Meatable, Labcorp, and global regulators headline Amsterdam’s Regulating the Future of Food Conference

The preliminary agenda for this year’s Regulating the Future of Food Conference has been released, revealing a two-day program packed with insights from regulators, scientists, and companies actively navigating novel food approvals. The event will run alongside The Future of Protein Production at RAI Amsterdam on 29-30 October 2025.

Sponsored by Labcorp and cultivated meat producer Meatable, and co-organized by Atova Regulating Consulting and Vireo Advisors, the conference will address key regulatory challenges facing innovators in areas such as cell-cultivated meat, precision fermentation, and other emerging food technologies.

Confirmed speakers include representatives from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), European Commission (EC), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI), alongside major industry players such as Nestlé, MicroHarvest, Protein Brewery, Arla, and Cargill.

“We’re bringing together leading regulators, industry experts, and pioneering innovators… to tackle the most pressing questions shaping the future of food regulation,” said Hannah Lester, CEO/Principal Consultant, Atova, and JoAnne Shatkin, President, Vireo Advisors, in a joint statement. They highlighted that this year’s agenda includes “emerging regulatory trends and issues, new developments in risk assessment, updates from the FSA, EC, EFSA and FSSAI, and deep dives into cultured meat safety, fermentation, and precision fermentation”.

The conference kicks off with a welcome breakfast and introductions from Labcorp’s James Hutchinson and Meatable. Sessions on day one focus heavily on risk assessment and the European regulatory landscape. Atova’s Lester will lead a talk on emerging regulatory trends, followed by a presentation on new developments in risk assessment by Kimberly Ong of Vireo Advisors.

A panel on New Approach Methodologies for risk assessment will bring together experts from Labcorp, Gourmey, FERA, and Vireo. Later in the morning, Atova’s Caroline Idowu will discuss the EPIC SHIFT project, addressing opportunities and challenges for novel foods in the EU.

The afternoon includes a series of updates from regulatory bodies. The FSA’s Joshua Ravenhill, the EC’s Ivona Babic, and EFSA’s Ermolaos Ververis will each provide insights into their agency’s experience with novel food applications. A panel moderated by Lester will bring these figures together with FSSAI’s Pritee Chaudhary and Vireo Advisors to answer audience questions.

Day one concludes with two technical deep dives: one on the Cultured Meat Safety Initiative led by the Vireo Advisors team, and another on fermentation and precision fermentation risk assessment, delivered by Atova specialists including Hannes Malfroy, Caroline Idowu, and Fernando Rivero. A drinks reception will close out the first day.

The second day of the conference opens with participants joining The Future of Protein Production’s regulatory sessions, before returning to a global regulatory focus.

FSSAI’s Pritee Chaudhary will present on navigating novel food approval in India, followed by a talk from IFF’s Vince Sewalt on regulatory uncertainty in the USA. A panel featuring representatives from Meatable, Arla, Cargill, Food Brewer, Verley, and Vital Meat will share their experiences in securing global regulatory approval.

Two afternoon workshops led by Atova and Vireo will offer practical advice on preparing for regulatory submissions and building global strategies. The conference wraps up with a final session on how to future-proof regulation and policy for novel foods.

Organizers emphasized the importance of collaboration and knowledge exchange across borders. “We’re delighted to once again collaborate with Vireo Advisors,” Lester and Shatkin wrote on LinkedIn, “and to be co-located with The Future of Protein Production.”

Early bird tickets are priced at €945 (about US$1,025) and are available until 12 September. Standard tickets will be €1,145 (US$1,240), with on-the-day registration costing €1,245 (US$1,350).

More information and registration details are available by clicking here.