Citation
(2008), "The 6th Annual World Food Technology and Innovation Forum, Dublin, Burlington Hotel on 20th-21st November 2007", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 38 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2008.01738bac.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
The 6th Annual World Food Technology and Innovation Forum, Dublin, Burlington Hotel on 20th-21st November 2007
Article Type: Conference reports From: Nutrition
Food innovation and new food products Development speakers examined consumer trends, health and nutrition and ethical foods.
For the fourth year running, Enterprise Ireland was the lead sponsor of this significant international forum. The two day event brought together the some of industries most influential speakers and representatives to debate the key issues facing the industry such as innovation, new product development, consumer trends, food regulation, health and nutrition. The forum provided an excellent opportunity for world leading food companies, food research groups and new product development specialists to meet to debate the issues facing the industry and to build relationships and alliances for the future.
The Forum was organised by World Trade Group. Enterprise Ireland was the lead sponsor. Open innovation refers to the practice of sourcing technology, ideas and innovation from outside an organisation and involves partnerships, technology licensing and shared research and development.
For a full conference programme and future conference dates please see www.foodinnovate.com
Presentations at the conference included the following.
Day One
Responding to the Nutrition Revolution
Hugh McGuire, CEO, Glanbia Nutritionals. Responding to customers needs and wants for nutritional functional foods and ingredients.
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Studying consumer lifestyle changes and nutritional requirements to create successful products.
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Science a key enabler to differentiate in the marketplace.
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Maximising future functional food development.
New EU Nutritional and Health Claim Regulation
Dr Pilar Rodriguez Iglesias, Head of Unit on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA), European Food Safety Authority Italy. Navigating and responding successfully to the new regulatory environment, what does this mean for functional food development in Europe?
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Understanding EU health claims regulation.
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Correctly using clinical and research to claim functionality.
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Effectively organising claims research to correctly define functionality.
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Moving from pseudo claims to functional claims.
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Claiming exclusive rights to data for a specific periods and using data to differentiate products.
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Satisfying multiple regulatory environments and communicating functionality to different audiences.
This presentation was given by a web link.
Understanding Global Consumer Health Trends and Making Them Work for Your Brand
Peter Wennstrom, President, Health Focus Europe Sweden. Global consumer segmentation identifying and targeting your core brand users.
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Understand global consumer health trends the key to product innovation.
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Understand consumer health concerns, problems and drivers across 32 countries.
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Understanding target consumer motivations.
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Using global consumer segmentation identifying core users of your brand this was demonstrated by how to change packs for potato chips to attract the different consumers.
Weight Control and Satiety Understanding the Science and Opportunity
Dr David J. Mela, Senior Scientist, Weight Control and Behavioural Nutrition, Unilever Food and Health Research Institute, The Netherlands. Case study: satiety, appetite control and obesity from the lab to the market.
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Understanding the science behind appetite control.
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Traditional and "functional" ingredients for satiety.
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Effective claims testing.
Many claims were dismissed with examples being given.
Performance Enhancing Foods and Metabolomics Mood Food, Cognition and Brain Development
Dr Sunil Kochhar, Group Leader Metabolomics Biomarkers, Bio Analytical Department, Nestle Research Centre, Switzerland. Case study Nestle: researching and developing mood enhancing food.
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Phenotyping and categorising individual nutritional status to develop targeted products.
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Non-invasive technologies to scientifically substantiate proven brain biochemical changes.
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Developing uplifting foods supported by effective research.
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Minimising cognitive decline (neuro degradation).
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Nutritional solutions for healthy brain development (neuro development).
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Understanding gut-brain axis.
There were also various workshops with two concurrent events these included:
Health and Lifestyle Ingredient Trends
Dr Theodor Graser, Head New Business Development, Human Nutrition and Health, DSM Nutritional Products Europe Ltd, Switzerland. Workshop: novel ingredients, new applications and future revenue opportunities in the functional food and supplements business.
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Targeting NPD and marketing strategies towards specific health and lifestyle trends: weight control; blood sugar control; cardiovascular health; joint and bone health; cognitive performance and energy; aging; sports; feel good and look good.
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Avoiding ingredients with little science and safety or lacking health claim substantiation.
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Keeping the target consumer in mind.
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Driving the market.
Spotlight on Japan Lessons from the Leaders in Innovation and NPD
Dr Takashi Kometani, Director of Health Science Research Laboratory, Ezaki Glico Co Ltd Japan. Case study: mood enhancing researching and developing GABA enriched anti-stress food mental balance chocolate.
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Mood enhancing foods and ingredients opportunities for NPD and innovation.
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Developing mental balance chocolate.
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Creating functional food with real benefits.
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Understanding consumer demand and targeting products to their needs.
Staying Ahead of the Competition with High Quality and Maximum Flexibility
Holger Schmidt, Global Industry Manager, Endress and Hauser Group Germany.
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Improved process and automation brings: online quality control, sustainable product quality, flexible plant usage, reduction in total cost of ownership.
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Opportunities in process automation provide: high accuracy mixing/blending solutions, cost controls with energy monitoring solutions, data recording for tracking and tracing.
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Benefits of life cycle support enhance: delivery performance with asset management solutions, audit efforts and documentation handling, calibration ensuring production quality at minimum cost.
Healthy Indulgence Effectively Retargeting Health Conscious Consumers
Dr Debra Miller, Senior Nutrition Scientist, The Hershey Company USA. Case study: Hershey's extra dark and cacao reserve premium dark chocolate harnessing scientific studies to attract health conscious consumers.
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Research studies into the intrinsic goodness of chocolate antioxidant, polyphenols, flavenols for health.
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Re-targeting new consumers segments marketing dark chocolate as a health food.
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Consumer education the key to successfully re-launching and re-targeting products.
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Investing in research and marketing to drive category growth.
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Consumer reactions and bottom line benefits.
Reducing the Failure of New Products Ensuring Success
Arun Prabhu, Senior Innovation and Development Brands Manager, Alta Foods UK plc. Case study: cravendale filtered milk and lactose free virtually lactose free dairy drink.
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Why do nine out of ten new product launches fail?
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How do you improve your strike rate?
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Good parenting and launching new products.
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The golden eight checklist to reduce the failure rate of new product launches.
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To launch or not to launch: is NPD and innovation for everyone?
Day Two
Sustainability Opportunities and Threats for the Food Industry
Hazel Culley, Social Compliance Manager, Marks and Spencer UK. Proactive strategies responding to ethical consumers and industry pressures.
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Ethical trading, fair trade, local sourcing, food miles, packaging, supporting farmers.
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Returning to food ingredient provenance.
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Impacts on present food pallet what will and will not be accepted by end consumers?
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Opportunities for NPD.
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Achieving a competitive advantage proactive vs reactive strategies.
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Establishing working guidelines.
Accelerating Innovation through External Partnerships
Julie Ennis, Senior Manager, General Mills Worldwide Innovation Network USA. Case study: implementing a formalised open innovation programme to complement, enhance and accelerate innovation efforts.
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External tools and resources to identify new opportunities and solve technical challenges.
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Identifying a core set of external tools and resources to identify new opportunities and solve technical challenges.
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Leveraging external resources to create unique and differentiated business opportunities.
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Creating mutually beneficial ventures with external partners.
Process and Technical Innovation Developing a Holistic Approach
Dr Mehmood Khan, Global Leader Innovation Process Development, Unilever. Accelerating business growth via a global process innovation strategy.
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Developing a global process and technical innovation strategy throughout global operations.
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Implementing effective systems and processes to support and foster innovation.
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Addressing processing challenges for healthier foods innovation processes and technologies for fat reduction, salt and sugar distribution.
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Establishing innovation communities across the business; categories, brands and countries.
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Engaging multiple stakeholders; suppliers, customers and universities to drive Unilever's innovation process.
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People development the key to process innovation.
Successful Functional Product Development and Consumer Communication
Dr Michele Kellerhals, Science and Regulatory Affairs Manager Non-Carbonated Beverages, Coca-Cola European Union Group Germany. Coca-Cola's worldwide portfolio diversifying across several functional health platforms beauty, cognitive function, weight management, bone health and performance.
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Developing products targeted specific functional health platforms.
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Understanding the importance of external innovation and cross-functional front loaded development.
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Diversifying product portfolios waters, juices, teas.
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Communicating functional benefits to consumers.
Adding Essential Fibre to Food and Beverages Without Impacting Taste
Dr Sandra Einerhand, Director Health and Nutritional Science, Europe.
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Fibre and health.
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Understanding European consumer attitudes towards fibre.
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Introducing Tate and Lyle's new PROMITOR range of dietary fibres.
Averaging the Power of Product Lifecycle Management for Growth through Innovation
Jean-Christophe Calmejane, Vice President F&D International Operations, Lascom France.
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Retailers and food industry organisations must focus on new product development to maintain growth.
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Recent trends have made design-chain performance through use of shared creation environment, knowledge management, collaboration, automation.
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Taboos and future issues: will retailers become food manufacturers?
Superfoods Creating New Product Categories
Alton Johnson, CEO, Bossa Nova Beverage Group USA and Palo Hawken, VP, Research and Innovation, Bossa Nova Beverage Group USA. Creating new product categories and implementing innovative, whole food manufacturing process.
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Pioneering groundbreaking fruit research and one for one environmentalism.
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Superfoods and Acai a brief history.
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New ingredients the inspiration for new products.
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Developing a natural whole food system manufacturing process.
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Successfully targeting health conscious consumers.
Understanding and Targeting the Allergy Free Market
John Foster, Managing Director and Michael Taylor, Operations Director, Fosters Bakery and Wellness Foods.
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Ignore the growing food sensitive consumer base at your peril.
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Understanding alternative ingredients and technical challenges in allergy free food development.
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Achieving approvals for specific conditions.
Innovation Region of Choice
Barry Dodd OBE, Chair, Connect Yorkshire, Yorkshire Forward.
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Results achieved in the area of food innovation in Yorkshire and Humber and delivery partners.
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Learn how food and drink innovation has fuelled above average growth compared to any other region.
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Specific success stories bite sized innovation updates and key learning's.
Improving Your Innovation Process for Optimal Results
Mark Hyde, Business Consultant, Agile.
Workshop: key lessons in innovation in the food and beverages industry how you can improve your innovation process for optimal results.
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Innovation is at the centre of your success in food and beverage.
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Food and beverage companies will reach optimal results with an integrated innovation approach that provides global information visibility.
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This workshop will review how such an integration innovation solution can work for you today.
Japanese Food Trends Which Ones have a Chance of Success in Europe?
Lee Linthicum, Head of Packaged Food Research, Euromonitor International UK.
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Functional foods, versatile amino acids, black foods and beauty foods.
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Which emerging trends in Japan have a chance of success in Europe?
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Which countries in Europe are most likely to be affected?
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What does this mean for new product development/launches in Europe.
Innovations in Functional Food Development
Tiina Jauhiainen, Group Leader Hypertension and other Cardiovascular Diseases, Valio Research Centre, Finland. Case study: evolus drink developing a functional portfolio through research and innovation bioactive peptides for blood pressure control.
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Studies conducted in co-operation with leading national and international experts.
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Developing Valio's innovation and research-based functional products Evolus drink.
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Controlling blood pressure through a beneficial electrolyte composition and casein derived bioactive tripeptides.
NPD of the Future Trend Forecasting to Stimulate Innovation
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Which key trends will impact innovation for the rest of the millennium?
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The tension between wellbeing and indulgence case study: dairy desserts 2004.
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Key R&D battlegrounds within FMCG.
There was also a small exhibition of companies and organisations providing expertise. Most of the participants were from companies such as: Allied Bakeries, Anglo Beef Processors, Baxters Food Group, Bernard Matthews Foods Ltd, British Sugar, Business Link South Yorkshire, Cadbury Schweppes Global Science Centre, Campbell Soup Company, Design Futures, General Mills, Glanbia Nutritionals, Glaxo Smith Kline Nutritional Healthcare, Grampian Foods Europe, Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education, Kellogg Manufacturing, Kerry Foods, Kraft Foods R&D, Lipid Nutrition BV, Marks and Spencer, Marlow Foods, Mars Europe, National Starch, Pork Farms, Premier Foods, Tesco Stores Ltd, The Coca-Cola Company, The Hershey Company, Unilever and University College Cork. There were excellent opportunities for networking and overall a good event which blended nutrition and food production.