Seven major topics that will be address, according to a press release:
- Transition to a new green new deal. Native American activist, environmentalist and writer Winona LaDuke will deliver a keynote, calling for an infrastructure overhaul to meet the challenges of climate change, energy, and food and outlining practical steps to help make the green transition.
- Rise of regenerative agriculture. Diana Martin from The Rodale Institute will give an update of the new Regenerative Organic Certified scheme and its three pillars of soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness.
- Sustainable food retailing. Alan Lewis from Natural Grocers will share the retailers’ experiences with consumer demand for organic & sustainable foods has increased during the pandemic, covering which product categories are reporting the highest sales, purchasing trends, and marketing guidelines for brands and retailers looking to capitalize on changing consumer behavior.
- Marketing to the post-COVID consumer. Research agency Signal Analytics will present its latest consumer and market trends.
- Plastics in a circular economy. Daniella Russo, Founder and CEO of Think Beyond Plastic will discuss the company's goals to advance the circular economy for plastics by focusing on new materials, sustainable chemistry and new product delivery systems.
- Future of sustainability schemes. There has been a proliferation of sustainability schemes and ethical labels in the food industry, but there is not a single sustainability scheme that covers ingredients and finished products has lead to concerns, Ecovia notes. Industry experts will discuss the merits and drawbacks of sustainability schemes and give their perspectives on future developments.
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Merits of organic farming. Fernando Alfonso from Native Products will show how organic agriculture is encouraging
biodiversity on its farms. In another seminar, the Organic Trade Association will highlight the social, economic and environmental benefits of organic food production.
