Expert panel explores functional food formulation at SupplySide West

Functional ingredients that are renowned in the supplement world are now making their way into food and beverage products, and we’ve got our finger on the pulse of the topic.

At this year’s SupplySide West, an expert panel will convene for a two-hour knowledge and networking session, “Formulating with functional ingredients: How to make health taste good.” Industry professionals Jon Copeland, Kenn Israel, Jaclyn London and Rachel Zemser will explore the integration of trending functional ingredients like collagen, mushroom extracts and ashwagandha into food and beverages, addressing formulation challenges, market trends and clean label strategies. Taking place Tuesday, Oct. 29 from 1-3 p.m., the session will be followed by a complimentary, 45-minute networking happy hour.

SupplySide Food & Beverage Journal Content Director Audarshia Townsend spoke with Copeland, a first-time attendee of SupplySide West, about what to expect from the discussion.

Copeland explained how he’s eager to share brand-new data from the company’s Human Supplement Survey, packed full of “fresh insights about consumer preferences in supplements, ingredients, formats and how all of that fits into flavor.” He’ll also detail consumer perceptions about flavor and why it’s crucial when developing a functional food or beverage product.

When asked about trending flavors in functional beverages, Copeland highlighted the potential of coffee. “What’s really interesting with coffee as a flavor platform is that’s something that people drink every day and it’s perfect for things like supplements where you need that daily dosage to get that health benefit,” he said.

Learn more in the video above.