Brand New Streams Unveiled for Vitafoods Conference

In the twenty-first century, people are now more conscious than ever before of the fact that what they put into their bodies will inevitably have an effect on the way they look, hence the rise in popularity of the beauty from within concept.

25/03/09 Leatherhead Food International, the organisers behind the Vitafoods International Conference 2009, has announced the addition of four brand new technical streams that will feature at this year’s event. Sessions on Healthy Ageing, Beauty Foods, Nanotechnologies and a workshop on Natural Foods will take place alongside presentations on Mental Health, Gut Health, Heart Health, Weight Management and Satiety and Marketing, to deliver what promises to be a comprehensive overview of the latest industry developments.

As the saying goes, ‘growing old gracefully’ – and healthily – is becoming more important to consumers than ever before. Life expectancies the world over are on the increase and with that comes an innate desire to stay as fit, healthy and active as possible, which is one of the reasons behind the addition of Healthy Ageing to the Vitafoods International Conference programme. The session will be chaired by Dr Ed O’Kello from the University of Newcastle in the UK, who will look at Medicinal Plants and Dementia.

The last few years have witnessed a shift in consumer attitudes towards physical appearance. In the twenty-first century, people are now more conscious than ever before of the fact that what they put into their bodies will inevitably have an effect on the way they look, hence the rise in popularity of the beauty from within concept. Dr Sybille Buchwald-Werner, Senior Manager, Business Development, Nutrition and Health at Cognis, will explore this idea in more detail in her role as chair of the Beauty Foods session.

The science of nanotechnology has been revolutionising the medical and construction worlds for decades, and soon it will be doing the same to our foods. Dr Alan Smith, a consultant on this subject in the UK, will be chairing this new technical stream and looking in-depth at the technology and what its appearance means for the food industry in his presentation, Nanotechnology has arrived – the food sector should be aware.

Meanwhile,‘natural’ was the most popular claim made on food products in 2008, according to Dr Paul Berryman, the Chief Executive of Leatherhead Food International UK and chair of the Natural Foods workshop session at the Vitafoods International Conference. This brand new stream is set to provide a lively workshop topic when it takes place on Thursday 7 May 2009.

Fiona Angus, Head of Nutrition, at Leatherhead Food International said: “Some areas are obviously more developed, such as Healthy Ageing and Beauty Foods, but interest in Nanotechnology linked to the food industry is certainly rising and now is the time to expound the concerns surrounding its development and highlight the opportunities that it presents for the future. Meanwhile, the addition of Natural Foods to the workshop programme at the conference will certainly spark some interesting discussions about the use of this seemingly innocuous word on product labeling.”

The Vitafoods International Conference will take place alongside Vitafoods International and Finished Products Expo on 5 – 7 May 2009.

www.vitafoods.eu.com/delegate