SupplySide East educates industry on pertinent issues
the Baltimore Convention Center. More than the business
opportunities thrown up by bringing together visitors and
exhibitors under the same roof, also sought to heighten awareness
of regulatory issues and marketing and consumer trends affecting
the industry.
A panel made up of FDA and industry experts discussed implementation of the New Dietary Ingredient provisions of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) - a useful source of information to help companies meet the agency's requirements on notification without wasting time and resources on deficient or unnecessary submissions.
The seminar program included presentations on AOAC international methods validation and GMP compliance, the impact of Codex Alimentarius on the industry's future, legal issues surrounding the substantiation of structure/function claims, advice on safety in a post market world and motivations for dietary supplement usage among Americans.
Amongst the speakers were: American Herbal Products Association president Michael McGuffin; recently appointed Council for Responsible Nutrition president and CEO Steven Mister; Mark Blumenthal founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council; and Dr Susan Walker director of the FDA's division of dietary supplement programs.
For the first time at SupplySide, participants were able to review details scientific and research developments, with Science at SupplySide Poster Presentations displayed all throughout the event.
In the exhibition hall, a new area called VendorWorks functioned as a central hub for visitors to learn about business opportunities related to specific companies or products, without having to take the chance of coming across them on the show floor.
SupplySide organizer Virgo Publishing has announced that next year's event will take place at Meadowlands Exposition Center, May 1 to 3.
Meadowlands was the home of SupplySide East until two years ago, when exhibitor demand dictated a move to a bigger venue.
"After listening to exhibitor and attendee feedback, Virgo is taking the show back to the tri-state area," said Peggy Jackson, director of publishing for Virgo's health & nutrition division. "The industry is heavily concentrated in the area and we are listening to our customers' requests to return."
In the meantime, NutraIngredients-USA.com will be attending SupplySide West, November 9 to 11 at The Venetian and The Sands in Las Vegas.
