The exhibition was a full-service look into the nutraceuticals industry, from its key ingredients, to contract manufacturing and labelling to services, equipment and branded finished products.
Singapore- The eighth edition of Vitafoods Asia, the only dedicated event covering the nutraceutical supply chain – from ingredient to shelf, took place from 11-12 September at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Centred around doing business, learning, and networking, the event welcomed over 5,500 visitors from over 60 countries through its doors, to discover the latest innovations presented by over 300 exhibitors, which marks a growth of 40% over the number of exhibitors in 2017.
Held second time in Singapore, Vitafoods Asia is a response to growing demand for nutraceuticals in functional foods and beverages. The exhibition was a full-service look into the nutraceuticals industry, from its key ingredients, to contract manufacturing and labelling to services, equipment and branded finished products. Along with what was being offered commercially, there were many opportunities to discover what is also in development. “The nutraceutical and functional food industry is in an exciting phase- we’re seeing collaboration across sectors to create innovative solutions to consumer health concerns- and nowhere is that more evident than at Vitafoods Asia. Vitafoods Asia is more than just an exhibition; it’s where information meets inspiration and the latest science, research and innovations can be found”, said Chris Lee, Managing Director, GHNN, Europe, Informa Exhibitions.
Looking to discover
Reinforcing its position as the largest and foremost global nutraceutical event in Asia, Vitafoods Asia featured 11 international pavilions this year, including new entrants like New Zealand, Poland and Singapore. New Exhibitor Pavilion showcasing the new entrepreneurial businesses and start-ups gained a lot of traction. Visitors met representatives from businesses that lead the industry development in this area, further engaging with them around their respective offerings.
Harshit Agrawal, Business Development Manager, Natural Remedies said, “At Vitafoods Asia, you can see exactly how the food, supplement, beauty and pharmaceutical industries are being transformed by innovators and scientists who are working to deliver optimal health in what you consume. We are pleased to be exhibiting at such a grand event and look forward to meeting new people and initiating good business deals.”
Key visitor attractions to learn more about ingredients included the Omega-3 Resource Centre and the highly popular Tasting Centre, enabling visitors to make more informed purchasing decisions. The Omega-3 Resource Centre, with experts from the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED) helped attendees discover new options for Omega-3 available on the market, as well as obtain an Omega-3 blood test free of charge, if desired. Visitors were also encouraged to vote for the best tasting functional food and beverage at the annual Tasting Centre Awards. This time around, Nutribio Triple Layer Vanilla & Brownie Bar won award in the Best Functional Food category, while the Best Functional Beverage award was bagged by AstaReal Pte Ltd SoothMe.
Tomasz Sadlik, Sales Manager, Greenvit was quite impressed by the tasting centre. He stated, “ It is a wonderful concept. The offerings by various exhibitors is impressive and provides visitors the opportunity to see, touch, and taste an array of the latest functional finished products in order to make more informed purchasing decisions.”
To showcase the latest breakthroughs in probiotic technology, to new areas of product development and consumer analysis, the organisers of Vitafoods Asia introduced a new resource, the Probiotic Resource Centre, for the first time in Asia. Probiotics Resource Centre Exhibitor List included Ab-biotics, CSL, C SP Technologies, IPA, Roelmi-HPC and Sanzyme Biologicis to name a few.
Expanding to learn
Apart from gaining access to the latest innovations in the industry, Vitafoods Asia 2018 also offered new learning opportunities led by the some of the industry’s best minds, covering both commercial and academic standpoints. Collectively, the learning platforms – Vitafoods Asia Conference, Innovation Theatre, and Life Stages Theatre – included rich content that address business challenges for a variety of job roles and business types, whether on market entry and access, scientific and technical know-how, or regulatory changes.
Returning exhibitors said that the event provided a comprehensive overview of nutraceuticals. “ We are exhibiting at Vitafoods Asia for the third time, and the response has been very encouraging. Vitafoods Asia is a key regional learning event centred on the latest research, development and application of nutraceuticals into functional foods and beverages; as well as the marketing, branding and regulations of such fortified products. We have also noticed that international customers is greater as compared to South East Asia here. We would definitely plan to return next year”, said Linda Kao, Project Manager, GRAPE KING BIO.
Running alongside the show, the highly anticipated Vitafoods Asia Conference provided a more focused education offering, while allowing visitors plenty of time to attend the exhibition and network effectively. The two-day programme included sessions delivered by expert speakers sharing their latest findings around key topics and trends. Researchers and innovators convened to discuss the current initiatives within nutraceuticals that are designed to promote optimal population health. Dr Dilip Ghosh, Director, Nutriconnect, Australia expressed, “Vitafoods is definitely the number one event in the nutraceutical area. I have attended almost all the editions so far, and I am actively involved in conference and educational programmes at Vitafoods. I found it very useful, and believe that education is of utmost importance, not only for consumers but also for the companies, regulators and doctors as there is a huge concept gap between these entities. Vitafoods Asia is growing and in Singapore, they have been a great success. I see a lot of enthusiasm and the market is bubbling with enormous opportunities.” Dr Ghosh was at Vitafoods Asia Conference to present on the Supporting brain health throughout the different stages of life to achieve improved vitality.
Dr David Foreman, President, Herbal Pharmacist Media noted, “ I have been to previous editions of Vitafoods in Europe and I have always found it to be getting bigger and better every passing year. Events like Vitafoods Asia are critical because there are companies that are trying to make that next step to providing better supplements and fortified foods, to the common person and such events help to bridge this gap. There are lot of new things occurring in the nutraceutical space and Vitafoods Asia opens the population to new innovations. Amongst all trade shows, this is by far one of the biggest that has major impact on health if people handle it the right way.”
Bridge to network
Bespoke events by DuPont and AstaReal further added to the breadth of learning and networking activities offered at Vitafoods Asia. Attendees learned more about the Health & Wellness Markets of South East Asia at the AstaReal Lunch Brief. DuPont hosted DuPont Hospitality Suite, where a team of innovative solvers, deep consumer insights and broad product portfolio helped visitors understand the hot and relevant current topics in Asia. “We placed products with health-enhancing benefits and solutions backed by ground-breaking science at the heart of our presence at the event this year. We also shared the research behind our science and demonstrated how it can be translated into successful ingredient formulations and product launches,” said Dr Li Yongjing, DuPont Nutrition & Health’s regional president for Asia.
Women in Nutra was a new addition this year at Vitafoods Asia to celebrate and support the women in our industry. Open to both men and women, this event featured a live panel discussion and networking time to focus on the challenges and opportunities for women in the global natural products industry.
Yoga Class and Networking Drinks Reception, both hosted by AstaReal were designed to bring the industry closer and relax and unwind at the Observatory Deck of Marina Bay Sands.
The ninth edition of Vitafoods Asia will be held from 25-26 September 2019 in the Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
