FEB

2026

The Future of Protein Production Summit

North America's meeting place for the pioneers reshaping proteins, ingredients, and the future of food

We’re excited to announce that The Future of Protein Production Chicago will join forces with the Cultured Meat Symposium 2026 (CMS26) for a joint event on February 24–25, 2026 at McCormick Place. This collaboration brings together two leading platforms in alternative proteins, creating powerful synergies between communities, technologies, and conversations. We’re expecting 500+ attendees and 45 exhibitors, with tickets providing access to both conference programs. Don’t miss this unique opportunity—secure your Super Early Bird pass today and be part of the industry’s most forward-thinking event. Find Out More About CMS

The Future of Protein Production Chicago opens in:

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Driving the Next Wave of Protein & Ingredient Innovation

Join +500 senior executives and +45 exhibiting companies at North America’s meeting place for the pioneers reshaping proteins, ingredients, and the future of food.

Discover the breakthrough technologies reshaping proteins, ingredients, and the wider food ecosystem.
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Explore solutions addressing global priorities — from reducing environmental impact to improving nutrition and building humane, resilient supply chains

Learn directly from world-leading experts in a high-level, commercially focused forum built for decision-makers
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Gain forward-looking insight into the technologies, policies, and market forces set to redefine the future of food

Join influential innovators and industry leaders driving the next wave of change across protein and ingredient production
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+100

Expert Speakers

+45

Exhibitors

+500

Attendees

Conferences

Expo

Explore the newest technologies, ingredients, and manufacturing solutions advancing the next generation of food. This is North America’s most focused marketplace for meeting partners across the entire value chain — from breakthrough bioprocessing tools and functional ingredients to formulation, scale-up, and commercial deployment

Conference

Meet entrepreneurs, investors, technology providers, and industry leaders shaping the future of proteins, ingredients, and food production. Gain practical insight into the sector’s most pressing challenges — from scale-up and regulation to manufacturing, formulation, consumer adoption, financing, and commercial strategy

Exhibit

Join 45+ leading suppliers in a highly targeted environment showcasing innovations across the full protein and ingredient value chain — from breakthrough inputs to cutting-edge processing technologies. Connect with hundreds of senior decision-makers actively searching for new partners, solutions, and technologies — all in just two days

Industry Expert Advisory Board

Abin Kuriakose

Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer

World Business Chicago

Alex Shirazi

Executive Producer

Cultured Meat Symposium

Andrew D. Ive

Founder / Managing General Partner

Big Idea Ventures

Angela Anandappa

CEO

Alliance for Advanced Sanitation

Benjamin Happ

Partner

BERA

Brian Jacobson

Associate Director of Strategic Operations

University of Illinois

Brian P. Sylvester

Partner

Morrison Foerster

Celine Schiff-Deb

Chief Scientific Officer

MISTA

Kaitlin Grady

Director of Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs

Clever Carnivore

Kantha Shelke

Senior Lecturer, Regulatory Science and Food Safety Regulation

Johns Hopkins University

Nadji Rekhif

Principal Scientist

Nestlé

Nicki Briggs

Founding Chair/Founder

Here/There Communications

Pat McAuley

Startup Innovation Manager

The Good Food Institute

Thierry Duvanel

Director of Innovation

Bühler Group

All Speakers

Conference Themes

Consumer Demand

Facility Development & Scaling

Investment

Market Updates & Projections

Next Generation Protein Manufacturing

Processing Technologies

Regulations

Retail & Food Service

Startup Symposium

Value Chain Collaboration

Why attend?

Discover the latest solutions

✔️ Gain exclusive insight from the companies developing the next generation of protein, ingredient, and food-tech solutions

✔️ Keep up with emerging science, data, and innovation driving more efficient and resilient food-production systems

✔️ Dive into emerging bioprocessing, fermentation, and manufacturing innovations enabling efficient commercial scale-up

Connect & Network

✔️ Connect with leaders across proteins, ingredients, bioprocessing, and food-tech from around the globe

✔️ Discover the companies delivering scalable, environmentally friendly solutions for tomorrow’s protein and ingredient markets

✔️ Meet the strategic thinkers redefining markets, investment, and technology across the modern protein landscape

Grow & Promote

✔️ Highlight your innovations to the leaders advancing the technologies behind tomorrow’s food economy

✔️ Strengthen your strategic thinking with real-world learnings from innovators driving market and technology adoption

✔️ Take away practical frameworks and solutions you can apply immediately to advance your organization’s goals

Expand Your Knowledge Of

Supply Chain Collaborations
Regulatory Pathways
Technical Innovations
Molecular Farming
Microbial Fermentation

Cell-Cultivated Meats
Precision Fermentation
Plant-Based Proteins
Consumer Trends
Industry Projects

Reducing Production Costs
Alternative Dairy
Traditional Fermentation
Cell Lines
Scaling From Lab to Plate

Go-to-Market Strategy
Growth Media
Investment Landscape
Processing Technology
and more...!

What Our Past Attendees Said

“What was special about The Future of Protein Production - everyone was straight to the point. I felt that people really came to work here, not chat or brag.”

Aleh Manchuliantsau

Founder & CEO

Planetarians

“The Future of Protein Production LIVE! was a very well organized conference with a variety of topics, touching on some of the big problems/challenges of protein production and commercialization today.”

Dr Eleni Ntokou

Product Development and Sustainability Manager

Unibio

“The Chicago edition of the Future of Protein Production was an absolute success, from everything from business development, networking, educational, interactive and logistical perspectives. The content was phenomenal for anyone in the alternative protein industry; indeed, I would consider this event to be crucial for anyone who works in this space because the access to leaders in the alt-protein industry is unmatched.”

Udi Lazimy

Founder & Principal

Lazimy Regenerative Impact Partners

“The Future of Protein Production provided a fantastic opportunity to explore the incredible innovations being pursued by companies and startups around the world.”

Susana Soares

Assistant Professor

Universidade do Porto

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McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois

The future of food starts in Chicago

There are currently ~1,000 alt protein startups in the USA, joining a category that has seen the establishment of high-profile consumer brands and attracted traditional animal protein producer collaborations. Chicago’s F&B manufacturing industry is the USA's largest, generating US$9.4 billion annually in output and employing +65,000 people. Chicago is also a leader in food and agriculture innovation. From high-profile startups to the established industry leaders, the city is uniquely poised for continued innovation within the food ecosystem.

It was therefore a natural choice for The Future of Protein Production to establish a US event that will flourish alongside this nascent industry. McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, is situated on Chicago’s lakefront, just minutes from downtown and facing one of the most iconic skylines in the world.

Plan Your Visit

Meet decision-makers in these sectors

Cell-Based Meat/Seafood
Meat Producers
Associations & NGOs
Molecular Farming
Alternative Dairy
Retail & Foodservice

Food & Beverage Brands
Flavors & Colors
Growth Media
Academics & Researchers
Food Manufacturing
Governmental Organizations

Equipment Providers
Plant-Based
Regulatory & Policy Experts
Public Health Organizations
Biotechnology & Fermentation
Certification & Food Safety

Ingredients & Inputs
Investors & VCs
Agricultural Industry
CDMO & Scale-Up Facilities
Automation & AI Specialists
Food-tech Startups

Who You will meet

22%

Food Producers

19%

Start-ups

18%

Retailers

11%

Brands

13%

Investors

17%

Other

Speak

Apply to Speak

Exhibit

Apply to Exhibit

Partner

Apply to Partner

Source the latest technologies and solutions, and find new partners to help achieve all your sustainability targets. In line with the UN sustainability goals.