With top-line industry experts and researchers leading the way, sessions at the Ice Cream Technology Conference, March 7-8, in Henderson, Nev., will take attendees to the front lines of ice cream and frozen dessert innovation and help navigate several of the industry’s challenges. IDFA has announced the lineup for this popular annual meeting, which includes recent strides and priorities in food safety, new labeling regulations, clean labeling and other consumer market trends.
Here are a few samples from the agenda:
The Scoop on Millennials
Millennials are driving flavor and texture innovation in ice cream. As these young adults become parents, how will their preferences and priorities affect the choices they make about the frozen treats? This session will explore the consumer trends driving innovation in the freezer case and feature examples of innovative products.
Building an Effective Environmental Monitoring Program
Creating and maintaining a comprehensive environmental monitoring program (EMP) is becoming increasingly critical in today’s regulatory environment. In this session, renowned food microbiologist Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D., will demonstrate how to create a comprehensive program to meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration’s final hazard analysis and preventive control regulations and eliminate sources of potential contamination.
World of Chocolate and Cocoa
Learn how cocoa, chocolate and compounds are manufactured and how variations to that process can affect the final appearance, flavor and functionality of each product. In this session, attendees will explore best practices for various applications in ice cream and review troubleshooting techniques for manufacturing. The session will also offer a look at consumer trends in ice cream products, including clean labeling and the growing popularity of premium ice cream and discuss how to keep up with the current trends.
The full conference agenda can be found on the IDFA website.
Most Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Contest
IDFA is now accepting entries for the conference’s annual Most Innovative Ice Cream Flavor Contest, sponsored by Dairy Foods magazine. This popular competition offers the opportunity for ice cream makers and flavoring suppliers to showcase their latest ice cream flavors and novelties.
All conference attendees are invited to send one entry to compete in each of the three categories: Most Innovative Ice Cream Flavor, Most Innovative Ice Cream Novelty and Most Innovative Prototype Ice Cream Flavor. Awards will be given for first-, second- and third-place winners in each category, judged by conference attendees, and all winners will be featured in an upcoming edition of Dairy Foods.
To submit an entry, complete and email the contest entry form to Maria Velasco, IDFA meetings coordinator and registrar, at mvelasco@idfa.org.
Early-bird registration ends tomorrow, December 15. Registration for the conference is available on the IDFA website.