The FlavourTalk Conference 2027
Sustainable Flavour Production in the Era of UPFs
The Conference will be held on the last day of FlavourTalk 18 March at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre, London.
Synopsis
Our conference follows the Flavour Raw Materials Exhibition where over 50 companies showcase their innovative flavour and taste ingredients and blends. The source, supply and production of flavour ingredients is an international enterprise worth over $15 billion. System approaches range from the traditional to novel and emerging technologies. The market pressures include the need for providing cost effective solutions that are ‘Natural’ and ethically sourced in a sustainable manner. Ingredients more frequently must meet the demands for ‘clean label’ end products. The modern flavourist needs to be agile to respond to rapid changes in legislation, health imperatives and fears over additives and the degree of processing of modern foods. This has led to changes in consumer preferences and is underpinned by the ongoing need for affordable nutritional diets that also meet the consumers’ demand for convenience and indulgence as part of a modern lifestyle.
Reformulation of products is being rolled out across the sector to deliver products with reduced salt, sugar and saturated fats to mitigate recognised health risk factors. GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) agonist medication is a treatment primarily for the control of type 2 diabetes and supports weight loss in obese individuals. The food sector has responded by targeting nutrient dense, high protein, products for development. This comes with new opportunities for the flavourist to optimise flavour impact and flavour delivery profiles. This is at a time when the value of processed foods in providing safe, nutritious and affordable food is being questioned.
Panels will discuss with the audience the challenges facing flavourists and product developers at a time of great change. Threats to ingredient supply are emerging annually as agricultural primary production recoils from year-on-year extreme weather events, a consequence of climate change. Resource efficient sustainable manufacturing, off-flavour implications of valorising side streams, and looking to the future for the food system whilst learning from the past, all form part of this important debate. How is the flavour sector pivoting to meet these challenges? This question is being posed at a time when the value of processing in providing safe, nutritious and affordable food, is being questioned, and warnings of impending food shortages are in the headlines.
The Programme
Listen to international experts at the forefront of flavour innovation and sustainability discuss topics of key importance to the global flavour industry. Talks will focus on how a much maligned although successful food system and will look into a future for novel ingredients, global flavour trends and climate change. Green chemistry, fermentation, extraction technology, and taste masking of plant-based products. There will be a tasting session of sustainable and alternative chocolate.
Along with Q&A sessions, panel sessions will address the current trends and opportunities. Audience participation in panel sessions is encouraged, and the networking opportunities allow delegates to meet speakers and explore future collaborations with leaders in the sector.
We advise booking early to ensure a place and avoid disappointment.
Who Should Attend
• All those involved with the research and development of raw materials, formulation and the creation of flavours.
• Flavourists and flavour technologists
• Sustainability specialists
• Buyers, marketing and sales teams, senior managers.
• Everyone interested in trends in the supply of flavour raw materials and technological developments for innovative new products.
Cost
CONFERENCE
Advance Delegate Ticket £400 until 16 January
(Full Price Ticket £480 from 17 January)
EXHIBITION
Advance Delegate Ticket £325 until 16 January
(Full Price Ticket £400 from 17 January)
NETWORKING DINNER
£90 per person
PACKAGES
Advance Delegate Ticket £750 until 16 January
(Full Price Ticket £900 from 17 January)
Includes the Conference, both Exhibition days and the Networking Dinner.
(Lunch and refreshments inclusive for the Conference & Exhibition)
(VAT will be charged at 20% where applicable)
Registration will open on-line on 2 November.
Conference Programme
Thursday 18 March 2027
9.30 Registration
10.20 Opening remarks
Session Chair: Dr Avinash Kant
10.30 Keynote: Anthony Warner
Chef and author of the award-winning Angry Chef trilogy of books on food science, health and sustainability.
Knead for Change – How Our Daily Bread Changed the World and What That Can Teach Us About the Future.
11.10 Professor Avtar S Matharu MBE
Professor of Green Chemistry and Deputy Head of Department, University of York. UK.
Unavoidable Food Supply Chain Residues – Nature’s Periodic Table of Structure, Form and Function
11.40 Dr Marco Cardin
Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
From Side Stream to Valuable Resource: The Transformation of Brewer’s Spent Grain from Brewery By-Product to Aroma Substrate
12:10 Panel discussion
12:30 Spencer Hyman
Founder of Cocoa Runners
Saving the Planet by Savouring (Craft) Chocolate
[Intro to Breaktime Tasting Workshop]
12:45 Lunch
Session Chair: Dr Craig Duckham
13.45 Dr Paulina Lang
Head of Behavioural Science at MMR Group.
The Taste of Doing Good: How Claims and Cues Shape What Consumers Expect to Taste.
Session Chair: Dr Kavita Bhatnagar
14.15 Dr Sarah Gaunt
CEO of SPG Innovation and Co-Founder of Rootiful
Opportunities and Challenges of Formulating with Sustainable Ingredients
14. 45 Case Studies
Biophelion – Felix Kasper (CCO)
15.00 Break
15. 30 Case Studies Continued:
EcoXtract – Laurence Jacques (CTO)
Gourmet Ingredients – Ronald de Wild (CCO)
LIS by Lesaffre – Jérôme Vallejo (Process & Innovation Director)
16:15 Workshop Feedback – Spencer Hyman
16.30 Kami Newton
Founder of ‘The Sensory Advantage’
You Have to Change to Stay the Same: Sustainability Through Adaptation
17.00 End
FlavourTalk 2027 speakers
Sustainable Flavour Production in the Era of UPFs
18 March 2027
Anthony Warner
Chef and author of the award-winning Angry Chef trilogy of books on food science, health and sustainability.
Knead for Change – How Our Daily Bread Changed the World and What That Can Teach Us About the Future
Prof Avtar S Matharu MBE
Professor of Green Chemistry and Deputy Head of Department, University of York. UK.
Unavoidable food supply chain residues – Nature’s Periodic Table of Structure, Form and Function
Dr Paulina Lang
head of behavioural science at mmr group
The Taste of Doing Good: How Claims and Cues Shape What Consumers Expect to Taste
Spencer Hyman
Founder of Cocoa Runners
Saving the Planet by Savouring (Craft) Chocolate
Kemi Newton
the sensory advantage
You Have to Change to Stay the Same: Sustainability Through Adaptation
Dr Sarah Gaunt
ceo SPG Innovation and co-founder rootiful, UK.
Opportunities and Challenges of Formulating with Sustainable Ingredients
Dr Marco Cardin
Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
From Side Stream to Valuable Resource: The Transformation of Brewer’s Spent Grain from Brewery By-Product to Aroma Substrate [PROVISIONAL]
Felix Kasper
Chief Commercial Officer at Biophelion GmbH
Small Volumes, Real Supply: Fermentation Economics Beyond a Single Ingredient.
Laurence Jacques
Chairwoman and CTO, EcoXtract®
Ronald de Wild
CCO, Gourmet Ingredients.
Jérôme Vallejo
Process and Innovation Director at LIS by Lesaffre.
Anthony Warner
Talk Title
Knead for Change – How Our Daily Bread Changed the World and What That Can Teach Us About the Future
Synopsis
The food system is one of the most remarkable examples of human progress but is largely taken for granted. In fact, the modern food industry is more likely to be reviled than celebrated. Why is this the case? Why is it so easy to forget the extraordinary progress when it comes to tackling hunger, famine and malnutrition? What is it about food that so inclines people to reject modernity and return to an imagined glorious past? This talk will discuss how our food system has evolved, the remarkable positive impact it has had on humanity and what that can tell us about tackling the challenges of the future? How can we help consumers navigate the current food system in a sensible way? And how can we convince people that judicious use of science and technology is the best way to build a better food system?
Biography
Anthony Warner is a chef and author who has worked in professional kitchens for 25 years. As well as several years in high-end restaurants and hotels, he was the Head Innovation Chef at Premier Foods for over a decade, developing recipes for brands such as OXO, Bisto, Sharwoods, Branston, Loyd Grossman, Homepride and Ambrosia. He is now a consultant development chef specialising in the development of plant-based foods and the creation of healthier, more sustainable food products. He has written about food for New Scientist, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Grocer and the infamous Angry Chef Blog. He is the author of the award-winning Angry Chef trilogy of books on food science, health and sustainability. His books have been translated into 14 languages, and he is a regular keynote speaker at conferences and events around the world. His writing has been described as ‘irreverent and intelligent’ by Steven Pinker and ‘brutal and meticulous’ by Olivia Potts.
Professor Avtar S Matharu MBE
Talk Title
Unavoidable food supply chain residues – Nature’s Periodic Table of Structure, Form and Function
Synopsis
We waste too much food! Annually, 1.01 billion tonnes of food is wasted which is quite shocking given that close to 1 billion people suffer from malnutrition. A significant portion of food waste is avoidable, and many mitigation strategies are already in place. However, approximately 30-35% of food losses occur during primary and secondary processing of food as a result of harvesting, chopping, peeling, shaping, etc. This fraction is deemed unavoidable. Have you ever tried eating a banana, pineapple or orange without peeling it first?
These are examples of unavoidable food supply chain wastes but also represent an unique opportunity for resource recovery, circular economy and improving climate change. Unavoidable food supply chain wastes can be considered as our Periodic Table of structure, form and function already provided by Nature.
This talk will give examples of valorisation (exploiting the chemical potential) of citrus and ginger wastes. A citrus biorefinery based on acid-free hydrothermal microwave processing as the core technology to deliver essential oils, pectin and microfibrillated celluloses will be discussed.
In conclusion, green and sustainable processing of unavoidable food supply chain residues into chemicals and materials for repurposing is a key enabler for hitting many of targets set within the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Biography
Prof Matharu’s research interests cover the valorisation of a range of materials currently considered ‘waste’, notably unavoidable food supply chain residues using bespoke technologies such as microwave processing, circular economy and sustainability. His research utilises scientific intervention and innovation to alleviate poverty, improve health and environment, and improve water quality. Avtar is Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. In the 2026 New Year’s Honours list, Avtar was awarded an MBE for Services to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Interfaith and Community Cohesion.
Spencer Hyman
Talk Title
Saving the Planet by Savouring (Craft) Chocolate
Synopsis
In the U.K. We spend more on chocolate than books but this chocolate has an often-ignored cost, industrial Chocolates “affordability” is partly down to massive deforestation, with forest levels down from over 30% to under 2% in our lifetimes. In addition, cocoa requires massive amounts of water to grow – so this deforestation is also resulting in desertification.
On a more positive note, switching to chocolates that are about savouring and flavour can be one of the most environmentally food switches any consumer can make. To create flavour in craft chocolate needs great beans which in turn requires rainforest canopy and incentivising farmers.
Biography
(awaiting)
Dr Paulina Lang
Talk Title
The Taste of Doing Good: How Claims and Cues Shape What Consumers Expect to Taste
Synopsis
We taste with our expectations before we taste with our mouths. A sustainability claim – or a cue as subtle as a pack’s material, format or transparency – sets up what a consumer anticipates, and that anticipation shapes the experience that follows. Consumers rarely read a single cue in isolation. From a pack they infer product features and benefits – sustainability, convenience, protection, appeal – and weigh these against one another, often without realising they are doing it.
This talk looks at how a sense of sustainability can lift the other benefits consumers perceive in a product – even masking flaws they would otherwise notice – and how, in other cases, the same cues can dampen what they expect to enjoy. For flavourists, NPD and R&D teams, the consequence is direct: the same sustainability cue can lift one product and undercut another, and that difference can shape what shoppers end up choosing.
Biography
Dr Paulina Lang leads behavioural science at MMR Research, where she works with some of the world’s leading CPG brands on understanding consumer behaviour, and what that means for how those brands innovate, communicate and grow.
She brings behavioural science into consumer research as a practical lens for uncovering the frictions, motivations and contextual forces that shape real decisions. Much of that work now turns on sustainability: how brands reformulate, what they claim, and how consumers respond. Her current interest is in the intention–action gap in sustainable choice – how sustainability cues shape product expectations, and what they go on to select.
Paulina’s career began in academia, where she trained as an experimental psychologist at the University of Glasgow and worked in applied research before completing a PhD in social psychiatry at Queen Mary University of London. She then moved into UK government as a behavioural scientist before joining MMR in 2023 as Head of Behavioural Science.
Dr Sarah Gaunt
Talk Title
Opportunities and Challenges of Formulating with Sustainable Ingredients
Synopsis
Consumers, retailers, and manufacturers are increasingly seeking ingredients that reduce environmental impact while maintaining the flavour, texture, and eating experience consumers expect. Yet translating sustainability into successful products presents a unique set of formulation challenges. This presentation will explore how emerging sustainable ingredients, including plant proteins, upcycled materials, alternative fibres, and microalgae, can influence flavour perception and overall product performance. While these ingredients offer exciting opportunities to create differentiated and environmentally responsible products, they often introduce flavour challenges such as bitterness, astringency, earthy/beany notes, off-flavours, and altered flavour release.
Drawing on practical product development experience, the session will examine how ingredient functionality, processing methods, and formulation strategies interact with flavour. Through real-world case studies, attendees will gain insights into overcoming common technical barriers and unlocking the full potential of sustainable ingredients. The talk will demonstrate how flavour science can play a critical role in helping developers deliver products that satisfy consumer expectations while advancing sustainability goals.
Biography
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, grant funding, and market launch. Her work has included the development of sustainable plant-based ingredients, alternative protein solutions, and novel food technologies.
Kami Newton
Talk Title
You Have to Change to Stay the Same: Sustainability Through Adaptation
Synopsis
Climate change has made one thing clear: variability is becoming harder to ignore. Yet the flavour industry is built around consistency, while the systems that create flavour are never static. Raw materials vary, processing shifts, and the people experiencing products change, both in what they seek and in how they perceive them. Everything in the flavour system is in a constant state of change.
So, what does it mean for a product to remain ‘the same’?
This is not a new problem created by climate change. Variability and consistency have always existed as the yin and yang of the F&B industry, and we have become remarkably good at managing systems to produce consistent outcomes. But climate change is raising the stakes, challenging the conditions under which those systems have traditionally operated. This raises a broader question about sustainability. Sustainability is not necessarily about keeping a system unchanged. It is about keeping the system viable as its conditions change. For flavour production, that means looking beyond the stability of individual ingredients or processes and considering the wider system that connects raw materials, chemistry, processing and, ultimately, human perception.
Drawing on examples from coffee, brewing, distilling, tea and wine, this talk will explore how the flavour industry can move beyond simply eliminating variation towards understanding, anticipating, and using it. It will consider how changing environmental conditions challenge our assumptions about consistency, and how adaptation can become an essential part of creating more sustainable flavour systems. The challenge is not simply to protect flavour from a changing climate. It is to become sustainable through understanding which aspects of the system need to change, which outcomes need to be preserved, and where change itself can create new possibilities. Across the food and beverage sector, changing conditions are already driving new ingredients, new approaches and new flavour possibilities. When the system itself is always changing, we too must change if we want to stay the same.
Biography
Kami Newton is a sensory perception strategist, trainer, and author, with 30 years of experience in the drinks industry, focused on how flavour not just what’s in the product, but how the brain merges prediction, emotional state, environment, and much more, into experience. He is the founder of The Sensory Advantage, which helps food and drink teams investigate how often overlooked sensory cues, product context, and nonconscious processing shape flavour perception and product response. From subthreshold odours and odour–taste integration to the influence of packaging, language, and expectation.
Case Studies:
Felix Kasper
Talk Title
Small Volumes, Real Supply: Fermentation Economics Beyond a Single Ingredient
Synopsis
Global demand for massoia lactone is small. It is not large enough to support a dedicated plantation crop and attempts to take other tropical botanicals to plantation scale have carried a significant ecological cost. Supply therefore continues to come from wild trees in Papua, where the bark is removed and the tree does not survive. Fermentation offers a production route that is independent of wild stands. At niche volumes it is expensive, because a dedicated asset producing a single low-volume ingredient carries a high cost per kilogram.
Biophelion addresses this by running several products in sequence on one platform, so asset utilisation does not depend on the demand for a single ingredient. The talk describes how this affects the cost position for small-volume naturals, and what the route still requires in terms of certification, customer qualification and pricing discipline.
Biography
Felix Kasper is Chief Commercial Officer at Biophelion GmbH, the Jena-based fermentation company producing massoia lactone and related lactones for the flavour industry. He joined in March 2026 and built the commercial function from scratch. He is a bioprocess engineer with more than a decade in upstream bioprocess technology, taking platforms from early development to global commercial launch. He led the Asia-Pacific applications team at Pall Biotech from Tokyo, then ran a global service organisation at Univercells Technologies by Donaldson in Belgium. He holds a Dipl.-Ing. in Life Science Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Laurence Jacques
Talk Title
The Hexane-Free Flavour Transition: Regulation, Extraction Performance and Sensory Quality
Synopsis
Hexane has long been used to recover valuable compounds from botanical materials. Its future use is now under closer scrutiny: n-hexane was added to the European Chemicals Agency’s Candidate List of substances of very high concern in 2026, while the European Food Safety Authority is re-evaluating technical hexane as a food extraction solvent. These are distinct assessments with different implications for flavour producers.
This talk will examine the evidence behind these developments and the practical options for replacing hexane. It will compare extraction approaches through the measures that matter for high-value flavours: recovery of target compounds, selectivity, sensory profile, solvent residues and process conditions.
A case study of 2-methyloxolane, the solvent used in EcoXtract’s technology, will illustrate how to design and interpret comparative trials. The discussion will cover its regulatory status and the questions that must be answered before transferring a process to a new botanical material or production scale. Attendees will leave with a framework for evaluating hexane alternatives on scientific and technical grounds.
Biography
Laurence Jacques is President of EcoXtract, which develops plant-based solvent extraction technology. An engineer educated at École Polytechnique and Mines Paris, she has more than 30 years of industrial experience in technical, operational and leadership roles. She has led the EcoXtract project since 2017, overseeing the development and industrial validation of extraction processes using 2-methyloxolane. Her work focuses on translating solvent research into practical applications for plant-derived ingredients.
Ronald de Wild
Talk Title
TBC
Synopsis
(awaiting)
Biography
(awaiting)
Jérôme Vallejo
Talk Title
TBC
Synopsis
(awaiting)
Biography
(awaiting)