New foods from around the world tasting session for forum delegates

They include novel products as well as those oriented towards key international trends such as health, convenience and indulgence.

The "see, smell, touch and taste" session at the forum is to be conducted by senior staff from the UK's Mintel International Global New Products Database (GNPD), who report on over 50,000 new food and beverage product launches worldwide every year.

GNPD's staff will highlight key products and provide insights into what has and hasn't worked in the market. Delegates will also vote for their favourite new product after the tasting session, said forum organisers the Institute for International Research (IIR).

Mintel's GNPD team scour the world for new products for its web-based database and reports on new trends. Among those noted by the group is the addition of new flavours and formats to well established brands which has done much to innovate the chocolate confectionery market in many parts of the world.

Past successes have included chunky formats like KitKat Chunky, crunchier formats such as Snickers Cruncher and simply different flavours like KitKat Mint and Orange Crunchie. In Japan, for example, Nestle's KitKat brand has a banana variety and Mars' Snickers brand in available in almond flavour in Singapore.

Streets Ice Cream, the Australian subsidiary of Unilever, came up with a new twist on the best-selling Magnum stick ice cream brand. Called "Let's Mango!" it comprises mango-flavoured ice cream covered in white chocolate.

New in the Swedish impulse ice cream sector from GB Glace (Unilever) are Paron Splitt - pear-flavoured ice lollies with a pear-flavoured ice cream centre.

From China comes Colour Mix Party from YiLi Food. A pot ice cream which offers consumers three separate sauce accompaniments with one pot: strawberry, chocolate and red bean.

In Brazil, Nestle has introduced Molico Beauty, a fat-free yoghurt containing aloe vera, an ingredient normally associated with health and beauty products. Available in orange and raspberry flavours, the packaging features graphics that would look more at home on a skincare product. The clear appeal is to young, beauty and health conscious women.

Green tea, a healthy ingredient, is making an appearance in the European yoghurt market. New from Italy from Parmalat is Kyr Pineapple and Green Tea yoghurt.

In the UK, Findus is attempting to shake up the small but undeveloped frozen soup segment with the launch of its "Feeling Great!" sub-brand. For added convenience, the soups can be microwaved in the bowl in which they are packaged.

The "Wellness" buzzword that tends to indicate goodness and health continues to be popular, report GNPD, and appears in the soup category in Switzerland with the launch of a Wellness instant soup range under Nestle's Maggi brand.

McCain, best known in the UK for potato products, are real innovators with products for new markets, including microwaveable chicken wings, nuggets, pizzas and garlic bread. Now they have introduced in the UK what is claimed to be the first microwaveable toasted sandwich.

Cadbury-Schweppes is following up its success with the "Make 7 Up Yours" ad campaign in the United States with a whole new drink called dnL, which is 7Up spelled backwards and upside-down.

"The 'see, smell, touch and taste' session is an exciting addition to an already packed and cutting edge forum programme," said IIR event director Chris Mullinger. "We believe that it is about time the Middle East, like other regions around the world, had its own food marketing event.

"We are pleased to find that the industry agrees with us and is looking forward to discovering the hottest topics shaping food product development along with powerful market research and product development strategies."