In conjunction with Climate Week NYC 2025, the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute (KHNI) hosted a Smart Bites Showdown event on 22 September 2025, collaborating with HowGood at the Regen House.
The event focused on three of KHNI’s top 10 health and nutrition trends for 2025 and featured game-show-style rounds that quizzed six audience members on their knowledge of each trend.
(Left to Right: Brian Short, Christina O’Keefe, Elizabeth Horvath, Jack Bobo, Aoife Kelleher, Juan Aguiriano)
Christina O’Keefe, Head of Sustainability for Kerry North America, hosted the event, keeping participants on their toes, to unpack the toughest challenges our industry faces today. Like all good game shows, commercial breaks played a role with key note speeches in between each of the rounds. This gave the audience time to taste and experience a food concept which highlighted solutions to address each of the trends outlined below.
1. Weight Management & Satiety – Elizabeth Horvath, VP of Marketing at Kerry, took us through the shifts that GLP-1 medication is having on consumers behaviours today. At this point the audience were invited to try Kerry’s ‘Boost Balance’ concept, a green apple flavoured powdered beverage with hydration and probiotic benefits, to support those on their weight loss journey.
2. Policy Shifts – Juan Aguiriano, Head of Sustainability at Kerry, spoke about how shifts in policy, health, and consumer behaviour is pushing us towards reformulation. A low sodium snack concept was available for the audience to enjoy, as a concept which highlights how reformulation for lower salt does not have to compromise on taste.
3. Accessible Nutrition – Jack Bobo, Executive Director Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies at UCLA, delivered an impactful speech on ensuring we can sustain the population with solutions for nutrition and nature in harmony, combatting supply chain challenges present in the industry today. An RTD protein coffee drink concept was also at hand for the audience during this break, which had reduced sugar and reduced reliance on coffee supply as a volatile raw material.
Overall, The Smart Bites Showdown explored key industry challenges, showing how expert insights and collaboration can drive real solutions, pushing us further across the Sustainable Nutrition Spectrum.
Contributor:
Brian Short
Senior Consumer Insights Specialist - Kerry
Brian is a Senior Consumer Insights Specialist with a passion for understanding today’s consumer and the future of the Food and Beverage industry. Brian contributes to foresight and insights projects at Kerry, where his work informs industry-leading strategies. His innovation credentials are further bolstered by completing Oxford’s Strategic Innovation Programme in 2024, which deepened his ability to drive meaningful change and foster creative problem-solving.
