SupplySide

FOOD & BEVERAGE SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD

SESSIONS

• Location: Holiday Inn – Essex & Hudson Ballroom
• Speaker: Daniel Best, president, Best Vantage® Inc.

Flaxseed and other grains provide a template onto which emergent nutritional controversies will be cast. The debates that will ensue will redefine how consumers view the nutritional benefits of flaxseed and other grains. Consider how flaxseed is a major dietary source of short-chain ALA omega-3 oils, the form of omega-3 oils most commonly associated with plant life and most historically connected to human well-being. Yet today, omega-3 remains one of the most important and widespread nutritional deficiencies in Western diets, a deficiency with serious chronic health ramifications. It has long been premised that human conversion of short-chain ALA into the long-chain forms of omega-3 (EPA and DHA) is very limited. However, a re-examination of cross-species nutritional research puts this premise into question. Another example is that grains are not typically recognized as major sources of antioxidants. Yet, not only do some grain foods offer more antioxidant value than typical headline-grabbing berries, but baking actually appears to increase this value. A major re-appreciation of grain foods is in order.

• Location: Holiday Inn – Essex & Hudson Ballroom
• Speaker: Debra L. Miller, Ph.D., director of nutrition, The Hershey Co.

The cocoa bean—the seed of the fruit of the cacao tree—has been revered for many centuries for its usage as ancient remedies in Meso-American cultures. It has been touted for its sustenance and life-giving medicinal qualities. Today, nutrition scientists, chemists and other researchers have applied modern scientific methodologies and discovered numerous health benefits associated with the consumption of cocoa-containing products such as chocolate. This presentation will review the history and plant origins of cocoa and chocolate, its chemical composition, and the clinical data supporting the potential benefits of adding cocoa and chocolate into a healthy diet.

• Location: Holiday Inn – Essex & Hudson Ballroom
• Speaker: Judith R. Lindsey, vice president and general manager, Product Dynamics, a Division of RQA Inc.

The marketplace is consumer-centric; the product development process must be more so. The food industry has been excellent at getting consumer feedback as they go through the early and end stages of the development process. Generally it is at an "arms length" and singularly focused–either for the use of the product developer (guidance testing, CLT, HUT) or for the use of the marketer (ethnography, focus groups, ad research). New methodologies and thinking are challenging the traditional approach and putting the consumer on the team. This session will explore case studies of methodologies which actively incorporate consumers into the development process, discuss why it is important and what you can expect. A variety of methods and perspectives will be presented, offering each attendee the opportunity to find an element which can be put into practice.

• Location: Holiday Inn – Essex & Hudson Ballroom
• Speaker: Steve Walton, general manager, HealthFocus International

Are shoppers really ready to purchase foods and beverages for specific benefits and enhancements in their physical appearance? With a look in both the U.S. and global HealthFocus International's database of primary household shoppers, this presentation will capture the trends occurring between food and beverages, and impact on appearance (apart from weight)—is it becoming more readily accepted, where is the greatest opportunity and who are the best targets for further research and marketing/product development?

• Location: Holiday Inn – Essex & Hudson Ballroom
• Speaker: John Wilson, marketing coordinator, Allen Flavors Inc.

Join experts from the National Association of Flavors and Food-Ingredient Systems (NAFFS) for this session examining how the demand for healthier, natural products is affecting flavors, and how flavors play a key role in the future of healthier foods and beverages. From sodium reduction to maintaining acceptable flavor when reformulating to opportunities in functional foods and beverages, this session will help you put the "flavor" in your product development plans.

• Location: Holiday Inn – Essex & Hudson Ballroom
• Speaker: Gregory Prang, Ph.D., senior ethnographic analyst, The Hartman Group

Why are consumers flocking to private label products in record numbers? Is the current economic crisis the stimulus behind the surge in apparent popularity? To be sure, the emergence of private label as a quality product that competes with well-known name brands on an equal basis has changed the dynamics of how consumer products are marketed and sold. The world of private label, however, is at something of a crossroads. Many believe the economic recession has been a boon to sales of private label products. Few would argue consumers have modified their buying habits and have turned to private labels as a means to stretch their dollars. The Hartman Group's Private Label 2010 and New Value Paradigm research finds 47 percent of consumers have indeed switched from a favorite name brand product to buying a private label because of the economy. However, this singular data point doesn't accurately tell the story of the private label phenomenon. This presentation provides a fresh, provocative approach to understanding the evolving world of private label branding and products. It offers a holistic consumer perspective that accounts for distinctions in retail formats, product categories, national brands, private label brands and how, if at all, consumers are adapting their behaviors to today's changing and evolving economic realities.