FREEFROM GROCERY & FOODSERVICE SUMMIT

As you know by the end of 2014 we will need to fully and clearly communicate all the allergens are in our food & drink ingredients, products, drinks and dishes whatever the location or occasion.

In short, by the end of this year, UK (and European) consumers should be able to confidently eat FreeFrom Everywhere.

So whether you are producing and packing in a factory or preparing in a catering kitchen, our conferences on the 10th and 11th September will give you not only the theory you need, but also the experience of the major contractors, distributors and foodservice operators who are already serving FreeFrom and reaping the benefits of doing it well.

We’re confident this years FreeFrom Allergy & Intolerance Summit will be bursting with all the information you need to be prepared.

Retail (fmcg) is on Wednesday 10th September and Foodservice (eating out) is on Thursday 11th September.

Both conferences are bookable separately at £475 + VAT and if you want to book both days it becomes £100 cheaper each day.

You can have different people come to each day.

We are, once again, running two FreeFrom days.

Each day is bookable separately, or you can book both together and get a good discount. See prices below.

Day one (10th September) will focus on grocery & eating at home.

Day two (11th September) will focus on foodservice and eating out.

But, as ever, there’s enough variety in the days to make it worthwhile coming to both and, of course, there’s a discount if you do.

Plus, if you want to book both conferences and have different people on each day, you can do that.

We’re thrilled to say that the event is, once again, chaired by Michelle Berriedale Johnson who is surely the world’s expert on this subject and she runs the UK’s Grocery FreeFrom and Eating Out awards together with Patron Antony Worral-Thompson.

AGENDA

AGENDA DAY 1 – Retail – Wednesday 10th September. Bookable separately.

THE RISE AND RISE OF FREEFROM.
Michelle Berriedale Johnson – Director of The FreeFrom Awards and Editor of FreeFrom Matters | Expert on food allergy and FreeFrom Food.
• Defying all predictions that ‘it was just a fad’ FreeFrom continues to grow.
• Where has it come from and, more important, where is it going?
• Overview of the day.

HOW MANY ALLERGIC AND INTOLERANT PEOPLE ARE THERE IN THE UK, WHO ARE THEY, AND WHAT ARE THEY SENSITIVE TO?
Louise Vacher | Consulting Director | YouGov
• A nationally representative survey of British adults into the FreeFrom category.
• Incidence and profiling of those affected by food intolerances.
• Purchasing and usage of FreeFrom foods.
• Consumer attitudes towards the category.

This unique research has been specially commissioned by FDIN and is one of the first times the scope of the challenge has been properly defined. The data alone, worth thousands of pounds, will pay for the seminar many times over. PLUS attendees be able to buy the complete report for a low price.

WHAT SCIENCE CAN NOW TELL US ABOUT ALLERGY & INTOLERANCE
Dr Andrew Clark, Consultant in Food Allergy at Cambridge University Hospital Trust. Chair of the Clinical and Scientific Panel of the Anaphylaxis Campaign
• Food allergy – once a rare condition now affecting up to 10% of the population.
• What are the medical implications.
• Is there a cure?
• How can it be managed within the community.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GLOBAL FREEFROM MARKET
Chris Brockman | Global Market Analyst | Mintel Food & Drink
• Global free-from innovation trends.
• The expansion of free-from.
• Latest interesting new free-from product launches from around the world.
• Progress of key free-from markets: has the bubble burst?
• Forecast development of the sector.

ACTION LEVELS – ALLERGEN THRESHOLDS AND WHAT THEY WILL MEAN FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY.
Rachel Ward – R Ward Consultancy.
• FreeFrom food manufacturers desperately need allergen thresholds for dairy, nuts, soya, celery and all the other 14 major allergens.
• A 10 year research project across Europe to establish these thresholds, or action • Levels, is nearing completion.
• How soon will these Action Levels be “Actioned” and how will they work in practice?
• What are the implications and benefits for the food industry?
• What will be the benefits for the consumer?

THE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF NON COMPLIANCE.
Brian Kelly | Regulation Law Specialist | Covington & Burling LLP
• Civil and criminal sanctions for failing to meet the regulations.
• The full aspects of product liability and how to maintain diligence.
• Fraud in food & drink; how to detect it and what to do about it.
• Unfair commercial practices how to spot them and how to prevent them.

THE RETAIL VIEW
Panel session with the major retailers.

CASE STUDY – GENIUS GLUTEN FREE
Lucinda Bruce Gardyne and Roz Cuschieri
• When do you know you have a great product?
• The benefits and challenges associated with success.
• Moving from asset light to asset rich.

AGENDA DAY 2 – Foodservice – Thursday 11th September. Bookable separately.

FREEFROM IN FOODSERVICE – THE OPPORTUNITY
Michelle Berriedale Johnson – Director of The FreeFrom Awards & Editor of FreeFrom Matters | Expert on food allergy and FreeFrom Food
• New regulations offer foodservice the opportunity to profit from the one-in-three customers who are concerned about allergens in food & drink, especially when consumed away from home.
• Opportunities for buying-in FreeFrom ready-to-serve dishes.
• Opportunities for enlarging the FreeFrom offering without effort.
• Overview of the day.

THE NUMBERS GAME – HOW GLUTEN-FREE AND WELLBEING HAVE CREPT UP THE TABLES
Emma Reed | Director Of Marketing | Horizons
• FreeFrom on menus – and how it’s changing.
• What consumers tell us they really want in food & drink, and what they don’t.
• The operators perspective – problems and how to overcome them.
• What’s coming up on the horizon in terms of opportunities and threats.

HOW TO MAKE FREE FROM AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE.
Will Smith and Sarah-Jane Dowman | Directors / happen.com
• The FreeFrom Everywhere challenge – allergens everywhere we look.
• How to use your current assets to supply FreeFrom food & drink everywhere.
• How to position allergen-free as a positive lifestyle choice.
• Eating in, eating out, and FreeFrom anxiety with the kids.
• Five top tips for achieving free-from everywhere.

COELIAC UK ACCREDITATION AND PIZZA EXPRESS.
Sarah Sleet, CEO Coeliac UK + PIZZA EXPRESS
• CUK’s accreditation scheme and how it works.
• the implications of accreditation for a high street chain.
• What it meant for Pizza Express.
• The benefits for the consumer.

FREEFROM AND THE CONTRACT CATERER.
Wan Mak | Head Of Nutrition And Dietetic | Sodexo
• Sodexo’s approach to FreeFrom and how we developed it.
• Where FreeFrom sits in the service providers’ world
• The main risk areas for contract caterers and how to spot and prevent issues.
• Some more FreeFrom areas to consider as consumers become more discerning.

IDENTIFYING AND MANAGING ALLERGEN RISKS IN THE CATERING ENVIRONMENT
Simon Flanagan | Senior Consultant – Food Safety & Allergens | RSSL
• Understanding the hierarchy of risk to the allergic consumer.
• The importance of good communication and traceability.
• Taking risk out of allergen risk assessment.
• Controlling risk and increasing profit.

THE DISTRIBUTOR’S APPROACH 3663.
Graeme McKenzie, Head Of Offer Development – 3663.
• Where does FreeFrom sit in the wider Foodservice market?
• The 3663 approach.
• Forward development of the sector.

DEVELOPING A FREEFROM PLATFORM FOR FREEFROM EVERYWHERE.
Chris Hook | Warburton’s FreeFrom Director | Newburn Bakehouse.
• Developing new FreeFrom products for the mainstream.
• The overlap between eating-out and eating-in.
• The hazards and pitfalls and how to overcome them.
• The benefits of a clearly thought through FreeFrom strategy.

PLUS
• Table team brainstormings so you can work with peers on how to take forward your new ideas.
• End of the day Q & A … a chance to pose your questions to the panel of experts.
• A chance to win a Magnum of Finest Champagne.

VENUE
The Holiday Inn, Coram Street, London WC1.
Directions are on the Holiday Inn Website

TIMINGS (both days).
Seminar date : 10th & 11th September, 2014
Doors open for early birds: 8:00 am

Breakfast for all from: 8:00 am
Seminar begins: 9:00 am
Coffee/Buffet Lunch/Tea: TBC
Seminar finishes: 4:45 pm latest

PRICES.
Book both days for just £375 per day.
That’s a £200 discount!
Single day fee is £475 + VAT.

MULTI PERSON DISCOUNT
If two of you book together, you’ll get a further 20% off and if three of you book together, we can offer a further 30% off.

SUGGESTED OPTION
So if you make it a team event three of you book on both days now, the price comes right down from £475 + VAT to £236.25 MORE OR LESS HALF PRICE.

Early bird discount ends in July.

For more information or to book a place click here.

Source: http://goo.gl/vQAoSB

Food Trends: Get to know the millennial generation

It’s hard to talk about trends without mentioning millennials.

This week, world leaders in food science and technology gathered at the IFT’s annual meeting and food expo in New Orleans to learn about industry trends and scientific development. Focusing on millennial consumers, three R&D professionals talked about how this generation will lead the way in food innovation. Below are four things food companies need to know about millennials.

Who they are

Heidi Curry of Dunkin’ Brands listed three key characteristics of millennials that her company focuses on when developing products for millennials: They are tech and food savvy, as well as environmentally aware when making their food purchasing decisions.

Those in the millennial generation were born between the years of 1980 to 2000; a wide range that Dominique Vitry of Pizza Hut says can make product development difficult, as it covers a broad amount of consumers in various stages of their lives. But, despite this challenge, they are not to be ignored: According to Pew Research Center, an estimated 64 million millennials will be shopping the marketplace by 2020, making up roughly 50% of the US workforce.

What they value

According to Christian Hallowell of Delta’s food service program, millennials are very interested in their total experience with a brand. This involves having a high “connectivity” with the foods that they are eating, whether it’s through an endorsement by one of their favorite celebrity chefs or a chance to semi-customize the final product.

All three speakers agreed that millennials tend to eat a higher amount of smaller meals throughout the day, perhaps leading to the rise of snack food options on menus and in the grocery isle. But Vitry was quick to point out that this preference might change when they share meals like breakfast and dinner with their families. Tagging these consumers as “fam-llennials,” Vitry says that millennials are looking for customizable options to feed both themselves and their families.

Don’t be afraid of their advice

When developing products for the millennial generation, all three companies seek out help from the direct source. Employing millennials lets R & D departments gain key insight into this coveted generation, as, according to Vitry, they are more than happy to give advice—even if it goes against the status quo of the company they work for. Vitry gave an example of one of her millennial food scientists approaching her with a unique complaint:

“I think I can just write an app to do my job. Can I do that?”

Vitry’s reply?

“Ya, and I’ll work on finding you something else to do.”

This fearlessness gives companies a fresh look at sometimes-outdated processes that may have otherwise gone unnoticed (and unchanged).

Millennials’ willingness to give advice has its downfalls though, especially when they take to social media. When a food company can’t deliver desirable trends—gluten free, 100% organic, etc.—fast enough, they’re quick to write off the brand all together, sometimes with a tweet or Facebook post.

“They don’t seem to understand what impact a tweet may have on a company,” says Curry, “They may want instant change, but that may not be possible.”

Their experience is more than the food

When millennials are making their purchasing decisions, they are considering a range of factors far beyond just the taste of a product. One of these factors is transparency, whether that’s with foods’ ingredients or the motivation behind a new product launch. Many millennials are hyper-aware of the ingredients listed on food labels, and would like to know the practices used in manufacturing and processing the final product. Every food, from a snack to an airline meal, is now expected to have proper labeling, including allergen information.

Millennials also have a tendency to be less nostalgic when eating. “You want to bring product familiarity, with a twist,” says Curry, when talking about developing new foods for a company. Vitry agrees, stating that Pizza Hut aims to reinvent the brand to maintain a “new” experience for the customer, while still offering the company’s classic dishes.

“Think about Nike, nobody wants to wear the tennis shoes that came out in 1985,” says Vitry, “You want to wear the ones that came out recently, because of the technology and innovation they bring to your life.”

Source: http://goo.gl/kIAur9