IFT's fifth Wellness conference to be held March 28-29, 2012

IFT will be hosting the fifth Wellness conference March 28th and 29th. The conference will offer attendees a unique blend of unbiased perspectives, news about emerging trends, and information on how organizations within the food industry are penetrating the health and wellness sector. Wellness 12 will offer professionals involved in developing, producing, and bringing healthy foods to market with a unique combination of the latest advances in the healthful foods arena and the practical knowledge to apply these advances to their own product development initiatives.

"Wellness is a MUST conference for anyone interested in learning more on the growth of better-for-you food products. This is an important conference where speakers and the audience get a chance to engage with each other on development of healthier foods and beverages and the market landscape," says IFT President Roger Clemens, DrPh.

The opening session titled Top 10 Functional Food Trends 2012 will cover the most important up-and-coming functional food trends for the next two years. This session will provide attendees with a preview of these trends and supporting data, including a detailed data deck that illustrates the cutting-edge market research that went into the development of the report. A. Elizabeth Sloan, Ph.D., President, Sloan Trends, Inc, and Contributing Editor, Food Technology will lead the session.

Wellness 12 will feature three concurrent tracks: Consumer Lifestyles and Demographics; Health Issues; and Weight Management. Highlights of Wellness 12 sessions include:

• Boomers and Millennials: A Consumer Panel Across the Age Spectrum
  • Lu Ann Williams, M.B.A., Head of Research, Innova Market Insights
• The Next Generation of Nutrition
  • Lu Ann Williams, M.B.A., Head of Research, Innova Market Insights
  • Ray Winger, Ph.D., Managing Director, Inside Foods Limited
• Leveraging the Glycemic and Digestive Properties of Wholesome Ingredients as an Effective Aid for Consumer to Manage their
  Middles
  • Richard Mattes, M.P.H., R.D., Distinguished Professor of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University
  • Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., Principal, Corvus Blue LLC
• Linking Nutrition, Heath and Wellness to Consumer Behavior
  • Kathy Hopkinson, M.S., Consumer Research Manager, ACCE
  • Ann Manley, Senior Analyst, Innova Market Insights
• Oral Presentations of the Heart-Healthy Product Development Competition, sponsored by CanolaInfo
• Achieving Wellness through Behavior Innovation
  • Rachel Cheatham Ph.D.,. Adjunct Assistant Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
  • Dave Lundahl, Ph.D., President and C.E.O., InsightsNow

Other Sessions of Interest Include:

• International Comparison of Food-based Dietary Guidelines: The Nutritional Message Across Countries and Cultures
  • Jim Painter, Ph.D., R.D., Director of Nutrition Research, California Raisin Marketing Board
• Changing the Food Marketing Environment Through Policy and Standards
  • Elaine Kolish, J.D., Vice President, Council of Better Business Bureaus
  • Linda Meyers, Ph.D., Director, Food and Nutrition Board
  • Robert Post, Ph.D., Deputy Director, USDA
• Phyto-nutrients from Plant-based Foods: Whole Food Trend
  • Connie Diekman, M.Ed., R.D., L.D., F.A.D.A., Director University Nutrition, Washington University
  • Carl Keen, Ph.D,. Professor of Nutrition & Internal Medicine; University of California, Davis
  • Rashmi Tiwari, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, PepsiCo

The conference will close with a session titled, What Consumers Around the World Will Want from Food Companies in 2020. A survey of consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Argentina and China finds that consumers will expect more from their food in 2020--food will have to satisfy taste, quality, price, and nutritional value expectations, plus provide health benefits and source or origin. This session will explore these findings in detail, define the relationships between policy and values-based pressures on multinational food companies, and offer potential next steps for food companies. Linda Eatherton, Partner and Director, Global Food & Nutrition Practice, Ketchum and Christopher Wyse, M.S., Vice President of Communications, PepsiCo Americas Foods will lead the session.