BAR HARBOR, ME, June 14, 2006 – Soyatech announced today that it will host “Soya Summit 2006: Food and Energy for the 21st Century”, a landmark event that brings together, for the first time, leaders from the food and energy industries to explore key issues and opportunities emerging in the changing global marketplace for food and fuel. Co-sponsored by The Solae Company, the conference takes place September 18-20 at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri.
“Soya Summit 2006” will enable leaders from both industries to explore the issues and opportunities surrounding product innovation, the increased interest in biofuels, resource competition, the newest agriculture and processing technologies, and how marketing to the “bottom of the pyramid” – reaching the four billion people who make up the lowest rung of the world’s economic ladder – presents not only an opportunity for major companies but also a way for the world’s poorest people to rise of out poverty.
“The timing is ideal to bring together thought-leaders from these two industries to exchange ideas and formulate strategies for future growth. In this first decade of the 21st century, the agribusiness and food processing industries face a dynamically changing landscape that presents tremendous opportunity. At the same time, these shifts also pose questions that require careful, considered discourse and analysis,” said Soyatech president and founder Peter Golbitz, widely recognized as the one of the world’s foremost experts on the soybean and oilseed industry.
Presented in two parallel tracks – food and energy – “Soya Summit 2006” will bring together all sides of this complex equation to facilitate the top level exchange of information that will support the industry's continued rapid and profitable development. Agenda items include:
- The effect of explosive growth in the production of bio-based fuels on the value-creation equation in agriculture – and the potential for disruption to the marketplace as food and biofuels processors compete for resources and a glut of by-products flood animal feed markets.
- How, as the U.S. soyfoods market matures following years of rapid growth, developments in food processing technologies and a new generation of modified or improved soybean varieties are helping to position the soybean as a functional solution for a wide array of food and beverage applications, setting the stage for "the next big thing" in soy-based foods and ingredients.
- The reality of resolving competing priorities – can farmers, agribusiness firms, soybean processors, food processors, petroleum companies and energy distributors be aligned in a new energy distribution model?
- The impact of new technologies and emerging feedstocks – will they make current plants and installed distribution infrastructure quickly obsolete?
- Whether biofuels are simply a transitional technology while new energy technologies become more efficient and cost-effective.
The food track of the conference features experts from The Solae Company, Monsanto, Cargill, ADM and SunOpta, as well as consultants including Roger Kilburn, Bob Burke, Julie Zavon and other special guests. An optional third day features intensely focused hands-on workshops including “Incorporating Soy Proteins into New Food Formulations” conducted by The Solae Company at its Hazelwood, Missouri pilot plant and development center.
The energy track presents leaders from Washington State University, Toyota, Dupont and the National Biodiesel Board, along with consultants such as Scott Susich, K. Shaine Tyson and Bill Hudson, to provide a unique, clear-eyed look at the current and future biofuels industry. A companion workshop will show potential investors how to evaluate biofuels opportunities.
Attendees are expected to include executives from the food and beverage industry, government agencies, the automotive and oil industries, biodiesel and ethanol manufacturers and distributors, private equity investors, hedge fund managers, and leaders in science and technology.
Online registration is now available at http://www.soyasummit.com or by phone at 800.424.SOYA (7692) or 207.288.4969, extension 102. Early registration discounts apply through July 15 and additional group and special non-profit organization rates are available.
About Soyatech
Soyatech assists companies in the food and agribusiness sector assess and develop market opportunities through reports, conferences, publications and consulting. For more information, visit (www.soyatech.com).
