ProPAWS Conference 2026 - The Future of Pet Food

Pet guardians say they are open to alternatives. The market has not caught up. Why?

That gap, between what pet owners say they would consider healthy alternative protein ingredients (over 40%) and what's actually in the food bowl (<1% market share), is the starting point for the 2nd edition of the ProPAWS Conference, on 12 November.

We are bringing together 100+ vets, researchers, and industry professionals from across Europe to look honestly at what is known, what isn't yet, and what a healthy, sustainable bowl could look like for pets and for the planet.

Program highlights

● Dr. Esther Hagen-Plantinga: Novel protein ingredients and its potential
Esther is a veterinarian and one of Europe's leading specialists in companion animal nutrition.

● Eva Meijer: What we can learn from animals
Eva is an artist, philosopher and author (Bird Cottage, Animal Languages)

● Dr. Rebecca Brociek: Nutritional Analysis of Available Plant-based Pet Food
Rebecca is a veterinarian and research scientist at Tate & Lyle.
She recently completed her PhD at Nottingham University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science.

● Billy Nicholles: How we can measure & tackle pet food’s "Climate Pawprint'"?Researcher at Bryant Research and consultant for Omni, one of UK’s leading plant-based dog food companies.

● Alessandra Grasso: Sustainable Petfood
Alessandra is Senior Consultant and Sustainable Nutrition Specialist at Mérieux NutriSciences. She is specialized in bridging public health nutrition with environmental impact assessment and in leading LCA projects for the pet food industry.

● Fleur Cuijnen - Markteffect: Consumer Behavior and Attitudes towards Alternative Proteins: a Market Analysis
What stands between interest and purchase? Markteffect asked over a thousand Dutch dog guardians and shares which consumer group is ready.

● Panel discussions:
1) Alternative Proteins in Animal Care Practice
- Xanthe van Rooij, paraveterinarian specialized in pet nutrition, working at Joyce Hofman Dierenklinieken in Amsterdam;
- Eline Teygeler, certified animal behavior therapist with Tinley Gedragstherapie voor Dieren, member of ISAE (International Society for Applied Ethology) and affiliated with SPPD (Platform for Animal Behaviour Experts);
- Job van der Lek (DVM), pet nutrition expert and licensed veterinarian with Caring Vets.

Join the conversations and share your insights!

Why join?

Most of the industry agrees that something is shifting. Far fewer agree on what to do about it, or whether alternative proteins hold up nutritionally, commercially, and in practice. That is exactly the kind of open, sometimes uncomfortable conversation this day is built for. A working session for the sector, veterinary health professionals, and scientists.

Accreditation: 5 points for veterinarians (Dactari) and 4 points for behaviour therapists (NVGH). See the FAQ for details.

What to expect?

• Hear from veterinarians, scientists, and industry leaders across two stages, grounded in nutrition science, consumer behavior, and real-world practice
• Sessions on feeding advice in practice, nutritional analysis, and what consumer research in the Netherlands shows
• Insights into the latest industry developments and protein technologies
• Panel discussions that don't dodge the hard questions and share both opportunities and obstacles from experiences
• Time to network over warm beverages and delicious food with frontrunners and change-makers

Who is it for?

Veterinary health professionals, scientists, industry professionals, students, and anyone with a stake in what goes in the pet food bowl, whatever your current view on alternative proteins. Participants are expected to be curious, share their own experiences, and be open to learning.

Tickets on sale now*

• Early bird: 150€ (SOLD OUT)
• Regular: 200€
• Student: 50€

Impact Club members visit the ProPAWS Conference for free and have access to the exclusive dinner with speakers and other members afterwards. Not an Impact Club member yet? Reach out to info@propaws.org.

*Ticket prices are excluding VAT and service costs.