Forum Discusses Top Challenges, Opportunities

BRUSSELSExperts will debate current opportunities and challenges facing  functional food and supplements manufacturers during a discussion forum at Vitafoods in Geneva, May 10 to 12. A panel of multi-disciplinary experts in the European and international arena will discuss the top 10 regulatory issues, including ensuring innovation, competitiveness, sustainability and food safety.

Manufacturers and distributors will also have the opportunity to address questions to panelists including Bas Van Buijtenen, vice president, Europe, Middle East and Africa, human nutrition and health at DSM Nutritional Products Europe; Henry Dixon, commercial director of Barrett Dixon Bell; Phytolab board member Hartwig Sievers; and EAS senior adviser patrick coppens. The panel is hosted by Simon Pettman, director of international food and nutrition policy consultancy, EAS.

This year promises to be of enormous significance for the food, supplement and ingredients sector, especially with the European Commission planning to propose its first draft article 13 Union List by the end of 2011," Pettman said. The discussion forum is a once-a-year chance for industry to address the big challenges that are being faced by the sector. We have fundamental change over the next couple of years, and this will have a huge impact on the industry. It provides an exceptional opportunity not just to understand these issues and their impact better, but also to grasp the debate and controversy surrounding them."

The free90-minute session is held from 9.00-10.30 a.m. on Thursday, May 12 at the Geneva Palexpo building.

Previous panelists included representatives from the European Commission, the European Botanical Forum and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

EAS provides regulatory and strategic consulting advice on Asian, European and international regulation for food and nutritional products. It also advises governments, trade associations and companies on the impact of European, Asian and global policy. EAS Vitafoods stand number is 1006.