Information for the press
Food Hydrocolloid Conference
GME's key take-aways from IMR on consumer preferences and trust in food: Gelatine is a liked and appreciated ingredient!
For GME it was a great pleasure to attend the annual IMR Hydrocolloid conference, which was perfectly organized by Dennis Seisun (IMR) and his team. In addition to the opportunity to contribute a lecture on gelatine and to take part in a round table discussion, GME gained some interesting take-aways:
All manufacturers of hydrocolloids, and probably almost every other food ingredient, are hugely uncertain about consumer preferences. What do consumers want and what do they not like? It seems there is no one answer. Consumers cluster more and more in niche groups with partly contradictory demands. However, it was confirmed that gelatine remains a global ingredient of choice because it provides nutritional value along with its functional properties. Gelatine also has a long history in the food industry which makes it a product that is safe to use (GRAS status). Moreover, while today’s media are full of negative coverage of food and ingredients it became obvious that just a small minority with a big share of voice thinks negatively about food and ingredients. This conclusion is supported by the Edelman Trust Barometer, which clearly shows the high trust that people around the world have in food.
GME Panel Discussion On Animal Welfare
GME organised its first panel debate on animal welfare during its biannual General Assembly in March. Several experts contributed to a lively and informative discussion moderated by Greet Hombroux, GME President and Guy Parker, Public Affairs Manager at Cefic.
As manufacturers sourcing their raw materials from the livestock chain, animal welfare is a relevant topic for gelatine producers, their customers and the consumer. GME anticipated this and sought to hold an exchange of views with other partners in the value chain. Knowledge, experience, best practices and different perspectives on the issues and importance of animal welfare were shared by Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General at COPA-COGECA (European Farmers), Jean-Luc Mériaux, Secretary General at UECBV (The European Livestock and Meat Trades Union), Karsten Daum, Manager at BDSI (Association of German Confectionery Industry) and Dennis Witthöft, Chairman of the GME Animal Welfare Working Group.
Further information on all associations:
www.copa-cogeca.eu
www.uecbv.eu
www.bdsi.de/en/association
www.gelatine.org
www.cefic.org
Contact information
We are pleased that you would like further information about gelatine. This is where you can contact us directly:
GME - Gelatine Manufacturers of Europe
Line Jensen
Rue Belliard 40, bte 15
1040 Brussels, Belgium
EU Transparency Register n° 64879142323-90
Phone: +32 (0) 2436-9459
E-Mail: info(at)gelatine.org