FDBusiness.com

The nutraceuticals, functional food & drinks and dietary supplements market was thriving with innovation and discussion recently as Vitafoods Europe and Finished Products Expo took place at Geneva Palexpo. With more than 10,300 attendees – a 27% growth on 2010 – the 2011 editions of Vitafoods Europe and FPE were the busiest yet. They welcomed a host of ingredient suppliers, dietary supplements manufacturers and equipment and service providers showcasing their latest concepts as well as thousands of industry experts discussing the latest developments to have shaped the market in the last year.

7,500 visitors passed through Vitafoods Europe’s doors, a 23% increase on 2010, and 4,257[1][1] passed through FPE’s doors, 132% more than in 2010. The increase was also reflected in the number of exhibitors present, over 500 companies, including 100 at Finished Products Expo – well up on last year’s figures.

Speaking of the show’s success, Event Director Chris Lee commented: “The wide range of exhibitors and educational features at this year’s shows have really reinforced Vitafoods Europe and FPE as the leading events in the nutraceutical and functional food and drinks ingredients calendar. There was a really positive atmosphere across the show floor this year and it’s an exciting reflection of the growth that the industry has seen.”

Exhibitors at Vitafoods Europe included major international ingredients suppliers and manufacturers such as Bio Serae Laboratories, DSM Nutritional Products, EPAX, Cognis (part of BASF), Frutarom Health, Naturex, whilst exhibitors at Finished Products Expo included VSI, Zuccari, FrieslandCampina Creamy Creation, Bariatrix and Nature’s Plus. The shows also saw professionals visiting from a range of sectors including health foods, dietary supplements, raw materials, functional beverages and nutricosmetics

Nora Albiez from Cognis GmbH, exhibiting at Vitafoods Europe, commented: “The event is great to meet up with existing clients in one place, as well as develop new business contacts. It’s still the right place to be for our company and the event improves year on year.”

Popular visitor attractions at Vitafoods Europe included The Supplier Seminar Theatre, New Products Zone, EAS Advisory Sessions, VitaTrend, Mintel New Products and Consumer Insights Pavilion, and the Discussion Forum – all packed with industry professionals sharing their knowledge and ideas on how to maximize the commercial opportunities in the booming European nutraceuticals industry.

With a range of services and solutions being showcased for companies in attendance, the Service Pavilion provided visitors with a one-stop area to source the best solutions for their business. Service and equipment suppliers on show included specialists in coatings Mantrose UK, contract manufacturers Microz BV, packaging specialists Ekberg and contract research and consultancy analyze & realize.

Keeping visitors fully informed and up-to-date with the latest products from the expanding market, the Supplier Seminar Theatre was an extremely popular attraction. The free-to-attend three-day programme allowed visitors to see products from the exhibition floor in action and hear directly from the experts about the ideas behind them, ensuring they got to see the best that Vitafoods Europe had to offer from one area. Danisco France gave a unique insight to its innovative fibre ingredient, Litesse®. Presented by the company’s R&D Group Manager Health & Nutrition Kirsti Tiihonen, the talk gave informed delegates on how the ingredient provides a range of benefits for end-users including improved satiety and digestive health among others.

Drawing on the growing demand for innovative beauty food concepts, Martin Walter, from gelatine specialists and suppliers Gelita, spoke to visitors about the latest scientific outlooks for Collagen peptides and how they stimulate bodily functions. Also as part of the Supplier Seminars, Steve Mellor from Croda Europe and Andrew Jackson from the International Fish Oil and Fishmeal Organisation gave a talk entitled Ensuring the responsible sourcing and supply of omega-3 ingredients, investigating the latest findings on ethically sourcing one of the industry’s most sought after ingredients.

The EAS Advisory Sessions also gave visitors a unique opportunity to speak with its regulatory experts and be updated on the latest product formulas, labeling and claims across Europe. Visitors were offered free tailored advice and solutions on how to adhere successfully to the latest food and nutrition policies and have their products approved for the European market.

Rhonda Piper from Emerson Ecologics, commented: “It’s my first time at the show and I’ve found it very educational in terms of the European nutraceutical market. I’ve managed to visit several of the features; the supplier seminars have been great and are a good place for networking. I’ve also had some interesting conversations with EAS about European regulations and standards.”

Equally as informative, the Vitafoods Europe Conference updated delegates on the key regulatory changes affecting the industry and highlighted the newest research breakthroughs from the last twelve months. The programme included talks on the influence of food memories on energy intake, nutrition and ageing and collagen peptides in beauty foods, all of which drew in the crowds. The presentations also explored gut health, food allergy and intolerance and mental health, with speakers such as Dr Thomas Henkel from InterMed Discovery, Matthew Incles from Leatherhead Food Research, Ewa Hudson from Euromonitor International and Dr Rob Winwood from Martek Biosciences.

Lindsey Ormond from Premier Foods, said of the Conference: “The sessions have been really useful in getting inspiration for product development. I particularly enjoyed the session on Sports Nutrition, which had a balanced emphasis on both the theory and practical application of foods and supplements. Insights from Dr. Wallis’ work on the Lucozade Sport innovation initiative at GSK were also really interesting.”

At Finished Products Expo, the Tasting Bar @ FPE once again drew in queues of visitors keen to sample some of the newest concepts in the finished products market. Innovations on display included Nordic Naturals’ Omega 3 Gummy Worms, PYC Laboratoire’s Shake & Freeze weight management ice cream, Pyour prebiotic drink by Pyour Prebio and a high-protein instant meal replacement from Prinsen V.B. Visitors voted for their favourite food and drink products everyday and this year’s winners were Anlit’s Sweet Dreams range, Nutribio’s Choco-Speculoos Protein Bar, Pomegranate Berry Drink Sticks from NOW International, FrieslandCampina Creamy Creation’s Pomegranate Blueberry Weight Management Drink, VSI’s Nuts/Seeds bar as well as Probi AB for its ProViva probiotic fruit drink.

Finished Products Expo also brings in the most cutting-edge products through the ever-popular New Products Zone, where a host of these new concepts were displayed. Popular with visitors as a first port of call to help them decide which stands to visit, the New Products Zone highlighted hundreds of new concepts, which were either launched exclusively at the show or have hit the market in the last few months. New products being showcased included Probiotics Bio-Kult®, Northwest Natural Products’ L’il Critters® Omeda-3 Gummy Fish and Nutribio’s RTD Protein Drink.

Mark Blake from Glanbia Performance Nutrition, exhibiting at Finished Products Expo, commented: “The show’s been really busy with a great cross-section of customers at different stages of their business. It really is a one-stop shop for the European nutraceutical and dietary supplement market and the best show of the year for us.”

New for this year, the Nutraceutical Business & Technology Awards (NBTAs) saw a number of companies enter to win one of eight awards. After being shortlisted by a panel of industry professionals including Dr Kevin Robinson, Dr Simon Wheeler and Dr Sybille Buchwald-Werner, winners were presented with awards at an exclusive NBTA Gala Dinner. Winners this year included leaders in speciality chemicals Croda, which won Most Effective Marketing Campaign for its PureMax brand.

Scooping the award for Best New Finished Product, Ingredia Nutritional won for its Refuel & Repair product, an innovative sports recovery drink that contains 30g of protein. Also beating tough competition, OmniActive Health Technologies won the prize for Most Innovative Ingredient for Capsimax™, a hot pepper extract that is ideal as part of weight management programme.

Speaking of the NBTAs, Christopher Watt from Via Media commented: “The turnout of senior executives from the nutraceutical and wider business communities coupled with the high volume of submissions received has placed the NBT Awards firmly on the map.”

Another first for this year saw a score of senior executives from major brands such as Coca-Cola and Marks & Spencer present an exclusive NBT Roundtable on the future of weight management products and the perception of healthy foods.

Speaking of this year’s show, Event Director Chris Lee commented: “The nutraceuticals industry has expanded a great deal during the last year and the conference sessions alone highlighted just how vital it is for professionals to keep up to speed with the latest trends and demands. It will be really interesting to see how the upcoming trends take shape over the next few months and we look forward to updating the industry once again in 2012”.

Plans are already underway for all shows across the Vitafoods portfolio within the next twelve months:

·· Vitafoods Asia will take place from 7 – 9 September 2011 at Asia World-Expo, Hong Kong www.vitafoodsasia.com

·· Vitafoods South America will take place from 28 – 29 March 2012 at the Frei Caneca Convention Centre in São Paolo, Brazil. www.vitafoodssouthamerica.com

· Vitafoods Europe and FPE will take place from 22 – 24 May 2012 at the Geneva Palexpo. www.vitafoods.eu.com and www.finishedproductsexpo.com