The Future of Food and Beverage Forum USA

27th - 28th May 2026

Minneapolis, USA

Kelly Leighton

Executive Director

The Center for Food Integrity

Kelly Leighton is Executive Director of The Center for Food Integrity (CFI), an association dedicated to building trust in the food system through research, strategy and stakeholder engagement. With more than 25 years of experience in strategic marketing, communications and business development, she has partnered with leading organizations across food and agriculture, including The Coca-Cola Company, General Mills, Cargill, Ecolab, Corteva Agriscience, Elanco, Mars, Chick-fil-A and FMI – The Food Industry Association. At CFI, Kelly leads the organization’s mission to advance transparency, collaboration and trust across the food system. Her leadership integrates research, insights and strategic partnerships that help companies align practices with consumer expectations and strengthen confidence in food and agriculture.

Kelly Leighton's sessionsView full agenda

Day 0

Tuesday 26th May 2026

Time
Session title
Session type
Day 1

Wednesday 27th May 2026

Day 2

Thursday 28th May 2026

Time
Session title
Session type
09:00 - 09:30
The say-do gap: Are young consumers buying more 'sustainable' ? 
Dole Food Company | The Center for Food Integrity | Fairtrade America
Plenary
09:30 - 10:15
Unlocking the commercial opportunity in innovation: How to align R&D, agriculture and nutrition 
Post Holdings, Inc. | The J.M. Smucker Co. | Plug and Play Tech Center
Plenary
10:15 - 10:45
10:45 - 11:35
Investing in resilience: How blended capital, venture funding and partnerships can work together to scale resilience 
Transformational Investing in Food Systems | ING | Danone | Sand County Foundation | The Rockefeller Foundation
Plenary
11:35 - 12:25
Plenary
12:25 - 13:25
13:25 - 14:55
15:00 - 15:15
Plenary