(Washington, D.C., March 6, 2009) The latest innovations in meat and beverage product development will be showcased in two pavilions – the Seasonings, Flavorings and Ingredients pavilion and the Sustainability pavilion – at 2009 Worldwide Food Expo. The show, which features the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) Food, Dairy & Beverage Exposition and the American Meat Institute (AMI) International Meat, Poultry & Seafood Exposition, will take place October 28-31, 2009, at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Sponsored by AMI and the IDFA, Worldwide Food Expo attracts approximately 20,000 attendees from 100 countries, bringing together decision-makers at all levels of the food and beverage industry, including executives, plant managers, purchasing agents, engineers, researchers and operations managers.
The Seasonings, Flavorings and Ingredients Pavilion will highlight new trends in the increasingly important category of product additives and enhancements. Cooking demonstrations will incorporate the recipes and new products that will be featured in several of the educational sessions.
"I'm looking forward to the spice and flavor venue at the Worldwide Food Expo," says Miriam Erickson Brown, president and CEO of Anderson Erickson Dairy Company. "It’s new and I want to try some new things."
The Sustainability Pavilion will feature suppliers with services or products to help processors and packagers meet the growing demand for sustainability throughout their operations. Featuring the latest sustainability trends and best practices, the pavilion and related educational sessions will demonstrate how dairy executives can sustain a healthy industry and planet while increasing the bottom line.
"Attendees at the show will benefit from this timely programming and valuable exhibits on the important and complex issue of sustainability,” says Mark Dopp, AMI senior vice president of regulatory affairs.
The Worldwide Food Expo attracts approximately 900 exhibitors, who display the newest technologies in equipment, packaging, ingredients and services for processors of dairy, meat, frozen food, beverages, snack foods, poultry and seafood. Food and beverage professionals attend Worldwide Food Expo to find solutions spanning the entire manufacturing process – from receiving and blending to processing and packaging to material handling and distribution. Attendees have the opportunity to view more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibits offering everything that food and beverage companies need to run more efficiently, create new products and improve profitability.
The Worldwide Food Expo website, www.worldwidefood.com is now available to help exhibitors and attendees get the most from their trade show experience. Attendee registration will be available online and is on track to begin in April.
An exceptional line-up of educational sessions, which are open to all attendees, is scheduled for this year’s trade show. The comprehensive educational program includes a special series of operations sessions including: Business Fundamentals, Consumer Trends, Food Safety, Sustainability, Product Development and Technology.
AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Together, AMI’s members produce 95 percent of the beef, pork, lamb and veal products and 70 percent of the turkey products in the United States. The Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the meat and poultry packing and processing industry.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 530 companies representing a $110-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org.