First fake food summit to drive alternative protein industry

Questions about the future of fake foods will be answered by experts in the field at AltProteins 22 on May 17.

The conference has been organised by the controversial Food Frontier group which is billed as an independent think tank on alternative proteins.

Food Frontier attracted attention during the Senate inquiry into fake meat labelling where the group was questioned for being anti-meat activists.

The conference has been supported by the Victorian government where Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas will speak.

"We are proud to be supporting the inaugural AltProteins 22, the first conference of its kind in Australia and New Zealand," Ms Thomas said.

"This event presents a fantastic opportunity to explore the growth potential of alternative proteins, which we've identified as a key emerging industry in our state's agriculture strategy."

National Farmers Federation vice-president and former Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke is listed as a speaker.

Mr Jochinke is a grain grower based at Murra Warra, north of Horsham.

Industry pioneers, agri-food and policy experts, and researchers will be called on to explore transformative ideas, insights and developments.

"As demand for new, sustainable sources of protein continues to grow globally, forums like AltProteins 22 are essential to foster critical conversations and collaborations that enable our food producers and policymakers to claim a leading role," Food Frontier founder Thomas King said.

"We're excited to host some of the best minds in the field to explore what the global scale-up of new protein industries means for Australia and New Zealand, what we can learn from more mature overseas markets, and what opportunities alternative proteins present for Australian food and agriculture into the future."

More than 20 speakers will feature as part of 11 sessions, discussing everything from emerging opportunities for the agriculture sector, new Australian consumer insights, to cultivated meat's path to market and the Asia export opportunity.

Food Frontier has recently appointed Jane Sydenham-Clarke as its new chief executive with Mr King becoming chair.

Food Frontier says Ms Sydenham-Clarke will "fundamentally shape the evolution of the alternative proteins landscape in our region".

Conference sessions and speakers:

Capturing an Emerging Agricultural Opportunity with Australian Plant Proteins' Phil McFarlane, CSIRO's Michelle Colgrave, Agriculture Victoria's Dr Garry Rosewarne and Mr Jochinke

Meet the Industry: Cultivated Meat and Precision Fermentation with Cellular Agriculture Australia, Vow's George Peppou, All G Foods' Dr Jared Raynes, and Me& FoodTech's Esha Saxena

Demand on our Doorstep: The Asia Opportunity with Deloitte's Vanessa Matthijssen, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's Hamish Campbell, and v2food's Andrew May

Age of the Flexitarian: Understanding Consumer Attitudes Down Under with CSIRO's Sinead Golley, who'll present fresh insights from new research into who's eating meat alternatives and why, barriers to consumer purchase, and how plant-based meat manufacturers can use these insights to mature the category

Building a $3B Industry: What Consumer Barriers Must be Overcome? with CSIRO's Dr Sinead Golley, Australian Foodservice Advocacy Body's Tony Green, and FoodBytes's Teri Lichtenstein, Accredited Practising Dietitian

Future of Alt Proteins Down Under: Where to From Here? with Food Frontier CEO Jane Sydenham-Clarke, Harvest B's Kristi Riordan, Kilara Capital's Ben Krasnostein, and Eden Brew's Jim Fader.

Start the day with all the big news in agriculture! Sign up below to receive our daily Farmonline newsletter.