Secaucus, NJ—SupplySide East 2024 took place on April 16 and 17 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in NJ. More than 2,500 industry professionals attended the event, which highlights a range of solutions, manufacturers, and ingredient experts across a range of product categories such as food and beverage, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, active nutrition, wellness and beauty, and more.
"SupplySide East is the perfect platform for all things ingredient sourcing and professionals look to SupplySide as the leading expert voice to gain an informed perspective of the research and science continuously shaping the business," said Danica Cullins, Senior Vice President of SupplySide, in a press release. "The show serves as a meeting point to engage, connect and further discuss the future of the health and nutrition industry through the exploration of the latest products, services, research and regulatory changes propelling the estimated $5.6 trillion global wellness market."
Jon Benninger, Vice President of Health and Nutrition at SupplySide, added, "The people and companies at SupplySide East are making the world a better place one product at a time. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve such a positive and impactful community of innovators."
Seen on the show floor
Around 250 health and nutrition suppliers showcased their latest offerings, including Title Sponsor KSM-66 Ashwagandha, and leading industry companies including AIDP, Applied Food Sciences, Gelita, Gencor, Horphag Research, Maolac, PLT Health Solutions, Sabinsa, Stratum Nutrition, Trace Minerals Research, TSI Group, Vesta LipoQuest, and many other exhibitors among the suppliers taking advantage of the event's large crowd to display their capabilities and product offerings. Attendees could walk several aisles and find manufacturers of extracts, liposomal vitamins, teas, probiotic capsules, products for kidney support, hormone support, brain support and so much more.The WholeFoods Magazine team was there, getting updated on the latest science and trends.
Stratum Nutrition was shining a light on cognitive health. The company recently acquired Sibelius: Sage, an extract clinically proven to help improve memory and attention. Research suggests it can help support working memory, accuracy of attention, and secondary memory in as little as one hour—and more research is coming. Stratum plans to invest in more research into the ingredient, with a goal of unlock the ingredient's potential to create innovative solutions for health and wellness market consumers.
Horphag Research was discussing the science backing its branded ingredient Pycnogenol. The French maritime pine bark extract has been the subject of more than 160 published clinical studies and 450 scientific publications, and offers of variety of health benefits for skin, vision, joint health, cognitive health, active nutrition, circulation, women's health, and more.
Dr. Darrin Starkey, Director of Education at Trace Minerals, was at the show demonstrating the benefits of ConcenTrace Trace Mineral Drops. The full spectrum minerals are pulled directly from the earth and come with a wide range of benefits, including helping to restore electrolytes; supporting energy, metabolic and mood support; calming food cravings; and supporting healthy joints, bones and teeth.
Vesta LipoQuest was showcasing its Pearl Tomato skin whitening extract solution that can be used by both food and beauty industry clients to provide consumers with a "beauty from within" solution.
Maolac was discussing its AI integrated system approach to identifying dairy and plant-based proteins that share chemical similarities to those found in human breastmilk for the development of products that can be used by adults.
Education
In between networking, industry professionals were able to learn about the science and shifts taking place in major categories including women's health, healthy aging, and food & beverages. Informative events held during the show included Maxobiome: The business case and science for microbiome ingredients, The key ingredient: Leveraging functional ingredients to power F&B products, The state of animal nutrition: Insights for 2024 and beyond, and Substantiating products for women: Building trust through science, and The business and science of healthy aging longevity ingredients. Education sessions featured guest speakers like Jeffrey Kamholz, Director of Sales SPINS, Wilson Lau, President Nuherbs and others discussing a wide array of topics including microbiome ingredients, supply chain issues, and the future of FDA regulation within the industry. Some key topics:
FDA, Supplement Regulation and the 2024 Outlook
Dr. Cara Welch, Director of the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, FDA, held an information session on dietary supplements, the agency's Human Foods Program reorganization, and upcoming plans for 2024. As a whole, Dr. Welch said the FDA is looking to not only continue its current regulatory efforts within the industry but to also build on its performance through the rebuilding of its departments. "We are undertaking a proposal for a massive re-organization of the foods program. It's not renaming the boxes, it is sort of blowing apart a few different structures and rebuilding something that we think works best for the foods program."
FDA on Kratom, CBD, and Mushroom Supplements
With kratom, cannabidiol (CBD), and functional mushrooms gaining popularity amongst consumers, the FDA has had to take a hard look at the ingredients, their origins, their suggested uses and come up with a plan to address their legality within the dietary supplement space. With mushrooms, consumers have leaned into microdosing to benefit from its psychedelic properties and improve their mood and lower anxiety, while kratom has seen a spike in popularity as an addiction and pain management solution. Neither approach has been approved for their intended use in the United States, but have both landed on FDA's radar. Bethany Gomez, Managing Director of Brightfield Group, Gene Bruno Chief Scientific Officer at Nutraland USA, Inc., Rick Collins, Partner at Collins Gann McCloskey & Barry PLLC, and Rend Al-Mondhiry, Partner at Amin Wasserman Gurnani LLP, all weighed in on the growing trends and shared their unique points of view with regards to uses, lawfulness, and the future of these substances within the industry and its consumers.
