US Event - Summer 2025

On May 15th, 2025, we co-hosted the fourth in-person, invite-only Coller Animal Law Forum (CALF) event in Los Angeles, in collaboration with The Humane League. The event was held under the Chatham House Rule as an official side event of the AVA Summit. The gathering brought together voices from across the US, UK, and EU to foster global dialogue on advancing resilient and ethical food systems. Discussions focused on key lessons from the past decade and opportunities for driving policy progress across borders.The event convened around 50 high-level stakeholders — including leaders from animal welfare, food and climate NGOs, academia, public affairs, corporate sustainability, and investment — all working to shape more sustainable and animal-friendly food systems worldwide.The program featured two inspiring keynote speeches, followed by a panel discussion with four expert speakers and four breakout sessions designed to dive deeper into specific themes and generate actionable ideas. The event concluded with a shared lunch, during which participants reconvened to discuss and reflect on the key insights emerging from the breakout rooms.

Keynote speeches: Transatlantic progress - navigating policy and advocacy for a sustainable food future: Josh Balk, CEO, The Accountability Board - A look at key advocacy wins and current challenges in the U.S, industry trends, and political dynamics shaping food system advocacy. Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, Secretary-General, Danish Vegetarian Society - European momentum on plant-based policy: lessons from Denmark & beyond, and insights from EU-wide collaboration. Panel discussion: "Different perspectives on unlocking policy pathways for a resilient U.S. food system – lessons, challenges, and collaboration”:

• Katie Cantrell, CEO, Greener by Default

• Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Legal Defense Fund

• Anna Lappé, Executive Director, Global Alliance for the Future of Food

• Eitan Fischer, CEO & Founder, Mission Barn

Moderated by

• Michael Webermann, Board Secretary & Program Consultant, Animal & Vegan Advocacy (AVA) Summit

Break-out rooms:

• From Wins to Wisdom: Lessons from Food Policy Advocacy - Gabriel Wildgen, Senior Associate VP of Public Policy, The Humane League

• Bridging Movements: Uniting Advocates for a Sustainable Food Future - Olga Kikou, Director, Animal Advocacy & Food Transition

• Aligning Across Borders: Transatlantic Policy & Trade for Food System Change - Alice Di Concetto, Chief Legal Advisor, the European Institute for Animal Law & Policy

• Unlocking Plant-Based Progress: Policy Pathways at Every Level of Government - Rachel Atcheson, Executive Director, Food Policy Pathways