This webinar is organised by the IFST Food Innovation SIG
The food and ingredient innovation landscapes are evolving rapidly, driven by demand for healthier, more sustainable and increasingly functional products. At the same time, regulatory scrutiny surrounding novel foods, emerging technologies, functional ingredients and product claims continues to increase across global markets. Despite this, many businesses still approach regulation as a final-stage approval exercise rather than an integral part of product development itself: This webinar is designed to challenge that approach.
Delivered jointly by SPG Innovation and Advanced Food Regulation, the session will demonstrate how regulatory strategy and product development must operate in parallel from the earliest stages of innovation in order to reduce commercial risk, avoid costly delays and accelerate routes to market.
The central message of the webinar is simple: Early regulatory integration saves both time and money.
Too often, companies invest heavily in formulation, functionality testing, branding packaging, marketing and scale-up or customer engagement before fully understanding the regulatory implications of the product they are developing. This can result in projects stalling late in development due to Novel Food status uncertainty, unsupported claims, unsuitable ingredient specifications, missing safety data or jurisdiction-specific compliance barriers. In many cases, businesses are forced to repeat expensive testing, reformulate products or delay launch timelines because regulatory requirements were not considered early enough in the product timeline.
What participants will learn:
Using a practical, step-by-step approach, the session will walk attendees through the integrated journey from concept to commercialisation. SPG Innovation will demonstrate how ingredients and products are technically developed, characterised and validated, while Advanced Food Regulation will show how regulatory strategy should be embedded at each corresponding stage.
The webinar will conclude with a practical framework attendees can apply within their own organisations. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the critical regulatory decision points within innovation projects, the importance of designing regulatorily useful development programmes and how integrated planning can improve both technical and commercial outcomes.
Ultimately, the webinar aims to demonstrate that successful food innovation is not simply about developing products that function technically - it is about developing products that can scale effectively, comply efficiently and reach the market successfully.
Target audience:
Product developers, NPD. Sales/marketing, technical teams
Price: IFST Members - Free, Non-members - £100
Did you know that this event is free for IFST members? Join IFST today to save £100 on your ticket to this event. If you need some more time to think about it, contact us in the next 30 days and let us know that you've joined as a member, and we'll deduct £100 from your membership fee for your first year. Click here to become a member.
|
Chair/Speaker: Sarah Gaunt - CEO, SPG Innovation Dr Sarah Gaunt is Founder and CEO of SPG Innovation, a Nottingham-based food science consultancy specialising in sustainable nutrition, ingredient innovation and product development. With more than 20 years' experience in the food industry, Sarah has helped universities, start-ups, SMEs, and multinational companies transform early-stage concepts into commercially viable products and ingredients. A chemist by training, Sarah has extensive expertise in sustainable ingredients, alternative proteins, and food functionality. She is passionate about developing healthier foods with a lower environmental impact and supporting the transition towards more sustainable food systems. Through SPG Innovation, Sarah supports innovators across the entire development journey, from ingredient evaluation and product formulation through to scale-up, regulatory approvals, and launch. Her work has included the development of sustainable plant-based ingredients, alternative protein solutions, and novel food technologies Presentation title: Integrating Product Development and Regulatory Strategy in Food Innovation |
 |
|
Speaker: Steve Oliver - Co-Founder & Regulatory Director, Advanced Food Regulation Steve Oliver is Co-Founder of Advanced Food Regulation, a specialist international consultancy supporting businesses developing innovative foods, ingredients and technologies and navigating the increasingly complex regulatory pathways required to bring them to market. With more than 20 years' experience in food regulation, Steve advises companies on regulatory strategy across the UK, European Union, United States and other major international markets. His work has a particular focus on novel and advanced foods, including the development of regulatory pathways, novel food authorisations, safety assessment, analytical requirements, toxicology and the regulatory implications of emerging food technologies. Steve's career began in HM Customs & Excise, where his work encompassed enforcement, investigation, legal representation and training. He subsequently joined KPMG, leading its Producer Responsibility – European Environment Law Team and advising major international organisations on complex regulatory and compliance issues. This combination of regulatory enforcement, consultancy and commercial experience has shaped Steve's approach to food innovation: regulation should not simply be considered at the end of product development, but integrated into innovation strategy from the outset. Through Advanced Food Regulation, Steve works with businesses ranging from early-stage innovators and university spin-outs to established international ingredient and food companies, helping translate scientific innovation into credible, commercially viable regulatory strategies. Steve is also a visiting lecturer at undergraduate and postgraduate level and a regular speaker at industry conferences on food regulation, innovation and emerging regulatory challenges. |
 |
If you are an IFST member, please ensure that you are logged into the IFST website before completing your booking so you can access member rates for events. Published events fees will apply to non-members and members can only gain preferential rates by logging in to their IFST account.