Tasting Goes Global on New Food and Flavors

Newswise — The world's most popular flavors will be on the tip of everyone's tongue, literally, when the latest innovative global food products are presented in July at the 2004 Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting + Food Expo® in Las Vegas. For the first time, a comprehensive review of global new product trends and global new product tasting will be among the highlights of this exposition, the world's largest food convention of its kind.

IFT will feature daily the Global New Product Trends and Tasting Presentations; specially prepared demonstrations by Mintel International that will draw upon its Global New Products Database, a clearinghouse that monitors worldwide product innovation in consumer packaged goods. The presentations will focus on the latest new food products and themes from around the world, each to concentrate on one of three trend areas: Health and Wellness Ingredients; Ethnic Flavors; and Convenience and Packaging.

Analysts essential to the Global New Products Database will reveal current and emerging product trends and discuss the catalysts driving these styles in food. More than 50 recently launched trend-setting products from Europe, Asia and the Americas will be selected for sampling.

Exhaustive sampling of food is provided by myriad exhibitors as a staple of the IFT Food Expo®, featuring both popular and exotic flavors and ingredients. Samples are regularly offered on a booth-by-booth basis throughout the show floor, for the duration of the event.

Now in its 64th year, the IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo®, to be held July 12-16, is the world's single largest annual technical meeting and exposition of its kind in the world, regularly hosting up to and surpassing 20,000 registered attendees and 800 exhibiting companies. Rated among the largest shows in America*, the scientific conference and expo delivers comprehensive, cutting-edge research and opinion from food science-, technology-, marketing- and business-leaders.

Familiarization with the IFT Annual Meeting + Food Expo® and the Global News Products Database can be attained in advance of the exposition, online at: www.am-fe.ift.org.

* According to Tradeshow Week® 200 magazine, 2003.

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 28,000 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.