Which Foods Are Hot, Why, and What's to Come

Newswise — The Institute of Food Technologists returns to the Crescent City for the third time in a decade with an outlook for a hugely successful IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo®, the world's single largest annual scientific meeting and technical exposition of its kind. Events take place July 17-20 at Morial Convention Center.

More than 18,000 attendees and 800 companies flooded nearly a quarter-million square feet of exhibition space in 1996, surpassed in 2001 with more than 19,000 visitors and approximately 1,000 companies. It's expected in 2005 that 1,000 companies will exhibit to upwards of 20,000 registered attendees, all keyed into the latest scientific developments in food and the innovative ingredients, applications and products currently available and soon-to-be introduced.

Repeating a successful new feature from the 2004 IFT Food Expo in Las Vegas, this year's IFT New Product Showcase will feature the latest food product-, emerging flavor-, and new taste-trends. Presentations will include sampling and tasting of many products being introduced globally, particularly those focused on the developing interest in, and impact of, new healthy food formulations and functional foods.

On July 19, food industry leaders will reveal how companies are adapting product development to address the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, delving into the challenges of reformulating foods with less sodium, for example, all the while delivering safe, nutritious, and appetizing foods for Americans now increasingly focused on improving their health through food.

Now in its 65th year, IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo® delivers comprehensive, cutting-edge research and opinion from food science-, technology-, marketing- and business-leaders. It is rated among the largest shows in America*.

In tandem with the IFT Food Safety & Quality Conference, this five-day period is hailed as Food Science and Technology Week.

Much more detailed information including registration for media credentials is available online at www.am-fe.ift.org.

* According to Tradeshow Week® 200 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 26,000 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.