Experts from industry and research shed light on future trends in the meat industry

15.09.2026

Topics on the future of the meat sector

At the start of the conference the focus will be on the central developments in the meat and protein industries. The core topics under Protein Market & Trends will examine the current market developments and the strategic issues from different perspectives: Ekaterina Tretyakova (Innova Market Insights) will speak about the "Top Global Trends 2026 in Meat & Meat Alternatives“, while Reijo Äijö (Atria) will give an outlook on the European meat industry, and Lee Sullivan (Samworth Brothers) will show the importance that long-term partnerships have throughout the added value chain.

Consideration will also be given to the Future of Meat Production from a practical and strategic perspective. Dr Lars Hinrichsen (Danish Meat Research Institute) will describe in his lecture, how digital automation can become a driver for added value in the sector. And finally Matthias Pelkner (Falkenstein) will address the opportunities and challenges provided by new approaches to production.

The core topics under Trends in Packaging and Retail will focus on sustainable packaging concepts, regulatory requirements and developments in the retail sector. Prof. Dr Markus Schmid (SPI) will speak about "Sustainable Packaging for Meat Products: Balancing Material Innovation, Food Protection and Circularity”, while Alexander Reitz (PreZero) will explain the requirements demanded of recyclable packaging in retail, and the lecture by Marco Atzberger (EHI Retail Institute) will focus on the current trends in logistics for the food sector.
 

Outlook for the future of meat processing and packaging

Representatives from renowned research institutes will be presenting in "Future Lab" the details of current developments and research results under the subject headings of "Save Food", "Sustainable Packaging" and "Production of the Future". The focus will be on new technology, sustainable concepts and innovations, which are driving the sector forwards. Taking part will be the Fraunhofer Institute, the Danish Meat Research Institute, the University of Hohenheim, Munich University and the Sustainable Packaging Institute at the University of Albstadt-Sigmaringen.
 

Practical "deep dive" sessions

Interactive live demonstrations and moderated expert sessions on the second and third days of the event, covering all aspects of packaging, meat and sausage processing, automation and digitalisation, will convey practical knowledge and concrete approaches to solutions, as well as stimulating ideas that can be applied directly to everyday work within companies. Items on the agenda, which can be booked individually at the sites of MULTIVAC (Wolfertschwenden), TVI (Bruckmühl) and Handtmann (Biberach), enable the visit to be aligned precisely with the individual interests and current challenges of the particular company.

Further information about the event, as well as the opportunity to register, can be found at: meatandmindssummit.com