The inaugural Food Drink Dialogues will take place in Brussels from 18-20 February 2025 with thought-provoking discussions to shape the future of our food systems.
The Dialogues are hosted by FoodDrinkEurope, representing the 300,000 enterprises that make up Europe’s largest manufacturing sector and employs more than 4.7 million people.
During the three-day event food business leaders, policymakers and changemakers will meet in our Food Drink Café to collaborate and exchange ideas for policies and projects that will help support businesses, empower consumers, and protect the environment throughout the EU’s 27 members states.
Apart from these café conversations, we’ve also partnered with the Financial Times to put together three formal panels in the middle of each day with food influencers, changemakers, policymakers and CEOs. In-person attendance is at capacity, but please sign up to join the conversation online:
Tuesday, 18 February, 11:00-12:00: Pathway to a net-zero food chain – How can Europe’s biggest manufacturing industry make a real impact and contribute to the EU’s net zero targets?
Panellists:
- Robert de Vreede (General Manager Foods Europe, Unilever)
- Ismael Roig (President EMEA at ADM)
- Gijs Schilthuis (Director Sustainability at DG AGRI, European Commission)
- Nina Schindler (CEO at European Association of Cooperative Banks)
- Richard Zaltzman (CEO at EIT Food)
Wednesday, 19 February, 14:00-15:00: Empowering consumers for better food and drink choices – How can we build food environments that make it easy to consume a balanced and sustainable diet?
Panellists:
- Claire Bury (Deputy Director General for Food Sustainability, DG SANTE, European Commission)
- Betty Chang (Research Area Lead, EU Food Information Council)
- Jan de Vries (nutritionist at the Wholegrain Initiative)
- Edith Feskens (Professor of Global Nutrition at Wageningen University)
- Henrik Samuelson (President FoodDrinkEurope, SVP at Paulig)
Thursday, 20 February, 11:00-12:00: Strategies for a competitive EU agri-food chain – How can Europe remain the world’s leader in agri-food?
Panellists:
- Cybelle-Royce Buyck (VP legal and corporate affairs at ABInBev)
- Catherine Geslain-Laneelle (Director Strategy and Policy Analysis, DG AGRI, European Commission)
- Peter Meedendorp (President of European Young Farmers CEJA)
- Silviu Popovici (CEO European, Middle East and Africa at PepsiCo)
- Gelsomina Vigliotti (Vice President at the European Investment Bank)
Finally, we are bringing Brussels’ food and drink changemakers to join FoodDrinkEurope and it’s members for a Happy Hour drink from 17h30-19h30 on Wednesday 19. Because spaces are limited, this event is invite only.
In person attendance is at capacity but you can watch each dialogue live at the links above.
*All speakers will be announced on this page soon.