Food retail trends the hot topic at AIFST

Valuable insights addressing growing consumer trends and advice to assist food products to gain positive traction in retail will be of high interest at the 44th annual Australian Institute of Food Science & Technology convention, to be held 10-13 July 2011 in Sydney.

Chairing the retail trends session is Jenny Mowatt, General Manager Health and Wellbeing, Woolworths. She says groundswell change in consumer awareness is requiring fundamental changes in product development, marketing and provision.

“The opportunity is NOW for all food developers, manufacturers and marketers to address the strengthening consumer trends,” she says.

“Health-oriented foods are no longer for just a niche market - mainstream shoppers are demanding them. The big volume trend is for healthy, edible, price-competitive foods,” Jenny continues.

Addressing the implications of this issue from a food technologist/manufacturer’s perspective will be Michael Liddell, who is Unilever’s Category Development Manager and Acting Technical Management Director.

Jeff Schultheiss, General Manager at Birch & Waite (food products producer for retail and foodservice) will discuss the topic from a manufacturing business development perspective.

Rounding up with supplier implications from a regulations perspective is the Australian Food & Grocery Council’s Policy and Regulations Director, Kim Leighton.

Education of consumers about healthy foods and healthy products is an important aspect also to be highlighted, on Wednesday 13 July, and addresses how food industry professionals can market and sell their products, from retailers through to various other sections of the industry.

The AIFST Convention is co-located with FoodPro at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

For registration details, visit www.aifst.com.au/annualconvention.