The a&r team was delighted to meet the leaders of the consumer healthcare industry in person at Vitafoods 2022 in Geneva! According to the organizers, attendance was back to pre-COVID levels: 22,703 visitors from 126 countries were registered. 658 companies exhibited their innovations, about 100 of them for the first time.

The fair was a great success for a&r, and we are looking forward to interesting new projects in innovation strategy, regulatory consulting, or clinical research with our old and new clients. Clients were particularly interested in clinical trials with fully virtual and hybrid options, so-called digital trials or decentralized clinical trials.

In the following we would like to share some of our personal insights with you:

The worldwide boom around pre-, pro- and postbiotics was reflected at Vitafoods with symbiotic blends or combinations with botanicals, but also through claims beyond gut and immune functions.

Collagen and gelatin as functional food ingredients or as capsule materials were quite prominent among the exhibited products this year, complemented by vegan and vegetarian options that fit perfectly into the trend toward plant-based solutions, accompanied with claims related to sustainability and traceability.

Stress, fatigue, sleep, and weight management continue to be hot topics in the industry, as does immune defense, reflecting a consumer demand that has been further driven by the pandemic.

The versatile conference program addressed specific ingredients and their mode of actions, consumer interest areas like sleep, mood or mobility, and business-related subjects. a&r contributed to the conference program which two presentations on infant clinical trials and news in the novel food arena in the EU. If you missed the chance to join the talks, feel free to contact us!