When Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting and Food Expo rolls into New Orleans on July 16, regular attendees will notice many changes to the annual show that serves as the launching pad for innovative ingredients. For starters, the Food Expo has moved from a four-day event to a three-day event, with hours from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, from July 17 to July 19.

The Food Expo also will house multiple pavilions, which IFT says will make navigation of the exposition floor easier. These pavilions include:

• International Food Safety & Quality Pavilion: Suppliers of innovative instruments, tools, materials and services will showcase their products.
• Healthy Food Ingredients Pavilion: Suppliers of nutraceuticals and functional, organic and natural foods will highlight a variety of ingredients and products aimed at health conscious consumers.
• IFT/Research Chefs Association Product Development Pavilion: This interactive pavilion will feature presentations from research chefs and food scientists.

• New Products Showcase Presentations: The exposition floor will feature educational forums on new food products, and emerging flavor and overall taste trends.

This year's IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo also will host the International Food Safety & Quality Conference on July 20. This daylong event will discuss many food safety topics, including a sciencebased approach to make the regulatory system more efficient in preventing food safety problems.

This educational conference joins the IFT Annual Meeting's slate of 100 technical sessions on topics ranging from trans fat solutions to innovation in nutritional ingredients and food processing. These technical sessions will take place from July 17 to July 20. For more information on the technical sessions, or to register for the event, go to www.am-fe.ift.org.