Vitafoods Europe Provides Vital Information on Nutraceuticals

27 May 2013 --- It’s an exciting and challenging time in the nutraceutical, functional food and drink and dietary supplement industries, with fast-moving developments that offer real opportunity matched by an increasing number of pitfalls to be avoided.

It’s against this backdrop that around 12,500 industry professionals packed into the busiest-ever Vitafoods Europe and the co-located Finished Products Europe, on 14-16 May at Palexpo, Geneva, to gain crucial insights into the latest trends and developments within the nutraceutical sector.

The Vitafoods Europe Conference kicked off the first day with a debate between Professor Ambroise Martin, Chair, NDA Panel, EFSA Health Claims – who spoke out against the biased perception of Article 13 claims – and Professor Paul Clayton, former President of the Forum on Food and Health at the Royal Society of Medicine.

During this lively discussion, Professor Martin explained that the main reason claims were rejected was a lack of characterisation of the food and its effect – with too many companies focusing instead on substantiation and trials. As an example, he referred to a study in the BMJ for the health benefits of ‘different types of chocolate’, which he said isn’t specific enough, drawing a contrast with vitamin and mineral claims, which succeed more often because of their specificity. He also underscored the importance of human trials with healthy subjects.

Professor Paul Clayton hit back by claiming that the negative perception of EFSA was somewhat justified and that, in applying the same standards to claims for food products as pharmaceuticals, EFSA risked harming consumer health in the long-term, with claims being rejected unnecessarily. He also called on the industry to take more responsibility for issues such as obesity, cardiovascular health and dementia.

Commenting on his experience at the show, Professor Martin said: “It has been very interesting for me to attend Vitafoods Europe on behalf of EFSA. The discussions I have had have been excellent and I have received lots of good ideas that I can take back to EFSA and work on in the future.

“Vitafoods Europe has been a fantastic opportunity to network with peers and put faces to names. All the presentations were first-class with high quality speakers addressing important industry issues.”

On the show floor, the entirely independent and non-commercial Nutra Insights Hub addressed regulatory challenges. Here, Dr Charles Czank, Principal Scientist, Leatherhead Food Research, explained that ‘joint health’ claims for the amino sugar glucosamine had been rejected because it had only been shown to offer benefits among people with osteoarthritis, rather than the general population. He also discussed the claim that black tea can improve concentration – which had been shown to be true among the general population, but was shown to be only slightly more effective than a placebo, which led to its rejection. Robin Wyers, from Innova Market Insights, demonstrated the far-reaching effects of health claim regulation, outlining research showing that the number of products making active health claims has declined since the regulation was passed.

Along with regulatory knowledge and information on successful products, Vitafoods Europe offered insights into the industry’s developing trends, enabling visitors to learn how to launch successful products in key growth areas. These included personalised nutrition, high-protein food, and a full spectrum of health issues, from immunity, cardiovascular functionality and digestive health, to weight management and cognitive function.

Information on country-specific preferences and consumer profiles outlined the importance of a targeted approach that differentiates between entry-level products in emerging markets and specific well-defined claims in developed markets.

The Nutra Insights Hub offered analysis of mature markets including Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as emerging markets such as Russia and Turkey, where the health and wellness industry grew by an impressive 8.2 per cent in 2012, according to research presented.

Also offering insight into Russia, Europe and beyond, Professor Viktor Tutelyan, Head of the Russian Institute of Nutrition and Russia’s World Health Organization expert, delivered a keynote on his vision of the role the ingredient, food supplement and functional food sector would play in the future.

While acknowledging the essential need for a good diet, he highlighted that this would be insufficient to sustain healthy populations in the future and strategies needed to be developed by governments and the industry for a broader integration of functional ingredients into the market. He argued that technical modification of foods to remove and add nutrients would be necessary. His views were echoed by Simon Pettman, EAS Strategic Advice Director, who Chaired the session, and stated that the industry will need to work in partnership with leading officials, such as Professor Tutelyan, in the future.

Co-located with Vitafoods Europe, Finished Products Europe featured more than 120 exhibitors and enabled thousands of visitors to meet and secure deals for dietary supplements and functional food and drinks. Visitors also had the chance to be among the very first to try innovations at the ever-popular Tasting Bar – which featured products including protein bars, chocolate drinks, omega-3 gummy sweets and vitamin drinks for children – and vote for their favourites.

Balarama scooped the coveted Tasting Bar Award on day one, with its high-protein and low-sugar chocolate bar. On day two, Nutribio picked up the Tasting Bar Award for its unique blueberry cheesecake meal replacement bar, while on the third day, Carmit Candy Industries was named winner with its weight management wafer bar.

Commenting on the show, Antoine Dauby, Group Marketing Director, Naturex, says: “Vitafoods is clearly the best platform for discussions in the nutraceutical industry, which is why we attend every year. It's a clear must-attend event, allowing us to meet new and existing customers and showcase our innovations.”

Marius Riise Boska, Account Manager at Longyear, which exhibited at Finished Products Europe, comments: “This has been a really good show for us. We’ve met with lots of distributors and it’s been very busy on our stand. We’ve met with people from all over the world which is great.”

Along with exhibitors, the show was a hit with visitors, with Tunde Hajdu, Manager at Esentico, commenting: “It’s the fourth time I’ve been to Vitafoods Europe and it keeps getting better and better. Lots of exhibitors this year and the Nutra Insights Hub and Innovation Tours are great additions over the years. Everything is easy to find. Every year it’s proves a valuable place for us to meet new partners.”

Chris Lee, Event Director, Vitafoods Europe, says: “It is truly a fascinating time for the fast-growing nutraceutical industry which pulsates with opportunity, while also presenting hugely complicated challenges. This year’s Vitafoods Europe has proven particularly effective at addressing this reality faced by the industry – bringing leading experts to offer greater clarity into what the key opportunities are, how manufacturers and suppliers can succeed in seizing them, while avoiding the complex pitfalls that might cause them to fail.”

The next event within the Vitafoods portfolio, Vitafoods Asia, is taking place 4-5 September 2013 in Hong Kong, providing visitors with the chance to take tap into the $62.2bn [1] Asian nutraceutical industry. Vitafoods South America takes place 8-9 April 2014, the brand new Vitafoods Africa launches 29-31 October 2013 and Vitafoods Europe returns 6-8 May 2014.

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