Everyone in the room contributes a piece to the puzzle of solutions. We create a space for genuine connection, grounded in exchange of expertise.
The Future of Food and Beverage Forum USA
The trillion-dollar conundrum: How to connect innovation, productivity and financial security for food system resilience
19th - 20th May 2027
Chicago, USA
Regenerative agriculture and sustainable innovation that drives long-term, strategic business value
Join leading brands, farmers, retailers, traders, agri-businesses, investors, NGOs and policy makers to identify the main areas of opportunity and innovation within the food and beverage industry.
We’ll assess how to connect agriculture, nutrition and R&D with consumer trends to deliver business resilience and commercial advantage.
Off-the-record
Full value-chain perspectives
No waffle, jargon or scripts
Real world problem solving
50+
speakers
200+
attendees
30+
practical sessions
2026 Speakers
View all speakers
Burgess Davis
PepsiCo North America
Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo North America
Terryn Lawrence
Rabobank
EVP & Chief Sustainability Officer
Illya Thomas
The J.M. Smucker Co.
Vice President Research & Development
Mikel Hancock
Walmart
Senior Director Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Xavier Roussel
Dole Food Company
Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer
Jessica Rivas
McDonald's
Director, Climate and Nature Sourcing Transformation
Pedro Amaral
Mars
Associate Director – Head of Cocoa Climate Sustainability
Matt Wood
Cargill
Vice President, Sustainability – Data, Digital & Analytics
2026 Sponsors
Lead Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Co-Sponsors
2026 Agenda highlights
View the agenda
- The future of US food policy: What does it all mean for food production?
- Food security and resilience at 2+ degrees: How can leading brands make their supply chains more resilient through adaptation?
- Scaling innovation beyond pilots: How to build sustainability into R&D for long-term strategic advantage
- A market for regen: Who’s actually going to buy it?
- Unlocking the commercial opportunity in innovation: How to align R&D, agriculture and nutrition
- The say-do gap: Are young consumers buying more ‘sustainable’ ?
- Investing in resilience: How blended capital, venture funding and partnerships can work together to scale resilience?
- From talk to traction: We keep talking about collaboration, what do we actually need to see this in action?
Who attends
"Thank you to Innovation Forum for the opportunity to have such an insightful conversation around what is needed from us all to propel conservation agriculture forward."
President, Farm Journal and Trust In Food
Trust in Food
"Enjoyed the content, great speakers, and good conversations in between. Big thanks to Innovation Forum for hosting such a great event."
Global Sustainability, Head Sustainable Futures
Mondelez International
"I highly recommend Innovation Forum events for learning, networking and growth. I I have always found the frank and open conversation incredibly worthwhile and encouraging of meaningful conversation and forging real connections between attendees."
Head of Consulting
Sedex
"You can tell from the comments (of the event) that people were really engaged and invested in being there! That is quite a compliment for your team. "
Vice president – Agricultural Research & Conservation
Sand County Foundation
Contact
For any questions on this event, please contact:
Keep up to date with event news
Receive regular updates and stay connected with new announcements.