance from Scrumptious Marketing, this session explored how AI search was reshaping customer behaviour and what businesses needed to improve across their websites, content, and online presence to remain visible online.
Presenter:
- Sam Chance, Founder - Scrumptious Marketing
From lab to label: Ingredient innovation for the future
This panel explored how emerging technologies, including precision fermentation, were driving ingredient innovation and new functionalities, alongside the challenges of regulation, safety, transparency, and consumer trust.
Moderator:
- Craig Leadley, Chief Executive - Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST)
Speakers:
- Alex Neves, Co-founder and CEO - Clean Food Group
- Owen Tutt, Business Development Lead - Hoxton Farms
- Philip Spratt, Product and Ingredient Development Lead - Campden BRI
- Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, Professor/Director - Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein – Imperial College London
How smart supply chains encourage real growth
This session explored how digital technology was transforming global supply chains to improve visibility, efficiency, sustainability, product quality, and availability. It also examined how Brambles Digital was equipping CHEP pallets with technology to help businesses gain faster, more actionable insights.
Presenter:
- Marco Salort Pons, Digital Commercial Lead - Brambles
- Phil Nicholls, Lead Software Architect - Brambles
Inside the FoodTech 500: The top ten unveiled, live on stage!
Forward Fooding unveiled the top ten companies from the 2025 FoodTech 500 and explored the latest trends shaping AgriFoodTech, including investment shifts, breakthrough technologies, and the entrepreneurial talent driving change across the food system.
Presenter:
- Alessio D'Antino, Founding Partner and CEO - Forward Fooding
- Max Leveau, Founding Partner and COO - Forward Fooding
Smart factories, smarter people: The skills powering the future of food
This session explored how automation, AI, and digital factories were reshaping food production, examining the changing workforce, evolving skills requirements, and the importance of training, retraining, and human oversight.
Moderator:
- Melissa Bradshaw, Group Editor - FoodBev Media
Speakers:
- Andrew Martin, Head of Food, Drink and Agri-tech - Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
- Richard Werran, Global Director Retail, Consumer & Food - BSI
- Veronica Amestoy, Solution Architect Leader - Databricks
Unlock your supply chain's full visibility with BRCGS
Used by more than 40,000 users across 140 countries, this session explored how Directory Pro supported BRCGS supplier management through greater visibility across global supplier networks, while helping organisations improve risk management, reduce administration, and track BRCGS certification more efficiently.
Presenter:
- Antony Harrison, Head of Directory Services - BRCGS
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