Consumer understanding takes centre stage at Bridge2Food Europe 2026

How do we develop foods that are healthier, more sustainable and genuinely meet consumer needs? That question sat at the heart of Bridge2Food Europe 2026, where more than 600 food industry leaders, researchers, startups and innovators from over 30 countries gathered to explore the future of food innovation. As media partners, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley contributed to the conversation by sharing perspectives on one of the sector’s biggest emerging opportunities: metabolic health.

Metabolic health: the next frontier for food innovation

During her keynote, Christina Senn-Jakobsen, CEO of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, explored why metabolic health is becoming one of the defining challenges — and opportunities — for the food industry.

As scientific understanding continues to evolve, improving metabolic health has the potential to reshape how foods are developed, evaluated and brought to market. Unlocking this opportunity will require close collaboration between industry, academia, startups and healthcare to translate scientific advances into products that improve health outcomes at scale.

Putting consumers at the heart of innovation

A recurring theme throughout the event was that successful innovation begins with a deep understanding of consumers.

Johannes Hartmann, Senior Director Consultancy & Analytics at Innova Market Insights, examined the global trends influencing purchasing decisions and how changing consumer expectations are shaping the next generation of food and beverage products.

Dr Sophie Attwood, Senior Behavioural Scientist at Behavior Global, explored how behavioural science can help organisations better understand why people make the food choices they do, enabling more effective strategies to encourage healthier and more sustainable diets.

Building on this, Mads Holme, Senior Partner at ReD Associates, demonstrated how anthropology and behavioural science can be embedded into the innovation process to develop products that reflect real consumer behaviours and needs, rather than assumptions.

Together, the sessions reinforced a shared message: innovation is most impactful when it starts with people.

Strengthening collaboration across the food ecosystem

Bridge2Food Europe once again demonstrated the value of bringing together expertise from across the food system. By connecting researchers, startups, corporates and investors around shared challenges, the event created opportunities to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and accelerate innovation.

Bridge2Food Europe will return on 15–17 June 2027 in Den Bosch, The Netherlands. Organisations interested in speaking, sponsoring, exhibiting, or partnering are invited to contact the Bridge2Food team to learn more.

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