Food traceability tops North American summit agenda

The North American edition of the Sustainable Foods Summit will hone in on food traceability. As the battle for labeling of GMOs continues in the food industry in the USA, retailers and consumers are increasingly asking questions about transparency, production methods and provenance. Taking place at the Hilton San Francisco Financial District San Francisco on 21 - 22 January 2014, the summit will cover such developments in the context of traceability of food ingredients.
 

Labeling and identification of GMOs is a major focus. Sarah Bird, board member of Just label It! and Organic Trade Association will give an update on legislative developments, including Vermont’s labeling law and recent ballots. Following Colorado and Oregon, what other states are likely to hold GM labeling ballots in 2015?

In the absence of mandatory labeling, an update will be given on voluntary GMO labeling schemes. Kenneth Ross, CEO of Global ID, will highlight vulnerabilities in global supply chains for food ingredients. How can food and ingredient firms guarantee non-GMO supply chains? With a growing number of natural food retailers like Whole Foods Market taking a pro-labeling stance, the National Cooperative Grocers Association shows how retailers can improve transparency.
 

Sustainable ingredients are also featured. Many food and beverage companies are reducing their environmental footprints by using sustainable ingredients, whilst others are using such ingredients for product innovations. Kristina Locke, Founder of Conscious Food, highlights developments in natural sweeteners. With palm oil continuing to be a thorny sourcing issue for the food industry, IOI Loders Croklaan and Daabon Organic will give an update on sustainable palm oil production and consumption. Hampton Creek will show how sustainable proteins are creating innovative meat alternatives. Other papers will cover sustainable value chains, gluten-free products, and superfood ingredients.
 

The customer behavior session will discuss approaches to encourage sustainable purchasing and consumption of food products. Jon Dettling, Managing Director of US Quantis, will present the latest environmental footprint measurements for food production, consumption and waste. Globescan will show how consumer attitudes towards sustainable products and foods are evolving. Matt Jones, chair of Slow Food USA, will give case studies on how positive consumer change can be instigated. Keller & Heckman will give an update on the regulatory environment for marketing claims, whilst another seminar features mobile apps for traceability.
 

Organized by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Foods Summit is to explore new horizons for eco-labels and sustainability in the food industry by discussing key industry issues in a high level forum. More information is available here.