| 08.30 | Registration and refreshments |
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| 09.10 | Opening remarks from the conference chair |
| | Dr Josephine Wills, Director General, European Food Information Council (EUFIC) |
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| Understanding Market Drivers, Regulation and Labelling Issues |
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| 09.20 | Keynote address: Evaluating allergen-free products and ingredients in the context of health and nutrition trends in Europe |
| • | Understanding allergies, intolerances, autoimmune diseases and other health concerns attributed to ingredients such as gluten, milk, eggs, soy, nuts |
| • | Considering definitions of ‘free-from’ and ‘allergen-free’ products – what do consumers, retailers and the industry understand them to mean? |
| • | Examining how interest in allergen-free products fits into wider consumer demand for healthy and natural foods and beverages – what’s the attraction of a ‘clean label’? |
| • | Evaluating the particular challenges of effectively communicating the status of ‘free-from’ products – considering the thorny issue of ‘may contain’ labelling |
| | Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, Founder, FoodsMatter sites & FreeFrom Food Awards |
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| 09.50 | Evaluating the current market for allergen-free products - Key trends and opportunities for the food and beverage industry |
| • | Examining who is purchasing allergen-free products and what is driving market growth with reference to Mintel's latest research in the UK market – it's not all about allergies |
| • | Understanding consumer expectations of ‘free-from’ products – the challenge for manufacturers and retailers, |
| • | Evaluating the key global markets and opportunities for future growth |
| • | Considering the categories and sectors that are leading the way and where new opportunities lie |
| | David Jago, Director of Insight & Innovation, Mintel |
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| 10.20 | Question and answer session |
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| 10.30 | Morning refreshments |
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| 11.00 | Briefing: The fundamentals of allergen management and labelling |
| • | Exploring current EU regulation of allergens and advisory labelling |
| • | Understanding levels and thresholds – what they mean in practice |
| • | Allergen testing - how and when it should take place |
| • | Best practice approaches to avoiding the risks of cross-contamination in sourcing and production – when is it right to use advisory labelling? |
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| 11.30 | Question and answer session |
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| 11.40 | Panel discussion: Evaluating the new opportunities offered by allergen-free products and the challenges that need to be overcome to capitalise on them |
| • | Expert panellists, from across the food and beverage industry, will address key issues including: |
| • | Focusing on the importance of quality, taste and performance, especially for those that are selecting ‘free-from’ for lifestyle reasons |
| • | Examining the challenge of holistic product design – realising the importance of not replacing allergens with unhealthy ingredients e.g. fat, sugar or salt |
| • | Weighing the cost of allergen-free production against consumer demand – is it really worth it? |
| • | Evaluating the sustainability of the ‘free-from’ market – will allergen-free products move into the mainstream? |
| • | Considering opportunities for new products that are allergen-free but create a new market in their own right – is a ‘free from’ version always the answer? |
| | Paddy Cronin, Commercial Director, UCB/Livwell
Eileen Steinbock, Head of Health and Nutrition, Brakes
Nick Smallwood, Senior Business Manager, Swedish Glace |
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| 12.40 | Lunch |
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| Overcoming Technical Reformulation & NPD Challenges |
| Explore practical approaches to replacing allergens that are fundamental to functionality, with a particular focus on taste, texture, stability and shelf-life. Showcasing the latest developments and breakthrough technologies, evaluate the NPD and reformulation opportunities in this market. |
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| 13.40 | Technical Case study – Developing a successful range of gluten-free and egg-free baked goods |
| • | Understanding the practicalities of removing functional allergens from muffins, brownies and cakes |
| • | Examining the challenges of maintaining texture and stability – ideas and techniques that helped in devising solutions |
| • | Focusing on the importance of taste – evaluating the development process and the quality a product must achieve to be launched |
| • | Considering the commercial drivers for this range – how are the products labelled and marketed? |
| | Zoeb Bhujwalla, Director, American Muffin Co. Ltd
Jose Mulji, Director, American Muffin Co. Ltd |
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| 14.10 | Technical Case study – Exploring the challenges of recreating the texture and flavour of cheese and yoghurt in dairy-free formulations |
| • | Understanding the functional impact of milk in cheese and dessert products |
| • | Identifying the functional non-dairy ingredients and the processes necessary to achieve the correct texture and flavour |
| • | Creating the dairy taste from natural flavours |
| • | Ensuring a comparable shelf life to cheese |
| • | Evaluating the packaging and labelling of these products |
| | Richard Seal, Non Executive Technical Director, The Redwood Wholefood Company Ltd |
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| 14.40 | Case study – Innovative solutions to the functionality challenges presented by gluten-free products |
| • | Examining the implications of removing gluten from a range of products – what you’re up against |
| • | Evaluating available technical solutions and the most successful approaches to date |
| • | Aligning a new or reformulated product with broader health and nutrition trends e.g. demand for a ‘clean label’ |
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| 15.10 | Question and answer session |
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| 15.20 | Afternoon refreshments |
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| 15.40 | Technical Case Study – Developing allergen-free added-value meat products |
| • | Understanding the technical challenge of removing allergens from complex savoury product formulations |
| • | Evaluating the substitute ingredients available – what ideas and techniques were tried? |
| • | Responding successfully to the functionality requirements of the product category e.g. shelf-life and stability |
| | Jeremy Hall, Group Technical Director, Bernard Matthews Foods Ltd |
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| 16.10 | Technical Case Study - Maintaining texture, stability and shelf-life in a gluten-free bakery products |
| • | Understanding the challenges posed by removing gluten from commercially produced breads, pizza and confectionary |
| • | Examining the practicalities of combating issues of taste, texture, structure and shelf-life |
| • | Evaluating alternative formulations – what ideas and techniques have been tried? |
| • | Producing a healthy and nutritious product – considering dietary fibre, crude proteins, minerals and vitamins and lowering level of salt, fat and sugar |
| • | Understanding the commercial considerations - how could the final product be labelled and marketed? |
| | Dr Valentina Stojceska, Research Scientist, Lecturer & Unit Leader for Food Product Innovation, Manchester Metropolitan University |
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| 16.40 | Question and answer session |
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| 16.50 | Closing remarks from the conference chair |
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| 17.00 | Close of conference |
