The featured speaker at the annual event will be Dr Vasilios Frankos, director of the Division of Dietary Supplement Programs at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr Frankos, who will be speaking on Wednesday April 30, will provide an update on recent FDA activity including the adverse reaction reporting system, as well as a general update on mandatory serious adverse reaction reporting under the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act. Other sessions include a 'State of the Industry' update, by representatives from industry groups American Herbal Products Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition and Natural Products Association. The trade groups will provide industry members with an update on current issues affecting the natural and healthy products segment, including regulatory issues, FDA and FTC (Federal Trade Commission) enforcement, GMPs, AERs, consumer concerns and media attention. With new GMP regulations on the horizon, another session will examine the issues that still remain unclear in these regulations. Topics to be discussed include which testing methods are acceptable for use, what role ingredient suppliers play, and how the regulations will be enforced. A 'Capitol Hill Update' aims to provide an overview of new bills that affect the dietary supplement and food industries, and hopes to provide insight into what to expect. In addition, James Griffiths, vice president of food and dietary supplement standards at US Pharmacopeia will speak about the Dietary Supplements Compendium and how this compares to other compendia. In terms of market trends, the Natural Marketing Institute will present a session on the latest nutritional trends in supplements and functional foods, and how these categories are converging. The latest trends to be discussed have been drawn from the group's Health and Wellness Trends Database, and are said to be related to consumer behaviors and their desire for functionality within health and wellness. NMI said it will also reveal new functional product introductions and future trends. In addition, the American Botanical Council's founder and executive director Mark Blumenthal will talk about issues and trends in the herbal marketplace, while Capsugel will discuss growing, declining and potential global vitamin and dietary supplement markets. Innova Market Insights will also present a session entitled 'Ingredients: What's hot on the supply side'.
- Other presentations include:
- Supplements, steroids and sports
- Deciphering superfruits and their future market impact
- Nutraceuticals and immune restoration
- Exercise, calcium supplementation and bone health
- Science update on essential fatty acids
- New scientific evidence on probiotics and health
- Weight management and diabetes ingredients
- Controlled release formulation to boost product performance
Beyond the educational seminars, the event will also include a two-day trade show, where ingredients firms such as ADM, Danisco, Glanbia and Frutarom will present their latest nutritional ingredients. Around 47 percent of SSE attendees are expected to be in the corporate management sector of food, beverage, dietary supplement and cosmetics firms, while 28 percent are in sales, marketing and business development. Some 16 percent of attendees are in production and manufacturing, including executives in R&D, product development, science and purchasing. Around 5 percent are thought to be in regulatory, legal and administrative management.