Newswise — CHICAGO– IFT will be hosting the fifth Wellness conference March 28th and 29th. The conference will offer attendees a unique blend of unbiased perspectives, news about emerging trends, and information on how organizations within the food industry are penetrating the health and wellness sector. Wellness 12 will offer professionals involved in developing, producing, and bringing healthy foods to market with a unique combination of the latest advances in the healthful foods arena and the practical knowledge to apply these advances to their own product development initiatives.

"Wellness is a MUST conference for anyone interested in learning more on the growth of better-for-you food products. This is an important conference where speakers and the audience get a chance to engage with each other on development of healthier foods and beverages and the market landscape,” says IFT President Roger Clemens, DrPh.

The opening session titled Top 10 Functional Food Trends 2012 will cover the most important up-and-coming functional food trends for the next two years. This session will provide attendees with a preview of these trends and supporting data, including a detailed data deck that illustrates the cutting-edge market research that went into the development of the report. A. Elizabeth Sloan, Ph.D., President, Sloan Trends, Inc, and Contributing Editor, Food Technology will lead the session.

Wellness 12 will feature three concurrent tracks: Consumer Lifestyles and Demographics; Health Issues; and Weight Management.

Highlights of Wellness 12 sessions include: • Boomers and Millennials: A Consumer Panel Across the Age Spectrumo Lu Ann Williams, M.B.A., Head of Research, Innova Market Insights

• The Next Generation of Nutritiono Lu Ann Williams, M.B.A., Head of Research, Innova Market Insightso Ray Winger, Ph.D., Managing Director, Inside Foods Limited

• Leveraging the Glycemic and Digestive Properties of Wholeseome Ingredients as an Effective Aid for Consumer to Manage their Middleso Richard Mattes, M,P,H., R.D., Distinguished Professor of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue Universityo Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., Principal, Corvus Blue LLC

• Linking Nutrition, Heath and Wellness to Consumer Behavioro Kathy Hopkinson, M.S., Consumer Research Manager, ACCEo Ann Manley, Senior Analyst, Innova Market Insights

• Oral Presentations of the Heart-Healthy Product Development Competition, sponsored by CanolaInfo

• Achieving Wellness through Behavior Innovationo Rachel Cheatham Ph.D,. Adjunct Assistant Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts Universityo Dave Lundahl, Ph.D., President and C.E.O., InsightsNow

Other Sessions of Interest Include: • International Comparison of Food-based Dietary Guidelines: The Nutritional Message Across Countries and Cultureso Jim Painter, Ph.D., R.D., Director of Nutrition Research, California Raisin Marketing Board

• Changing the Food Marketing Environment Through Policy and Standardso Elaine Kolish, J.D., Vice President, Council of Better Business Bureauso Linda Meyers, Ph.D., Director, Food and Nutrition Boardo Robert Post, Ph.D., Deputy Director, USDA

• Phyto-nutrients from Plant-based Foods: Whole Food Trendo Connie Diekman, M.Ed., R.D., L.D., F.A.D.A., Director University Nutrition, Washington Universityo Carl Keen, PH.D,. Professor of Nutrition & Internal Medicine; University of California, Daviso Rashmi Tiwari, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, PesiCo The conference will close with a session titled, What Consumers Around the World Will Want from Food Companies in 2020. A survey of consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Argentina and China finds that consumers will expect more from their food in 2020—food will have to satisfy taste, quality, price, and nutritional value expectations, plus provide health benefits and source or origin. This session will explore these findings in detail, define the relationships between policy and values-based pressures on multinational food companies, and offer potential next steps for food companies. Linda Eatherton, Partner and Director, Global Food & Nutrition Practice, Ketchum and Christopher Wyse, M.S., Vice President of Communications, PepsiCo Americas Foods will lead the session.

To view the full program click here.

Registration is complimentary for credentialed media. Contact Mindy Weinstein, [email protected], 312-604-0231 or Stephanie Callahan, [email protected], 312-604-0273 to register.

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About IFT The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) is a nonprofit scientific society. Our individual members are professionals engaged in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. IFT's mission is to advance the science of food, and our long-range vision is to ensure a safe and abundant food supply, contributing to healthier people everywhere.

For more than 70 years, the IFT has been unlocking the potential of the food science community by creating a dynamic global forum where members from more than 100 countries can share, learn, and grow. We champion the use of sound science across the food value chain through the exchange of knowledge, by providing education, and by furthering the advancement of the profession. IFT has offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit ift.org.