Vitafoods Europe Discussion Forum Highlights Top 10 Functional Food Opportunities

5 May 2011 --- The forum will give manufacturers and distributors a unique opportunity to address questions to panellists who are both heavily involved in and will be impacted by the European Union’s next moves on legislation.

The ten biggest opportunities and challenges facing the placing on the market of functional food and food supplements will be up for discussion at next week's Vitafoods Discussion Forum in Geneva.

Chosen, rated and explained by a panel of multi-disciplinary experts in the European and international arena, participants will be given a countdown of the top regulatory issues, and will debate aspects such as ensuring innovation, European competitiveness and sustainability, and food safety.

Hosted by Simon Pettman, Director of international food and nutrition policy consultancy EAS, the forum will give manufacturers and distributors a unique opportunity to address questions to panellists who are both heavily involved in and will be impacted by the European Union’s next moves on legislation.

Panelists this year include Bas Van Buijtenen, Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Human Nutrition and Health at DSM Nutritional Products Europe; Henry Dixon, Commercial Director of Barrett Dixon Bell; Phytolab board member Hartwig Sievers, and EAS Senior Adviser Patrick Coppens.

“This year promises to be of enormous significance for the food, supplement and ingredients sector, especially with the European Commission planning to propose its first draft article 13 ‘Union List’ by the end of 2011,” said Mr Pettman. “The discussion forum is a once-a-year chance for industry to address the big challenges that are being faced by the sector. We have fundamental change over the next couple of years, and this will have a huge impact on the industry. It provides an exceptional opportunity not just to understand these issues and their impact better, but also to grasp the debate and controversy surrounding them.”

The Discussion Forum, which is free of charge, draws hundreds each year who use it as a platform to voice their concerns and get clarification on key regulatory issues in the sector.

Previous panelists have included representatives from the European Commission, the European Botanical Forum and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

During the 90-minute session, from 09.00-10.30 on Thursday 12 May at the Geneva Palexpo building, members of the audience will have the opportunity to address questions to the panel.