Future Food Choices Driven by Today's Consumer Demands

Newswise — Obtain the pulse of the marketplace and learn what consumers' current selection traits and spending habits are telling manufacturers about the next big trends on grocery shelves for the remainder of the decade. Leading food marketing experts put their first-hand knowledge of consumer food buying on display here, Tuesday, June 27, during the Institute of Food Technologists' Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO®.

Hosted June 24-28 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, now the nation's second-most popular convention destination*, the IFT Annual Meeting will feature the expert session, Trending Toward Tomorrow: Mega Market Experts Look Ahead, presented by IFT's flagship monthly magazine Food Technology and featuring leading food marketing authorities:

- Harry Balzer, vice president of The NPD Group, Inc.- Amanda Archibald, analyst with Mintel Menu Insights- Maryellen Molyneaux, president of the Natural Marketing Institute

Balzer's presentation will draw upon more than 30 different NPD food-consumer studies and focus on surprising consumption and meal trends, challenges in the American diet, demographic shifts in eating habits, and changes in in-home and away-from home eating.

Target drivers in the health, wellness and nutrition marketplace will be featured during Molyneaux's address. Her NMI data indicates this market for functional food will overtake low- and no-fat food sales figures, and much more.

Archibald will focus on the expanding outlets for premium foods and authentic ingredients, moving well beyond the once-exclusive domain of upscale restaurants.

Moderated by well-respected and popular food trends expert A. Elizabeth Sloan, contributing editor with Food Technology and author of its widely read and attributed annual report, What America Eats, this session is one of more than 100 sessions scheduled for this year's event. Other major topics include Food Defense, Food Allergens, Functional Foods, and Globalization.

Much more detailed information is available online at http://www.am-fe.ift.org.

Now in its 66th year, IFT Annual Meeting + FOOD EXPO® is the world's single largest annual scientific meeting and technical exposition of its kind, regularly registering up to 20,000 attendees, nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies, and more than 1,000 technical presentations. Rated among the largest shows in America*, the meeting and expo delivers comprehensive, cutting-edge research and opinion from food science-, technology-, marketing- and business-leaders.* According to Tradeshow Week® magazine.

Founded in 1939, and with world headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, USA, the Institute of Food Technologists is a not-for-profit international scientific society with 22,000 members working in food science, technology and related professions in industry, academia and government. As the society for food science and technology, IFT brings sound science to the public discussion of food issues. For more on IFT, see http://www.ift.org.