The Burdock Group Consultants completed another very successful showcase at the Institute of Food Technologist’s (IFT) Annual Meeting+Food Expo 2014 in New Orleans. Before the conference even began, George A. Burdock, Ph.D. (President of Burdock Group) spoke at the Pre-Conference Symposium on Regulatory Requirements in Sports Nutrition and Muscle Building Supplements at the Hilton Riverside. Highlights of the talk included guidance on claim substantiations, past histories of regulatory pitfalls, and speculation on future regulation in the supplement industry. Afterwards, the Burdock Group team attended IFT’s annual award ceremony and celebrated the 75th anniversary of the convention.
From the left: John Geisler, Ray Matulka, Ph.D., Gina Radcliff, and George Burdock, Ph.D.
The next morning the trade show floor opened, and it smelled great; food and beverage manufacturers from around the world showed off the latest innovations in food science and technology. New products ranged from all natural food color additives (shown off in the form of gummies) to soy oil and many more revolutionary ingredient concoctions, to which many Burdock Group had contributed safety and regulatory advice. The Burdock team talked with many other food science innovators at our trade show booth and met with future clients.
On Monday, June 23, two of Burdock Group’s senior toxicologists moderated and presented on Functional Food regulations in Nutrition’s Stepchild. Nancy J. Szabo, Ph.D. and Ray A. Matulka, Ph.D. spoke on the importance of claim substantiations, specifically for functional foods. Karine Derouet from RNI Conseil, Burdock Group’s international consulting partner, followed up with the European perspective of health claims regulations and relevant application information for submitting a health claim to the European Union. The session speakers answered many questions about bringing new functional foods into the U.S. and the E.U. markets.
Burdock Group joined industry leaders for the joint Toxicology & Safety Evaluation and Food Laws & Regulations Division luncheon. After the presentation from the Food and Drug Administration speaker (Dr. Dennis Keefe, CFSAN Director) Dr. Burdock formally recognized the two award winners of Burdock Group’s Student Travel Awards. Burdock Group hosts the student travel awards for toxicology students bi-annually, at Society of Toxicologists (SOT) Conference and the annual IFT meeting for the Toxicology and Safety Evaluation Division and the Food Laws and Regulations Division. The student travel award winners received a check for $500 and a copy of Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology – The Basic Science of Poisons, in which Dr. Burdock is the co-author of the chapter on food toxicology, and a plaque with the winner’s name to commemorate the occasion. This IFT’s student award winners were Dieu Trang from University of Missouri and Dennis Cladis of Purdue University.
Dieu Trang and George Burdock, Ph.D.
Dennis Clang and George Burdock, Ph.D.
On Monday night Burdock Group joined Eurofins Scientific, a food testing laboratory and longtime Burdock partner, for a tour of their recently opened New Orleans facility. The laboratory was spectacular, with an amazing view looking over the water and the latest and most up-to-date and efficient equipment. The Burdock team enjoyed a crawfish feast with other food safety industry leaders and food science enthusiasts, waking up bright and early the next day to attend conference sessions and open the trade show booth for the last day of IFT!
John Geisler and Ray Matulka, Ph.D.
Burdock Group toxicologists moderated another session Tuesday morning: Food Ingredients for Pets – Regulatory Hurdles. Dr. Ray Matulka opened the session with important insights into the regulatory environment of pet food ingredients, and was referenced by many of the speakers as the expert in the subject matter. George Collings, Ph.D. (President of Nutrition Solutions) presented timely information on the current pet food market and William Burkholder, Ph.D. (Center for Veterinary Medicine) spoke about the current regulations and the importance of regulatory compliance. Finally, Karine Derouet of RNI again finished up the panel with the European perspective of pet food ingredient regulations.
Tuesday was another great day on the trade show floor, with exhibitors and attendees from around the world getting their final looks, talks, and tastes in with all of the various displays and demonstrations. Exhibitors like Tabasco showed off their spicy and New Orleans style flavors. The Burdock Group team answered many questions from speaker session attendees and had many conversations about food, beverage and dietary supplement ingredient regulations. As the conference came to end at 4 PM, the Burdock Group consultants flew back to Orlando with many conversations to continue.