The organisers of the Plant-Powered Perspectives Slovakia conference have just published the programme for its fifth edition. This unique conference on current trends and innovations in the plant-based food market will take place in Bratislava on 6 November.

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Bratislava, 8 October 2024 – The plant-based food market is evolving rapidly, and the situation over the past two years has contributed to the fact that customer expectations and available products have changed significantly. The agenda for this year’s Plant-Powered Perspectives Slovakia conference will offer everything manufacturers and retailers need to know for success in the Slovak and Czech plant-based food category. Attendees will gain a detailed overview of the current situation in these markets, and beyond.

In the opening presentation, „Plant-Based Foods by the Numbers: Key Data on Household Purchases in the Czech Republic and Slovakia,“ Ladislav Csengeri, Director of the Consumer Panel Division at CPS GfK / YouGov, will present the latest data from these markets. „Plant-based alternatives have been experiencing long-term growth in popularity among Czech and Slovak consumers. Between 2019 and 2023, we observed an average annual increase in spending on plant-based alternatives of 13% in the Czech Republic and 9% in Slovakia. These products are more established in Slovakia, where over 60% of households purchased them in 2023, compared to just over two-fifths of households in the Czech Republic,“ Csengeri stated.

José Guillamón Reverte, business intelligence and brand manager at Transtrade, will discuss the challenges and solutions for international FMCG distributors introducing plant-based alternatives to the market.

The session called „Plant-Based Names Under the Microscope“ will be dedicated to plant-based food labelling. Samuel Rybnikár, assistant professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Trnava, will present the current legislation on labelling plant-based alternatives in the EU market. His presentation, „Navigating the Labyrinth of Legislation,“ will focus specifically on Slovakia and the Czech Republic regulations. Afterwards, Maria Jendrišáková (Danone) and Michal Britvík (Ryba Žilina) will join him to discuss how these regulations are applied in practice. Attendees will also learn what challenges producers of plant-based alternatives have to deal with and how the leaders in this field are coping with that.

In the second panel discussion, Jakub Lunter (Alfa Bio | Lunter), Katarína Horňáková (Lidl Slovakia), and Zuzana Charvátová (Nestlé | Garden Gourmet) will seek answers to the questions of where the development in the field of plant-based food production is heading, what advantages new production methods offer, and, on the contrary, where they have limits. The panel will also explore how these factors influence retailers when listing new products and consumer perceptions of new food production technologies.

The conference is organised by Jem pre Zem. „We are thrilled to welcome once again leaders in retail, wholesale, and food manufacturing who recognise the immense potential of the growing plant-based food sector. While the conference primarily focuses on the Slovak and Czech markets, we see increasing interest from international representatives looking to expand into these regions,“ says Marian Milec, a Programme Manager at Jem pre Zem.

The food market is undergoing rapid changes, and pursuing a more sustainable food system is bringing revolutionary solutions. Much like the green transformation has been reshaping the automotive industry with electric vehicles and increasing the demand for efficient appliances and renewable energy, the food industry is also exploring new paths. One innovative approach is the production of cow-identical milk without the need for costly animal farming. In her presentation, Bogna Borowiec from WePlanet will explain this cutting-edge process, which relies on precision fermentation.

The main partner of this year’s conference is the Lunter brand. The entire programme of the Plant-Powered Perspectives Slovakia conference, which will take place on 6 November, can be found at plantpoweredperspectives.sk/en

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Jem pre Zem (I Eat for Earth) is a non-profit program dedicated to promoting sustainable food choices and making them more accessible.

The program operates in two primary areas: encouraging the incorporation of more plant-based food into the Slovak diet and cooperating with plant-based food manufacturers to increase the availability of plant-based options in Slovakia, thereby making the market more attractive for these companies.

Contact:
Marian Milec
marian.milec@jemprezem.sk
+421 948 847 652