SPEAKERS

Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all eater. Food behaviors and needs are becoming increasingly heterogenous. Eaters are looking for foods and beverages that align with their values, tastes, lifestyle, health goals and budgets. This is having a profound impact on the breadth of flavors and functional benefits food companies must offer their customers. In this talk, Danielle Gould will discuss the emerging consumer behaviors, needs and attitudes that will impact the food industry over the next 5-10 years. She will also explore what the industry needs to do today to thrive well into the future.

This session will explore the current state and federal regulatory landscape with respect to the use of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in food and dietary supplements as well as consider FDA’s likely regulatory posture regarding such products, including those which contain added flavor. We will also consider flavor substances in cannabis and emerging issues related to the use of flavors in a variety of cannabis products. Additionally, this session will consider the current litigation atmosphere involving CBD and other cannabis derivative-containing consumer products and the prospects for ongoing litigation risk in an uncertain regulatory environment.

Companies are churning out new products every day that try to capture the hearts and minds - and taste buds - of the public. But what does it take to go from big idea to saleable product that keeps pace with trends in a quickfire marketplace? From ingredient sourcing, recipe development and testing to market research, product launches and promotions, this panel will explore how food products make it to the shelf and into consumer hands from the perspective of consumer product company professionals.

The flavor industry is highly innovative, coupling science and creativity to generate unique products that consumers enjoy every day. However, communicating the industry’s commitment to the science and safety behind great-tasting products is no easy task, especially when trying to tell this story to the next generation of scientists. During this presentation, Richard Pisano, Jr. highlights a novel approach to educate food science students at major universities about industry efforts, spark interest in the flavor industry as a viable career path, and provide tools you can use to share the story of the industry with college students.

Based on their unique biochemical potential, their non-toxicity, and their aerobic growth, mushrooms represent ideal candidates for the development of food and food ingredients. Submerged and surface cultures of fungi may e.g. be employed for the generation of natural flavors and the secretion of food enzymes. The presentation will address the biotechnological production of methyl branched aldehydes which impart meat aroma and the discovery of a novel food enzyme. Options for the upcycling of various agricultural side streams to valuable proteins and aroma compounds will be discussed.