C&E Spring Meeting 2009 – Whole Grain Global Summit
Whole Grain Products: the Holy Grail for Health Conscious Consumers?
Worldwide, the drive to promote the use of whole grains in human nutrition has resulted in increased research and is the cause of an ongoing and intense debate among scientists, nutritionists and technologists. The use of whole grains and their role in nutrition and health and in food manufacturing cannot be more topical. Regulatory bodies, including the European Food Safety Authority in Europe and the FDA in the United States, are currently debating ways to promote their use, legislate on associated health claims and establish workable definitions of ‘whole grain’ and ‘wholegrain foods’. These organisations are charged with ensuring that the best interests of consumers are safeguarded, taking into account the industry’s requirements with regards to the claimed benefits of whole grains.
The aim of the C&E Spring Meeting 2009 – Whole Grain Global Summit is to contribute to the discussion and inform these policy makers with a state of the art and interactive programme, presented by leading experts from industry and the academic world.
Two satellite activities also form part of the programme:
- Firstly, an open discussion forum to help define ‘Whole Grain’ in collaboration with the AACC International Whole Grains Task Force together with the ICC and the EU Integrated Project Healthgrain networks.
- Secondly, a half-day symposium organised by the GRAINITY project, a consortium of researchers from the Nordic countries, focussing on rye.
The opening plenary session will review progress made since the 2005 Whole
Grain Summit in Minneapolis followed by four controversy-seeking
presentations on the lead-topics of the conference: nutrition, technology,
consumer perception and EU vs. US regulatory and labelling issues.
Download the Outcome on the 2005 Whole Grain Summit in
Minneapolis
These key themes will be continued in four, half day, parallel sessions with invited speakers and opportunities for oral communications of the latest research. An "interactive" half day will ensure active participation by alternating poster sessions and topical moderator-led workshops, along the same themes as the parallel sessions.
In the closing plenary session summaries and conclusions will be presented, leading to new insights and action points.
The structure of the meeting will ensure close integration of nutritionists, food technologists, food processors and regulatory affairs experts, offering a truly global, multidisciplinary perspective.
