See, Touch, and Sample at SupplySide West 2017

Returning to Las Vegas for its 21st year, SupplySide West 2017—“where science and strategy intersect”—is set to provide its 15,000 expected attendees with a wealth of educational opportunities, special events, and exhibitors. The annual show, which is geared toward professionals in the animal nutrition, beverage, cosmetics, dietary supplement, and food industries, will take place Monday through Friday, Sept. 25–29, at Mandalay Bay.

The SupplySide West expo will feature more than 1,200 ingredient suppliers offering more than 10,000 ingredients and services. Now in its third year, Ingredient Launchpad sessions will feature supplier information on innovative ingredients in short, quick-hitting talks on the SupplySide Central stage. Meanwhile, the Tasting Bar lets attendees see, touch, and sample innovative functional foods and beverages. Resource centers featuring probiotics and omega-3s, respectively, will share information on key market issues, trends, and opportunities.

This year’s meeting also offers 140 hours of educational sessions, including a presentation from featured speaker Steven Tave, director of the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, who will share the latest insights on the FDA’s activities in the dietary supplement space. Several courses centered around GMP compliance training will be offered in conjunction with NSF International; these will be held Monday and Tuesday. In addition, a series of panel discussions will take place over Wednesday and Thursday.

On Wednesday, these include “Children’s Nutrition: The Next Gen,” which will discuss current research and factors affecting children’s nutrition and the opportunities they present for new product development. In addition, in “Next-Gen Ingredients for Brain Health,” researchers will share their insights on studies suggesting the benefits of omega-3s for neuroprotection, probiotics to bolster emotional IQ via the gut-brain axis, carotenoids that bolster cognitive performance, and adaptogens that can impact executive function and stress management.

On Thursday, “Making Personalized Nutrition a Reality” will explore the impact new technologies might have on consumers’ expectations of nutritional products and their health effects, and “Trump & The New Administration” will examine the president’s policies governing regulatory agencies, the importance of lobbying, and how Congress’s decisions impact the food, beverage, and dietary supplement industries.

Three-hour workshops, meanwhile, will take place on Tuesday and Friday. During Tuesday’s “Defining Clean Label: Moving From Trend to Norm,” a panel of experts will offer insights into clean label and its impact on future product development and current market trajectory for clean label foods and beverages and key growth categories for new product development. In “Tackling Weight Management With Nutrition,” attendees will discover how functional foods and supplements can contribute to maintaining a healthy weight and explore the science on protein, amino acids, and fatty acids to optimize body composition.

On Friday, speakers in the “Developing and Taking a Probiotic Product to Market” workshop will offer consumer market trends data to help guide product development and launches, as well as an overview of what is happening in the regulatory space that affects probiotic ingredients and product launches. “Exploring Opportunities in China,” meanwhile, will provide insight into the market drivers, regulatory considerations, and growth strategies that can help companies’ businesses thrive in China.

On Friday, the all-day 2017 American Herbal Products Assoc. Botanical Congress will offer a unique opportunity to learn about global supply chain management techniques, regulatory considerations facing the botanical market, current financial trends in the worldwide herbal marketplace, and many more of the diverse challenges the herbal products industry faces.

Networking opportunities are also planned, including breakfast and lunch briefs, the CPG Editor’s Choice Awards, and a First-Time Attendee Reception. A separate registration may be required for some sessions; visit west.supplysideshow.com for more information.