SNAXPO visitors hear about the state of the snack food industry

More than 1100 snack food executives and suppliers from 38 countries are on hand at SNAXPO 2011 in Orlando, where they are gaining insight and knowledge at educational sessions as well as from trade show exhibitors and their counterparts from across the industry.

"This is the place to be if you are in the snack food business,"said Tom Dempsey, President, Utz Quality Foods, Inc. "Innovation, contacts, friends, invaluable information -- it's all here at this show."

A former top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official advised member company executives during Monday's general session to act now to comply with provisions of the new Food Safety Modernization Act.

"This is the most important food safety law in our lifetime. This will change the entire landscape of what is regulated by the FDA,"said A. Joseph Levitt, a partner at Hogan Lovells US LLP.

Levitt detailed specific responsibilities that food manufacturers will have under the new law, including the need to create a detailed food safety plan and an accompanying record keeping system so required information can be provided to FDA inspectors when they come calling.

Other sessions Monday covered front-of-pack labeling, implementing a continuous improvement culture, and commodity/ingredient risk management.

On Monday, the exhibit floor opened at 1:30 p.m. and traffic was heavy, with lots of business taking place.

On Tuesday, the annual State of the Industry report was presented by Sally Lyons Wyatt, Senior Vice President, SymphonyIRI Group.

Health and wellness, the need to satiate appetites, offering products that go beyond sweet and savory, being conscious of sustainability, and the fact that brands are now gaining against private label were all top lines offered by Wyatt in her presentation.

While consumers are still concerned about the economy, confidence is returning and many shoppers are now seeking brand name products at good prices on a regular basis, rather than constantly searching for bargains or switching to lower cost private label, she said.