Presentations and panel discussions will delve into weight management, the female athlete, ‘ageless’ consumption, mind health, personalization, miscommunication and much more.
From June 23 to 25, attendees in Vienna will gain insights from the most inspiring thought leaders in this space, including: Professor James Morton, chief scientific officer at Science in Sport; Mariette Abrahams, CEO and founder of Qina; Professor Paul Cotter, head of food biosciences at Teagasc Food Research Centre; Nick Morgan, founder and managing director at Nutrition Integrated; and Nathan Price, chief scientific officer at Thorne.
Ahead of his appearance on stage, Holland & Barrett’s senior scientist, Dr. Mark Evans told NutraIngredients Europe Editor and Conference Chair Nikki Hancocks that the Europe-wide retailer is innovating with ingredients and formats to bring active nutrition to the full spectrum of active consumers.
“Creatine is very sports nutrition related, with the ingredient usually coming in big bulky packs which can look quite intimidating to the everyday shopper,” he said. “But there’s a lot of new research on its benefits for cognitive performance, so there’s an opportunity to sell to a new audience.”
Since there are no approved health claims for creatine related to cognitive health, the product development team is formulating new solutions to help customers make that connection.
“We are formulating with creatine alongside other ingredients that do have authorized mental performance claims, such a L-theanine, caffeine, B-vits, Rhodiola Rosea and pantothenic acid," he added. “We then package mind health focused products in jars, which are more familiar.”
Joining the conference’s session on mind health, will be presenter Eric Puro, CEO of Finnish biotech firm KÄÄPÄ Biotech, a pioneering and market leading European mushroom supplements manufacturer.
Previewing his presentation, Puro told NutraIngredients that the market is currently in a state of recalibration after a period of extremely rapid growth.
“It’s an exciting time with so much good clinical research coming out to support the health benefits of different mushroom species but with any new ingredient that comes to market there’s a clean-up process —that’s where we are right now with fungi,” he said.
He referenced a recent report on mushroom supplements on the Italian market that concluded that only six of the 19 top functional mushroom products contained the species stated on the label and almost all contained contaminant, with one exceeding the level allowed by the European Commission.
Also on the program is a discussion on social media misinformation, led by the researcher behind the recent Nutrition Misinformation in the Digital Age report, who will present new data highlighting the significant impact of misinfluencers on public health.
In anticipation of her presentation at the event, Alice Millbank, co-founder and chief scientific officer at RRC, told NutraIngredients that the functional food and supplements industry is an essential piece of the nutrition information puzzle.
“This industry plays a really important role in all this, and we would like to make sure it remains credible by ensuring it doesn’t promise a silver bullet,” explained the cellular agriculture PhD researcher.
“One of the things from our research that stood out for me is that most of the super spreaders had their own range of supplements they were promoting. If you are promoting supplements, it shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. These things should always be part of a wider picture of healthy lifestyle changes.”
The agenda’s rich and though-provoking content will be complemented with by lively Q&A sessions, roundtable lunches, networking opportunities, a morning run/walk and a not-to-be-missed social evening.
To read more of the agenda and register, visit the event website here.
