SupplySide West 2007

More than 8,100 industry executives from food, dietary supplement, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical companies gathered Nov. 6 to 8 for the SupplySide West International Trade Show and Conference at the Sands Exposition Center and Venetian Resort Casino, Las Vegas. SupplySide West continues to see growth in both participation and the exhibit hall. Compared to 2006 figures, the number of participants grew 13%, exhibiting companies grew 11% and the number of booths increased 15%. More than 980 booths showed an expanding array of GRAS ingredients, fortificants, nutraceuticals, botanicals and other healthy ingredients, making it the largest SupplySide exhibit hall to date.

“I’m here to look for ingredients that will enhance our Orange Julius line in terms of heart health, bone health and immune health,” says Bill Barrier, vice president, R&D, Dairy Queen & Orange Julius, Minneapolis. “I found some companies offering probiotics and interesting antioxidants, and several companies that I’ve never worked with before. I’m looking forward to working with them.”

Virgo Publishing celebrated SupplySide West’s 10- year anniversary with cake, a champagne toast and the presentation of the first-ever INSIDER and Food Product Design Scientific Excellence Awards. Tate & Lyle received the Food Product Design award for Promitor ™ Fiber H2O with Protein satiety water, and Integrity Nutraceuticals took home the INSIDER award for Cinnulin PF, a water-soluble cinnamon extract.

“This award is unique because a prestigious panel of food scientists and product-development professionals judged the entries,” said Bob Weeks, publisher, Food Product Design. “This award recognizes remarkable research and technology innovation.”

The three-day Education Program, sponsored by Cognis Nutrition & Health, expanded to four tracks this year to incorporate sessions focusing on food and beverages, dietary supplements and cosmeceutical science, trends and issues. Dr. Jørn Dyerberg, the featured speaker, presented “The Health Benefits of Omega-3s—From the Greenland Eskimo Experience to Present Nutritional Knowledge.” In the 1970s, Dyerberg hypothesized that the rarity of coronary heart disease among the Inuit could be due to the omega-3 fatty acids found in their diet of seal and cold-water oily fish. His subsequent research demonstrated the physiological effects of these fatty acids and opened up a whole new field of study.

“When our customers tell us it’s a successful show, as they have again this year, that’s our measurement for success,” said Dave Eckert, vice president, Cognis Nutrition & Health, La Grange, IL. “Cognis continues to invest in sponsoring the SupplySide Education Program so all of us in the industry can together learn the latest news from the top experts in their fields. Our ultimate goal is to work with our colleagues worldwide to develop healthy products that resonate with consumers, and this event provides amazing opportunities to learn from the best.

As a leading global supplier, our role is evolving into new areas at record speed, and these educational sessions provide invaluable insights.”

A three-day VendorWorks program gave participants a choice of more than 40 presentations on ingredient science, manufacturing information, formulation know-how and much more.

Several networking receptions offered additional opportunities to connect with industry peers. More than 500 global executives participated in the International Welcome Reception, sponsored by KGK Synergize and OptiPure/SGTI. More than 3,600 people attended the Opening Reception Wednesday evening; the event was sponsored by DSM, SourceOne Global Partners and INSIDER. The Appreciation Lunch was sponsored by INSIDER, Food Product Design and supplyside—inside cosmeceuticals.

The Golf Classic, sponsored by Pharmachem Laboratories, Inc., was held at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. 

The winning foursome on the Sun Mountain course included Randy Jones and Mario Columbo, L.V. Lomas Limited, and Anthony Lucia and Greg Dodson, ADM Natural Health & Nutrition. On the Wolf course, the winning foursome included Brian Hopfensperger and Mark Metvier, ADM, and Fritz Wagner and Patrick Hawkins, Hawkins, Inc.

“We enjoy working with Virgo Publishing,” said Dick Beitel, vice president of sales, Pharmachem. “We think SupplySide West is the No. 1 attraction in our industry. The growth over the last 10 years has been amazing. And, with the addition of Food Product Design to the family, I think it’s going to be helpful to everyone in our industry.”

Among other SupplySide West events, Toyo Bio-Pharma sponsored a “Drive a Maserati for a Week Raffl e.” Deepa Shenoy, Ph.D., founder and CEO, Health For All Seasons, was drawn as the winner.

“SupplySide continues to grow, because it helps make the crucial connection between suppliers and manufacturers of dietary supplements, foods and cosmeceuticals,” said Peggy Jackson, director of publishing, Health & Nutrition Division, Virgo Publishing. “We celebrated our 10-year anniversary this year, and I’d like to thank all the exhibitors, attendees and speakers who have supported us and contributed to the event’s success.”

Education Program Highlights

Weighing in on Obesity
Brian Herr, executive director, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Washington, D.C., outlined the organization’s mission to eliminate childhood obesity and inspire young people to develop lifelong healthy habits. The organization is working with schools, the food and beverage industry, health-care workers and kids to help fight this major health threat. “With obesity, there is no single cause, no single solution,” he said.

Foods That Function
Functional food, a category not officially recognized or defined by FDA, was the focus of several education sessions. George A. Burdock, Ph.D., president, Burdock Group, Vero Beach, FL, explained the regulatory barriers to developing functional foods, reviewed FDA claims and addressed basic concepts in regulations.

A panel discussion on the future of functional beverages was moderated by James S. Tonkin, president, Tonkin- Consulting, Scottsdale, AZ, and included Steve Allen, vice president, new ventures, Nestlé, Glendale, CA, and Maigread Eichten, president and CEO, The FRS Company, Carpinteria, CA. Eichten noted: “The desire for energy is universal. Humans have a thing for stimulus.” In addition, she noted, consumers are interested in weight management, as well as nutrition and wellness.

Kurt Stiles, owner and CEO, Intelligent Ingredients, St. Paul, MN, moderated a discussion with Cheryl Forberg, R.D., and Mark Newman, flavor chemist and consultant, on designing functional-food products. “Flavor is usually the biggest problem with functional foods,” Newman said, adding that safety, texture, color and shelf life are other product-development obstacles.

During a panel discussion on functional food and beverage opportunities, moderated by Garrett Lindemann, Ph.D., GourmetCeuticals, Big Horn, WY, speakers discussed the need for companies to take the lead in the self-care arena by developing foods and beverages that deliver health.

Consumer Consciousness
Two sessions revealed consumer attitudes toward food. Kate Peringer, marketing communications manager, The Hartman Group, Bellevue, WA, discussed functional food from the lens of the consumer. “It’s important to talk to consumers on their level by using subtle benefit claims, rather than claims that sound too medicinal” when marketing functional foods, she said.

David Schmidt, president and CEO, International Food Information Council, Washington, D.C., offered an overview of the group’s report, “2007 IFIC Foundation Food and Health Survey: Consumer Attitudes Toward Food, Nutrition & Health.” Results include: 75% of consumers surveyed believe food and nutrition play a great role in health; 53% rate heart health as the top health concern, followed by weight management and cancer; and 92% can name a functional food and its associated health benefit.

Flavor Facts
Taste was top of mind in the session featuring Grant E. DuBois, Ph.D., director, ingredient and product sciences, The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, who discussed the interaction of smell, taste and chemosynthesis, and their contributions to the definition of taste. DuBois also spoke about current sweetener offerings, including some of the newer alternative sweeteners, such as rebiana from stevia, that may have an impact on future product development.

EFA Opportunities

This year, SupplySide West offered its first post-conference workshop, “Essential Fatty Acids: The Opportunity is Now,” sponsored by Accucaps, Cognis Nutrition & Health, Denomega Nutritional Oils, EPAX and Ocean Nutrition. More than 150 industry executives stayed on for the event, which provided a scientific overview, legal considerations, consumer expectations and current market trends on essential fatty acids (EFAs), with a primary focus on omega- 3s, including ALA, EPA and DHA. Heather Granato, group editor, Virgo Publishing, detailed the chemical makeup of EFAs, as well as the various health conditions they impact. Anthony Young, partner, Kleinfeld, Becker & Kaplan, Washington, D.C., looked at regulatory aspects, including GRAS status of ingredients, and the current and potential health claims associated with omega-3s. Market research data was presented by David Sprinkle, research director, MarketResearch.com, Rockville, MD, and Gregory Stephens, vice president of strategic consulting, NMI. Sprinkle took a global look at product introductions and the momentum in the market. Stephens used NMI’s proprietary health and wellness database information to provide consumer trend data on usage patterns and familiarity.