On 29 September 2010 Fi Conferences hosted the conference ‘Preparing for Stevia Approval in Europe’. The subject and the impressive speaker line-up attracted more than 120 delegates, which resulted in a sell out event as the Devonshire room of the Radisson BLU Portman Hotel was completely filled with manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and distributors.        

An image of some delegates

 The chairman, Prof. Dr. Jan Geuns  opened the conference with an overview of his successes when working with steviol glycosides as well as the current expectations for European Commission approval.   

Prof. Dr. Jan Geuns

 Elena Groothuizen was the first speaker. She presented a comprehensive global market analysis and potential market share for Stevia extract products and how to begin building a marketing strategy. 

Elena Groothuizen and audience

 Her presentation was followed by head panel discussion led by Dr. Joël Perret and Frances Hunt. Along with Prof. Dr. Jan Geuns , they discussed the current regulatory environment and when to prepare for approval of the European Commission 

Prof. Dr. Jan Geuns, Frances Hunt and Dr. Joël Perret

Reaction from the public

 After a short break, James May enlightened the audience with his presentation on his struggle to achieve FDA approval in the USA, and also his experience with educating the public on the benefits of steviol glycosides and how to guarantee demand for stevia-based products.       

James May

 Sophia Johansson gave a very crucial presentation regarding how to label products containing stevia extracts, as well as the possibility to make certain health claims once approval is gained.       

Sophia Johansson

 After lunch, in a panel discussion, Dr. Joël Perret, Greg Horn and Florence Berglund weighed the risks and challenges involved with using steviol glycosides and ways to find solutions.       

Prof. Dr. Jan Geuns, Florence Berglund, Greg Horn and Dr. Joël Perret

 Greg Horn  continued the discussion in his presentation regarding the technical challenges when using steviol glycosides in the formulation process.  

Greg Horn

 A field to table perspective of the Stevia glycosides value chain from Cargill was led by Zanna McFerson.

Zanna McFerson

 To close the day, two roundtable sessions were held simultaneously. One moderated by Peter Naylor, the other by Serge Thivin.      

Overall, the event was a huge success.  There was certainly some frustration felt throughout the room as it was made clear that approval from the European Commission could take longer than originally anticipated.  However, interest in stevia is certainly a global reality, and Europe has already begun the process to prepare.  Many companies are well underway with devising a strategy and reformulating their products.  Now we must await approval and specifications.

For more info about the content of the conference: http://www.fi-stevia.com/.