Tim York is the Chief Executive Officer at v2foods, the No 1 plant-based company in Australia. He is a 30-year veteran of the FMCG industry and was previously the CEO at Darrell Lea Confectionery, and has held senior roles at Coca-Cola, Unistraw, Ernst & Young, Amcor, and Honeywell. Tim joined v2food in 2021 due to his interests in both sustainability and nutrition and has a passion for product development and building high-growth companies.

Panel Description

This panel discussion will focus on:

1. What is your overall impression of the plant-based food industry’s health today? We hear it’s struggling from the media and the stock market, but what are your perspectives based on your personal interactions with customers, manufacturers, and retailers throughout the supply chain?

2. In the last 3 to 5 years, what has been the largest positive turning point for plant-based foods, that has enabled entry into the mainstream, and what is the largest impediment to growth that exists today?

3. What can the industry do better or differently to cultivate the next stage of category adopters? Is it product quality? Is it messaging? Is it retailer support? Is product assortment too narrow and commoditized? Or are there others elements that are relevant?

4. Are there cultural considerations across the world that need to be addressed in how the plant-based market is developed? Meat substitutes vs. seafood substitutes? Are there learnings from plant foods’ success in Europe that can be applied to develop the markets in the U.S. and Asia?

5. What is your expectation as to how current ingredients and processing technologies can be improved, to enhance taste and/or texture? How close is the industry to commercializing next-generation approaches and what do you believe will be the most impactful innovation?