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Thoughts from IFT

From our vantage point on the main aisle at IFT 2011, we met with many of our wonderful, loyal clients and also cultivated new relationships.  I thought I’d share some of my observations with you:

  • Having more seating in our booth this year allowed people to come “sit a spell”!
  • Many people coming by seemed to be interested in the “open innovation” concept, particularly suppliers who were excited to learn that The NFL could be a partner for showcasing or incorporating their ingredients and technologies into new concept and application work, food safety projects, quality assurance programs.  The traditional way that ingredient suppliers, for example, provide information to our clients doesn’t often allow for exploration of all the possibilities and The NFL offers an interesting vehicle for finding an optimized solution because often it’s the combination of multiple ingredients that make the difference – as they say, there’s no silver bullet!  We were excited to learn of new ingredients and analytical techniques that we can leverage in our offerings to our clients!
  • I noticed a lot of products designed to hit the natural flavor enhancement arena (msg or salt substitutes/enhancers), especially MSG substitutes from the mushroom and soy sauce companies.
  • Other ingredients derived from “whole foods” to provide natural flavor impact, nutritive benefit and/or clean, simple labels were also showcased, like corn proteins and fibers and botanical extracts.  Stevia is, of course, still front and center, although there appears to be continued need to understand how best to work with it.  We have done quite a bit of work with stevia, by the way, if you are looking for help with applications, or sensory, consumer and analytical work.
  • “Ethnographic research” showed that Bourbon Street, despite (or because of) its luring tendencies, remains a hotbed for forging relationships and developing business.  Be cognizant of this and remember to carry those business cards from the time you get on the plane until the time you arrive home!

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-Lucinda W.