Vitafoods Europe, a leading event for ingredients and raw materials for nutraceutical, functional food and drink, dietary supplements and nutricosmetic industries, is all set to open its doors at Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland, on May 14, 2013. The event will be on till May 16, 2013.
According to a press release issued by the organisers, as the global meeting place for professionals from across the industry, the show enables attendees to exchange views on major and emerging trends impacting developments in nutraceuticals, whilst also discovering a wealth of ingredient innovation over the course of the event.
Alongside this, Finished Products Europe, Europe’s leading functional food and drink and dietary supplement exhibition, will give visitors the opportunity to see the full cycle of product innovation from ingredients to shelf. Distributors and private label retailers can meet with potential suppliers and compare hundreds of products in order to identify opportunities and keep up-to-date with the latest developments and insights.
Stand space is already close to sell-out, with more than 12,500 visitors expected to attend. Exhibitors range from major players such as BASF, Croda, DSM and Naturex who have been attending the show for a number of years, to over 100 first time exhibitors including Alesco, Inabata, PL Thomas, Pharma Marine and PureCircle.
Conference
The Vitafoods Europe Conference runs alongside the exhibition and tackles some of the industry’s most pertinent issues underlining key updates in regulation, ingredient innovation and academic research.
Prof. Ambroise Martin, chair, NDA Panel, EFSA Health Claims, will open the programme in a keynote session on day one. He will offer his perspective on how the regulatory landscape is shaping the industry and what the future is likely to be. Following the presentation, Prof. Paul Clayton will take questions from the audience.
Other sessions will cover major topics such as gut health, brain and mind health, personalised nutrition and beauty foods. Academics, researchers and commercial bodies will share their expertise and offer attendees crucial advice to help them develop marketing and business strategies, as well as identify opportunities for new product innovation.
Emerging markets and trends insights
Emerging markets hold huge potential as consumers in countries such as Russia, Poland and Hungary become more aware of the benefits functional food and drinks can bring. As such, academic Viktor Tutelyan will turn attention to this buoyant market in an exclusive keynote session in the Seminar Theatre giving strategic advice on tapping into demand in Eastern Europe.
In association with EAS Strategic Advice, the presentation will cover functional food and supplements and their role in nutrition and health studies primarily in the Russian market but also touch on the Customs Union (comprising Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan). As head of the Food Safety Center in the ministry of health and an appointed expert of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Viktor’s presentation is set to offer a unique insight into the Eastern European market, its challenges, opportunities and future outlook to help manufacturers move into new territories or grow their existing presence in the region.
New this year, the Nutra Insights Hub, will feature presentations from research bodies and industry associations including GOED, Euromonitor, EAS Strategic Advice, European Nutraceutical Association, Innova Market Insights, Mintel and the International Probiotics Association. Here, visitors can learn more about specific trends like disease management, sports nutrition and personalised nutrition presented by Datamonitor, which offer insight into consumer demographics, product innovation and market opportunities.
In the New Products Zone, which will be located at the entrance to the show, visitors can seek out products that match their product development platforms so they can plan their trip around the show floor.
Innovation Tours
Another new addition in 2013, Innovation Tours, in conjunction with NutriMarketing, will offer an insight into what’s new across core themes such as healthy ageing and active health. Free-to-attend, visitors can book tours to meet exhibitors offering mini presentations and tasting sessions. Similarly, Datamonitor Consumer Analysis will make its debut providing industry intelligence about trend evolution including key sub-trends, insight data and case studies that help manufacturers identify opportunities for innovation.
The Service Pavilion will house service and equipment suppliers enabling visitors to easily target companies including consultancies and contract manufacturers, regulatory assistance providers and process and pilot information suppliers. Visitors can meet with exhibitors from specific parts of the world including Belgium, China, France, Korea, India and USA in the international pavilions.
Running alongside Vitafoods Europe, Finished Products Europe, this year, will host over 175 global exhibitors – its largest number yet – displaying a full range of nutraceutical and dietary supplement products for retail distribution.
“It is an interesting time for the nutraceutical industry,” comments Vitafoods portfolio director Chris Lee. “The introduction of the EFSA Article 13 health claims signals a huge change for the industry and the ongoing economic climate throws up its own challenges forcing manufacturers and suppliers to consider how to spend their money more carefully. With so much evolution in the market, it has never been so important for industry professionals to meet face-to-face and gain as much insight as possible into the major factors driving change and spurring innovation. We are expecting our best event yet and the new visitor attractions and high-profile speakers demonstrate just how dynamic the industry continues to be – we’re looking forward to opening the doors in May.”
