Promotional Features
Discover the ingredients trends before they hit the market
Following its successful debut last year, The Ingredients Show is returning to the NEC in Birmingham from 8-10 April. This second event promises to provide a comprehensive insight into the roots of the food and drink industry, an unmissable glimpse into the next flavours set to hit the market and the best methods of sourcing them and incorporating them into successful, consumer-friendly products.
Food and drink manufacturers will discover the tools they need to add innovation to their next wave of products – and impress their customers and end-consumers. As well as ingredients, the show will offer individual businesses a range of solutions and services to help them thrive. Meanwhile, the UK’s leading food development professionals will have an unrivalled opportunity to learn about upcoming trends in the industry, thanks to exclusive expert insights on new ingredients, and the latest developments in sustainability and nutrition.
Flavour innovation is fast-paced, so it is essential for suppliers to keep up in order to hit the trends successfully and at the right moment. According to specialist ingredients firm WFSI – ADM Nutrition, new combinations tipped for the next development wave include botanical, ethnic and exotic flavours – each one with the potential to meet consumers’ insatiable demand for exciting new creations. These trends are expected to be particularly prevalent in the beverages, sugar confectionery and dairy categories over the coming year.
Over the three days of the show, exhibiting companies will reveal their latest innovations. These include John Morley, which offers raw ingredients from mincemeat to fruit fillings; cocoa bean supplier CasaLuker; functional additives business Falken Trade; and Plant Lipids, one of the world’s largest suppliers of spice oils, extracts and natural food colours.
These exhibitors – and more – will exhibit their latest wares at The Ingredients Show and will be ready to answer manufacturers’ queries on how best to utilise them in new products and satisfy the rapidly evolving consumer demand.
Live advice
Visitors to The Ingredients Show will also have access to seminars at The Education Theatre, where they will be able to gain advice from a host of global industry experts. Industry leaders taking part in the programme will offer their views on a cross-section of the most topical issues in food manufacture.
These will include a panel session on ‘The art of the plant-based meal option. Bring the flavour, leave the meat’. With a third of Britons shopping or reducing their meat intake, according to a recent survey by Waitrose, consumers are increasingly seeking options in this area, but are reluctant to compromise on taste. Emily Foster, founder of nutrition and marketing consultancy Glowing Potential (pictured right), will chair a panel debate that will explore the ingredients and methods essential for manufacturers to stay ahead in in this challenging marketplace, where products range from vegan chicken and seafood to plant-based snacks.
The topical global issue of plastic packaging will be covered in a session on ‘The plastic planet: Seaweed packaging you can eat’. With plastics dominating headlines and consumers becoming increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability, manufacturers are being pushed to adapt their packaging and reduce the impact of plastic waste on the world. This session will bring together a group of experts who are pioneering new practices that work towards this goal. As consumers increasingly make choices based on sustainability, delegates should not miss this informative session.
Another expert panel session will address the possibility of sustainable palm oil, with a high-level debate on this contentious subject.
Meanwhile, the highly publicised sugar debate is also on the agenda. With sugar consumption increasingly linked to the UK’s obesity epidemic, manufacturers have worked hard over the past couple of years to reduce sugar content in food in order to meet government’s RDA targets. In this key seminar, ‘Missing the sweet spot? The refined sugar backlash’, an industry panel will discuss the challenge of sugar reduction and its impact on the market.
Chefs and researchers are experimenting with the use of insects as an innovative new snacking product and forward-thinking insect-based brands are picking up more mainstream listings. Richard Ford, associate director at retail design consultancy Sherlock Studio (pictured left), will lead a panel of experts, including Neil Phippy, co-founder of Eat Grub, to debate ‘Insects as ingredients: fad or future food?'. As an innovative new sustainable food brand aiming to revolutionise western food culture and with a recent listing in Sainsbury’s, Eat Grub is perfectly placed to offer its insights and experience in this emerging market.
Visitors will even have the opportunity to put edible insects to the test in a tasting session, entitled ‘Worth their salt: The ingredients shaking up savoury snacks’. This will introduce attendees to the world of edible insects and open visitors’ eyes to the latest innovations on the market.
Dan Dixon, event director, said: “Food development is where it all starts and manufacturers need – more than ever – to be ahead of the game. Consumer tastes and demands are changing more rapidly than ever before, and The Ingredients Show offers the perfect forum for R&D professionals to pick up new ideas for curating the next wave of products.
“The Ingredients Show’s second event will gather key companies in one place, allowing manufacturers a look at the biggest trends of the coming year, as well as picking up invaluable advice and insights from our host of expert speakers at The Education Theatre.”
The Ingredients Show is co-located with The Forecourt Show, National Convenience Show and Farm Shop & Deli Show. Registration for any one of the events will ensure access to the other shows throughout all three days. Register your interest to attend here.
To hear what visitors said about last year’s event, click on the following link: https://youtu.be/Nk1G1Ws9buI