I thought it was flattering that the recycle bins in McCormick Place feature dairy products. They must know that these products are being consumed in large quantities and consumers need to be made aware of their recyclability composition.
Amazing to see so many of you in my hometown—Chicago--at The Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) Annual Event and Expo. Last week I projected that the
overarching theme of this year’s show would be “Doing More with Less.” And it was. Some suppliers focused on cleaning up labels by replacing chemical additives with multi-functional natural solutions. Others focused on natural techniques—ingredients and processing aids—to make food safer and healthier. And, of course, cost-reduction solutions were plentiful.
There was also so much more shared during the education portion of the conference, as well as during side bar conversations. These Five Take-Aways are the Future of Food Ingredients.
1. Molecules invisible to the naked eye—think Microorganisms, Enzymes and Gases found on the Periodic Table of Elements—will be the driving force behind ingredient production. While some of these ingredients may be “new,” many will simply be ingredients we are all familiar with, yet made in a process that is more friendly to the earth. These technologies will also assist with improving the current range of dairy and meat alternatives.
2. The other technology that will assist with improving food is Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is the future of “new” ingredient development. It’s the future of health and wellness.
Think about this. One hundred years ago, ingredient technology and food science focused on fueling the body. The emphasis was on affordable, good-tasting calories, not nutrition. Then the world got automated, and we no longer needed all those good-tasting calories. Enter the obesity crisis.
“The modern food system is unhealthy and old,” said Nora Khaldi, chief executive officer, Nuritas, Dublin, Ireland, during a keynote panel discussion at IFT FIRST. “It’s because of the ingredients being used in these foods. These foods were built for taste and cost, not nutrition.”
That is changing. The only way for the change to happen in an efficient manner and help feed the growing population is to make AI part of the team.
Read more about this HERE in an article I wrote for Food Business News based on the panel discussion Khaldi participated in at IFT FIRST.
3. FDA is staying away from defining, clarifying or even addressing the conversation about Ultra-processed Foods, according to James Jones, FDA deputy commissioner of Human Foods, during another keynote address at IFT FIRST. But there are efforts to ban ingredients on national basis—vs. only at the state level—as well as planned updates on sodium reduction targets, the “healthy” claim for food product labels and front-of-pack nutrition information later this year. This includes the development of a “healthy” logo.
“Nutrition is really a very big priority for us,” said Jones. “This is an area where I think some of the things that we are doing will lead the people like yourselves—innovators--to innovate in a way that allows your company or your customers to meet the framework that we’re creating.”
To read more from Jones’ presentation, link HERE to a Food Business News column written by my colleague Russell Redman.
Jones emphasized the need for food formulators to continue to make more nutritious food. This includes reducing sodium, sugar and saturated fat contents.
4. Health implications associated with rapid weight loss from GLP-1 drugs was a quieter, but very active conversation at IFT FIRST. And after the expo, at the Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network’s “Mid-Year Industry Update” networking event held at the Edelman offices on July 18, my colleague, Keith Nunes, editor of Food Business News, shared some recent insights he obtained earlier in the week on the future of GLP-1.
He explained that the pharmacy companies are working very hard to improve the current delivery method of GLP-1 and that capsules/tablets are probably only about five years out. These will be more affordable and easier to obtain.
“The pharmaceutical companies are not looking at nutrition,” said Nunes. “For the food industry, this scares me.”
There are so many unknowns, including malnutrition, rapid muscle loss, bone degradation and other unintended consequences from use of these drugs. Food companies need to focus on nutrient density to provide more nutrition for fewer calories to assist consumers with their weight loss journey.
5. That leads me to the fifth and final take-away from IFT FIRST. That’s Protein. There were many discussion regarding the fact that protein is the only macronutrient that has not been demonized, and this it likely change. There were no specifics, yet. But higher protein diets, along with increased intake of plant proteins—and all the phytonutrients and other compounds they include—may impact the human body in ways we have no idea, yet.
The contents of this IFT FIRST will go down in history as a pivotal time in food science. It’s changing, and fast. Either embrace the change or switch careers. And put on your seatbelt. We are in for a wild ride.
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