Roger Clarke Announced as New IDACE President

05 July 2013 --- IDACE, the association representing the specialised nutrition industry in Europe, is pleased to announce the election of a new leadership team.

Roger Clarke, Director General of the British Specialist Nutrition Association Ltd (BSNA) will be replacing Ferdinand Haschke (Nestlé – Switzerland) as President of IDACE for a three year mandate.

Roger Clarke has been an active member of the IDACE Operating Board for several years, and has most recently led the association in its engagement on the recent review of the EU specialised nutrition rules.

Former President Haschke explains: “Roger Clarke has been an invaluable member of the Operating Board and is now in an excellent position to drive the association forward for the next three years. He will build upon the work undertaken during the review of the EU specialised nutrition rules, and strengthen IDACE’s presence and visibility in Brussels while promoting the importance of the European specialised nutrition industry. I am confident that Roger has the experience and energy required to drive this ambition”.

New President of IDACE Roger Clarke comments: “I am delighted to take on this new role within IDACE, and look forward to working closely with the new Operating Board. Our association has a critical role to play in the EU level policy debate impacting these very specific products, which approximately 90% of EU consumers will require at some stage in their lives.”

Two new members have also been elected to the Operating Board; Amalia Waxman, Head, Corporate Affairs and Communication, Nestlé Nutrition, and Jean-Loup Allain, Secretary General of the French association Syndicat Français de la Nutrition Spécialisée.

In addition to these leadership changes, and in light of the legislative changes this category of foods will face due to the implementation of the new EU rules, IDACE will be announcing a new name for the association in the autumn 2013 which will reflect the new structure and role of the organisation in Brussels.
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Note to the editor: IDACE is the association representing the specialised nutrition industry in Europe. It has nearly fifty years’ experience in the development of nutritional science and the application of ethical standards in foods for special dietary needs.

IDACE members manufacture Infant and Follow- on Formula, Toddlers Milks and complementary foods, Foods for Special Medical Purposes, Sports Foods, Slimming Foods and Gluten Free Foods.

For more information on IDACE’s perspectives on the new Regulation (EU) No 609/2013, please see here.

A full list of Operating Board members can be found below:

•    Roger Clarke (UK) (IDACE President)
•    Roberto Baldoli (Italy) (IDACE Vice-President)
•    Norbert Pahne (Germany)
•    Estrella Bengio (Spain)
•    Carel Boone (The Netherlands)
•    Louis Vareille (The Netherlands)
•    Amalia Waxman (Switzerland)
•    Jean-Loup Allain (France)

Roger Clarke was educated at Cambridge University, and has held a variety of positions within influential Trade Organisations including: Liquid Milk Director of the Dairy Trade Federation (now Dairy UK), and Chief Executive of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents.

In the past he has also worked in industry as a Commercial Manager for Express Foods Group International and Grand Metropolitan plc (now Diageo) as well as at MD Foods UK, (now Arla UK), where he worked as main Board Director with responsibility for handling de-regulation of the Milk Market in the UK, Group Procurement, and Public Affairs.

Roger is currently Director General of the British Specialist Nutrition Association Ltd (BSNA) and in this role he now serves as President of the European Dietetic Food Industry Association (IDACE).

Members of the BSNA are current specialised nutrition manufacturers in the Infant Nutrition, Medical Foods, Sports Foods and Gluten-Free categories.