Sustainable Foods Summit North America agenda unveiled

The North American edition of the Sustainable Foods Summit (www.sustainablefoodssummit.com) will cover clean label developments, sustainable packaging, environmental footprints, and the impact of new technologies on food ingredients.

For the first time, the agenda comprises four sessions and two workshops over three days. Organized by Organic Monitor, the summit will be hosted in San Francisco on 20-22nd January 2016.

The summit will begin with a keynote on plant-based proteins. With the United Nations declaring 2016 as the international year of pulses, a pioneering meat alternatives company will make the sustainable case for pulses. Why is the future of sustainable foods inter-linked with that of proteins? Daniel Imrie-Situnayake, Co-Founder of Tiny Farms, will discuss the potential of edible insects to meet the looming ‘proteins gap’. With consumer apathy towards such novel foods, he will suggest ways to overcome consumption barriers.

The role of new technologies in creating sustainable ingredients for the food industry will be featured. Josh Hahn from MycoTechnology will show how ‘mushroom technology’ can change the profile of grains, sweeteners, and related ingredients.

He will explain how myceliation can produce clean label ingredients, such as gluten-free wheat, as well as remove bitter compounds from coffee and cocoa. Florida Food Products will look at the possibilities to produce clean label ingredients from waste by-products; the firm is making fibercolloids from fruit and vegetable biomass. Another speaker will highlight the use of microalgae to produce novel food ingredients.

The marketing session will showcase developments in the free-from foods market. A research agency will present the latest market data on gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and related products. Greg Steltenpohl, CEO of Califia Farms, will share his experiences in building distribution of almond milk in mass market retailers.

Steltenpohl will give insights into the importance of innovation in the non-dairy (free-from) sector. An update will be given on GM labeling in the US. With the food industry fiercely divided on GM labeling, Just label It! will give some predictions for 2016. In the absence of mandatory labeling, what developments are on the horizon with voluntary schemes? Other topics include consumer insights into food labels, transparency for packaged foods, and retailing for sustainability.

Sustainable packaging solutions will also be featured. Metrics will be given on the packaging life-cycle of food and beverage products. Victor Bell from Environmental Packaging International will show how changes in design and materials can significantly change packaging footprints. Corbion will give an update on the use of bio-polymers in packaging applications. Novel forms of green packaging will be highlighted, followed by sustainable packaging case studies.

For the first time, the summit will have two interactive workshops. Amarjit Sahota, President of Organic Monitor, will host a workshop on the global market for eco-labeled foods. With organic, fairtrade and other eco-labels now a regular feature of the food industry, an update will be given on market & competitive developments. The business openings will be highlighted, as well as future projections. Xavier Vital from SGS will conduct a workshop on environmental impacts; the workshop is a guide for food & beverage firms looking to take practical steps to lower their environmental footprints.

The program of the 6th North America edition of the Sustainable Foods Summit aims to tackle some of the major sustainability issues faced by the food industry. As well as giving a comprehensive update on eco-labels, the summit will cover major developments in sustainable packaging, new technologies for food ingredients, clean labels, as well as environmental impacts.

About the Sustainable Foods Summit

Organized by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Foods Summit is to explore new horizons for eco-labels and sustainability in the food industry by discussing key industry issues in a high level forum. The North American edition will be hosted at the Hotel Nikko San Francisco on 20-22nd January 2016. Other editions will be hosted in Europe (9-10th June, Amsterdam) and Latin America (29-30th June, São Paulo). More information is available fromwww.sustainablefoodssummit.com/

About Organic Monitor

Organic Monitor is a specialist research, consulting & training company that focuses on the global organic & related product industries. Since 2001, we have been providing a range of business services to operators in high-growth ethical & sustainable industries. Our services include market research publications, business & technical consulting, seminars & workshops, and sustainability summits. Visit us at www.organicmonitor.com

For further information, including detailed program, please contact:
Ms. Janina Wolfert
PR & Marketing Assistant
Organic Monitor
Tel: (44) 20 8567 0788
Email: press@organicmonitor.com

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