FREE BROADCAST EVENT: Hear Warburtons, Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, EUFIC and more discuss innovation in free-from

12-Mar-2021 - Last updated on 12-Mar-2021 at 15:23 GMT

We will be breaking down the Free-From category on Day 4 of our live broadcast event focused on Positive Nutrition

Register now for FoodNavigator’s FREE broadcast summit, Positive Nutrition: Healthy Innovation for the Mass Market. Over four days of content, we’ll examine how innovation can be leveraged to deliver population health benefits and tap into rising demand for healthier food.

One-in-five consumers follow a restricted diet and the number of people who are affected by allergies is rising. As a result, the free-from market is forecast to reach a value of $161.21bn globally by 2026, registering a CAGR of 7.7%.

Day Four of FoodNavigator’s 2021 broadcast summit, Positive Nutrition, will include two-hours of content focused on Free-From Foods. Going live on Thursday 25 March at 15.00 CET, this two-hour session will probe the innovation opportunities in the free-from sector and ask how the food industry can better meet the needs of this growing cohort of consumers.

Event: Positive Nutrition: Allergens & Free-From

Date: 25 March 2021

Time: 15.00-17.00 CET (14.00 – 16.00 GMT)

AGENDA:

PRESENTATION ONE: Free-from claims: How do European consumers respond to and interpret them?

Sophie Hieke, Head of Consumer Science at European Food Information Council (EUFIC) and professor for marketing at Munich Business School, will present insights from consumer research conducted across several European countries, looking into consumer perceptions around different free-from labels and their impact on product evaluation. What do European consumers understand when looking at free-from labels? How relevant is this information in their purchase behaviour?

PRESENTATION TWO: Food allergy: Natasha’s Law and beyond

The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) was set up by the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, a British teenager who tragically died after suffering an allergic reaction. Since, the family has been instrumental in the passing of Natasha’s Law – which tightens requirements around allergen labelling. NARF CEO Tim McLachlan will join us to look beyond Natasha’s Law and discuss the further changes he believes are necessary to ensure the safety of people with allergies.

PANEL: Innovative approaches in free-from foods

FoodNavigator journalist Katy Askew will be joined by a panel of experts to discuss the current free-from category and consider if there is an opening to better serve the growing cohort of free-from consumers. We’ll be asking:

Is there enough choice in retail / foodservice to cater to the needs of people with allergies? If not, why not?
Where do the biggest innovation opportunities lie?
Are there any innovation white spaces? And is new technology opening up new opportunities?
What formulation challenges does innovating in free from bring? How can they be overcome?
Can free-from products also meet demand for clean label?
Free-from has something of a health halo – but does free-from necessarily mean healthier?
Are brands bolstered or hindered by supermarket placement and dedicated free-from aisles?

The 45-minute panel will be followed by a 20 minute Q&A, where you’ll have the opportunity to have your say.

Our expert panel includes: