Programme

The plant-based market has boomed in the last decade, with projections it will double in value by 2030. But the recent dramatic slowdown suggests the category is not hitting the mark with shoppers. With health a major driver behind decisions to reduce meat and dairy intake, is the plant-based category’s associations with overprocessing and ‘unclean’ ingredients muddying its reputation? How can manufacturers improve the nutritional credentials of plant-based milk and dairy?

Can alternative dairy products be rich, creamy, affordable, moreish and better-for-you? For manufacturers, striking the right balance is a challenge, particularly at-scale. We ask how plant-based butters, spreads and cheese major Upfield approaches nutrition and innovation.

Join Julia from dsm-firmenich in this presentation as she discusses how to improve nutrient gaps in plant-based foods, including dairy, meat- and fish alternatives. Julia will explore product formulation con-siderations, claim opportunities, and how dsm-firmenich’s world-leading expertise and product portfolio can support food manufacturers in providing healthy and nutritious options for consumers. Attendees will learn about incorporating dsm-firmenich's ingredients and solutions, such as Vertis™ plant proteins, vitamin and mineral premixes, and life’s™Omega, to fortify plant-based foods.

Discover how to communi-cate the benefits of fortification to consumers and how it can benefit both consumers and the food industry. Don’t miss this opportunity on learning how to take your plant-based products to the next level.

Overconsumption of meat and dairy has been linked to heart disease and diabetes risk, making substitutes made from plants an attractive alternative. But from a nutrition perspective, plant-based meat and dairy products struggle to offer like-for-like replacements, and the sector is facing increased criticism for its overprocessed formulations. How can innovators tap into nutrition to rebuild their better-for-you image?

Today’s consumers are not turning to food and drink for energy alone. A more nuanced understanding of the relationship between diet and health is coming to shape consumer attitudes to food. So which ingredients offer greatest potential in health and wellness? We ask how the latest nutritional science is informing functional food and beverage trends.

As interest in functional food builds, manufacturers want to be ahead of the curve. But is conventional research still the best tool we have to identify up-and-coming trends? In Israel, Tastewise is instead betting on AI-powered algorithms to do the work for us. Join CEO and co-founder Alon Chen as he outlines what’s hot and what’s not in functional foods and health claims, and the increasingly important role of AI in developing better-for-you products.

From prebiotics to CBD, nootropics and collagen, new ingredients are popping up on food and drink labels. Health-conscious consumers are driving the functional food trend, but with ‘wellness’ meaning different things to different people, the space is becoming crowded. We cut through the noise to ask what consumers want from functional food and drink, and how those need states can best be met.

Developments in personalised nutrition – whereby individualised dietary advice is offered based on genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors – continue apace. The market is forecast to grow to over $16bn by 2027. From measuring blood-sugar responses to microbiome diversity, how is this novel sector expected to evolve? Can personalisation ever prove a boon for the masses?

Does personalised nutrition have to target the individual? Or can the concept evolve to reach more consumers with similar needs? Personalised nutrition brand Nourished is exploring this question following a recent channel expansion into retail. Join CEO Melissa Snover as she shares her findings.

Forget Atkins, paleo and keto, personalised nutrition represents the next generation of dietary recommendations. But its greatest strength, personalisation, may also be its Achilles heel: barriers to access for the masses remains high. We profile the differing approaches to health in this burgeoning sector and ask whether personalisation is a fad, a trend, or truly the future of nutrition.

Europe continues to struggle with high levels of childhood obesity. But as understanding around the importance of early years nutrition grows, so too does the opportunity for manufacturers to meet demands for health and functionality. How can industry best support carers and babies in the first 1,000 days, and help set kids up for a healthy future?

Could milk and formula only be part of the ‘early life nutrition’ story? Nestlé believes nurturing the health of carers is also a crucial component, and the FMCG major is innovating to expand its reach in this space. We catch up with Dr Sara Colombo Mottaz, Head of Medical, Scientific and Regulatory affairs under Nestlé’s Nutrition Strategic Business Unit, to talk adequate and appropriate nutrition in the early years.

From pre-prepared foods to ready meals and even recipe boxes aimed at youngsters, baby and children’s food categories are expanding. Manufacturers have a responsibility to get the nutrition right, so what innovative strategies are being leveraged to marry nutrition and convenience for fussy eaters? How can ingredients, technologies, and creative approaches encourage healthy habits from a young age?

The free-from category is changing shape as more and more people follow restricted diets. These days consumers are not only turning away from common allergens gluten and shellfish, but also other widely used ingredients from soy to nuts and dairy. As an increasing number of people eliminate popular ingredients from their diets, what opportunities are opening up in the free-from space?

A considerable proportion of adults actively cut out certain food types and ingredients from their diet, with data suggesting this trend is far from abating. Understanding which foods are off the table for consumers is essential to food and beverage innovation, so who is avoiding what and why?

We’ve all heard the saying, “we eat with our eyes first”, but what does that mean? Everyone knows taste is important in the eating experience, but what about the subconscious cues that begin the process by first creating a taste expectation and enticing consumers to choose your product above the competition on the shelf? How about those cues that support as the experience goes on? Join Lycored as they share the importance of the entire sensory journey from first sight to last bite, and introduce you to a suite of ingredients that work together to create an unforgettably delicious eating and drinking experience while also providing the clean label appeal and free from support your consumers desire.

As allergies and intolerances to foods increase, so too do opportunities for manufacturers to cater to this growing cohort of consumers. The opportunity could be greater still amidst growing appetite for specialist diets, from carb- to grain-free. We examine the evolving free-from aisle and ask how consumer demand is driving NPD.