BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//The Good Food Institute - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:The Good Food Institute X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://gfi.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Good Food Institute REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260305T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260305T160000 DTSTAMP:20260428T141215 CREATED:20260218T175155Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260302T142737Z UID:10000756-1772722800-1772726400@gfi.org SUMMARY:Natural Products Expo West – Competing on Health: Insights for Plant-Based Brands DESCRIPTION:Natural Products Expo West – Competing on Health: Insights for Plant-Based BrandsPast\n\n\n\n\nAs “health” continues to redefine the food industry\, GFI is bringing fresh data and real-world insights to Expo West. \n\n\n\n Share this page on Bluesky\n \n Share on Bluesky\n\n\n Share this page on Threads\n \n Share on Threads\n\n\n Share this page on Twitter\n \n Share on X\n\n\n Share this page on LinkedIn\n \n Share on LinkedIn\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nRegister\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\nEvent description\n\n\n\nHealth isn’t just a trend—it’s reshaping the competitive landscape of food. \n\n\n\nAt Natural Products Expo West\, GFI will lead a timely conversation on how evolving definitions of “healthy” are influencing consumer behavior and shaping growth in the plant-based category. \n\n\n\nIn “Competing on Health: Insights for Plant-Based Brands\,” Taylor Leet-Otley\, GFI’s Senior Consumer Research Lead\, will share new consumer and category research exploring how different audiences interpret health—and how much it actually drives purchasing decisions. From there\, Pat McAuley\, GFI’s Startup Innovation Lead\, will guide a candid panel discussion with plant-based brand leaders on product formulation\, positioning strategies\, and the lessons they’ve learned in an increasingly health-forward market. \n\n\n\nTogether\, the session will unpack: \n\n\n\n\nHow consumers define “healthy” across segments\n\n\n\nWhere health creates value—and where it creates friction\n\n\n\nWhat brands are getting right (and wrong)\n\n\n\nHow to compete strategically in today’s health-focused environment\n\n\n\n\nIf you’re navigating the intersection of plant-based innovation and consumer expectations\, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. \n\n\n\n\n\nEvent location\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGFI speakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTaylor Leet-Otley\n\n\n\nSENIOR CONSUMER RESEARCH LEAD \n\n\n\nTaylor Leet-Otley oversees GFI’s consumer research\, keeping the organization and the industry in touch with consumers’ needs & beliefs in the fast-moving alternative protein category. Taylor joined GFI with a background as a consultant focused on market research\, consumer insights\, and strategy. He worked in a diverse range of industries including CPG\, energy\, recycling\, healthcare\, and consumer tech\, with a focus on brand management\, B2B strategy\, and market entry. He graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in Neuroscience and Religion. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPat McAuley\n\n\n\nSTARTUP INNOVATION LEAD \n\n\n\nPat McAuley works with the Corporate Engagement team\, serving as the primary contact for alternative protein entrepreneurs and startups. Prior to joining GFI\, Pat was a multi-time founder having started businesses in food and beverage as well as tech\, most recently founding a multi-unit fast casual plant-based restaurant brand. He holds a degree in Management Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nUpcoming events\n\n\n\nView all events\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n May 1\, 2026\n \n Virtual Event\n \n \n \n The Science of Alt Protein: Transforming waste to fungal mycoprotein\n \n \n \n Learn how Dr. Wang is developing a foundational biorefinery for converting food waste to fungal mycoprotein for practical food applications. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n May 5\, 2026\n \n Virtual Event\n \n \n \n Proposal Writing Workshop: Tips and tricks for securing alternative protein funding\n \n \n \n Join our expert-led workshop designed to help U.S.-based researchers strengthen their ability to secure funding. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n May 5\, 2026\n San Jose McEnery Convention Center\n \n \n \n SynBioBeta 2026\n \n \n \n Bruce Friedrich joins SynBioBeta to make the case for a new way of producing meat—one grounded in science\, built for… \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n May 28\, 2026\n \n Virtual Event\n \n \n \n The Science of Alt Protein: Nature and nurture—Cell lines and media\n \n \n \n Discover opportunities for the convergent development of both cell lines and media for cultivated meat. URL:https://gfi.org/event/natural-products-expo-west-competing-on-health-insights-for-plant-based-brands/ LOCATION:Marriott\, 700 W Convention Way\, Anaheim\, California\, 92802\, United States CATEGORIES:External in-person event ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://gfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COM24004_featured-events_industry.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR