Finding hidden wealth in healthy ageing

With average lifespans up around 80 years in most developed nations – Japan leads with an average of 84.6 years – the will of people to be healthy as they age has intensified, backed by governments keen to manage healthcare costs and keep people out of hospital.

But it’s not just the elderly interested in herbal supplements or omega-3 foods to combat muscle wasting, eyesight decline or boost cognitive performance, energy or bone health – healthy ageing begins young and increasingly it is younger people who seek nutritional products that can improve their skin or hair or reduce their chances of developing a heart malady.

Healthy Ageing 2016 – free and online from 13:30 Paris time on Tuesday, March 29 – assembles experts to investigate the products and brand leaders in global markets, the regulations that govern them, the latest in science and formulation and more.

Highlights include:

• A trend and product-spotting healthy ageing tour with Euromonitor International Head of Industry Research – Consumer Health, Monica Feldman. Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa.
• British Nutrition Foundation’s Ayela Spiro on policy actions to combat malnutrition that could save governments billions of euros around the world.
• A run-down of the latest science backing foods and nutrients with healthy ageing potential.
• A focus on botanicals and metabolic health and healthy ageing.
• A focus on product formats designed for over-65s.
• A focus on sports nutrition.
• A focus on brain performance and cardiovascular health.
• More.

Amid all this, institutions like the European Commission recently produced a report​​ saying micronutrient supplementation was of no great value to the elderly, despite widespread nutrient deficiencies. Are reports like this in touch with reality?

See you at Healthy Ageing 2016​​ to join food, drink and supplement manufacturers, research scientists, regulators, ingredient suppliers, formulators, marketing directors, business development directors and company chiefs.

Attendees at our 2014 forum on healthy ageing included Abbott Nutrition, Arkopharma, Danone, Fonterra, Food and Drugs Authority Ghana, GSK, Kellogg, Kraft, Leeds Trinity University, Lion Dairy & Drinks, Mars, Medex Scientific, Morinda Deutschland GmbH, Northumbria University, Danone-Nutricia, Pepsi, Perfetti van Melle, Pfizer, Rembrandt Foods, Signum Biosciences, Sloan Trends, Tate & Lyle, Tata Global Beverages, Teagasc, Tetra Pak, The International Centre for Nutritional Excellence, UK Trade and Investment, Unilever, Universidad Autónoma de Madird, University of New South Wales, Vitagenic and Warburtons.

It kicks off at 13:30 Paris time on March 29. See you in the ether...