Industry Experts to Discuss the Functional Benefits of Tea, and How to Legally Market the Health Benefits of Tea
World Tea Expo’s new Tea Up for Health education track will explore tea and health, as well as related business opportunities and industry issues. Sessions will cover the latest research, consumer trends, types of teas and their health benefits, tea and fitness, labeling dos and don’ts, and critical "how to" info. World Tea Expo, May 6 – 8 in Long Beach, Calif. at the Long Beach Convention Center, is the leading tradeshow focused 100 percent on premium teas and related products. Discounted advance pricing for World Tea Expo ends April 16. Learn more at WorldTeaExpo.com.
Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian, consumer advocate and educator, better known as The Food Sleuth®, will present a session called “UncertainTEA: Helping Consumers Navigate Tea Choices for Optimum Health and SustainabiliTEA,” one of many insightful sessions in the Tea Up for Health education track. “Teas offer consumers numerous proven health benefits,” says Hemmelgarn. “However, consumers often face a sea of ‘uncertain-tea’ in the marketplace. I look forward to navigating labels and claims with attendees to help explore and identify the most earth-friendly, safe and nutritious teas.”
Donna Fellman, online education manager for World Tea Academy and one of the presenters in World Tea Expo’s Tea Up for Health education track, adds, “Educating the tea community and consumers about the many ways tea and the tea lifestyle enhance health and well-being is key. It helps everyone in the industry cultivate loyal, long-term customers who are eager to learn more about tea, as it becomes an essential part of their everyday lives.”
In addition to the extensive Tea Up for Health conference sessions, there will be a dedicated Tea Up for Health Pavilion on the Expo floor, showcasing companies, products or service providers that highlight tea and health and wellness.
Highlights of the Tea Up for Health education track at World Tea Expo include:
Herbal and Medicinal “Tea”: Safely Navigating the New Market – Author Suzanne Catty says herbs are big business in tea, and herbal and medicinal “teas” (called tisanes) now represent a stunning 26.4 percent of the total U.S. market – and their share is growing at double digits. With 2013 sales exceeding $375 million, Catty believes herbal ingredients are no longer just flavoring, color or additives, but beverages in their own right with their own requirements. She says establishing professional parameters for tisanes and herbals – covering brewing, cupping and knowledge of therapeutic activity – is long overdue. This presentation will introduce new standards and potentials for safely navigating this exciting market demand.
Beyond Antioxidants: Real Functional Benefits of Tea – Lenore Arab, professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is scheduled to share the truth behind antioxidants. Arab says there’s a new scientific consensus regarding flavonoids, and experts now dismiss the antioxidant activity (free radical scavenging) hypothesis. In her session, Arab will share why this is and how to explain this to clients and consumers. Conference delegates will also be introduced to alternative mechanisms of action other than antioxidant activity, of how flavonoids and tea may affect the cerebrovascular and cardiovascular system. Attendees will understand the epidemiologic foundation supporting associations between tea consumption and cardiovascular health, including coronary heart disease and stroke. She’ll also explain how tea and flavonoids in tea affect vascular function. By the close of the session, attendees will be able to specify dietary guidelines and tailored recommendations for consumers, regarding cardiovascular health and choice of beverage.
The Healing Power of Tea: Ancient Roots, Scientific Branches – An expert in classical Chinese, Ken Cohen, founder of the Qigong Research & Practice Center, will translate the unknown health benefits of tea described in the 16th century classic of Chinese herbal medicine, Ben Cao Gang Mu, the Roots and Herbs Compendium. Cohen will then examine how modern science confirms this ancient wisdom. The session will also include a survey of the key concepts and supportive research – in easy to understand terms – with a special emphasis on heart disease and cancer. Finally, returning to the healing roots of tea, Cohen will discuss the concept of Cha Qi "Tea Qi," and teach a simple breathing technique that increases sensitivity to tea’s healing effects.
Wellness Teas: What You Need to Know to Safely, Effectively, Legally Blend and Market Tea and Herbs – Toffler Niemuth, the founder and developer of Belight Tea, World Vitae, says wellness teas and herbs are often overlooked by Camellia Sinensis devotees. However, wellness teas and herbs are central to what many consumers think of as “tea.” In this session, discover how to connect with this consumer by blending tea and herbs for health, and tap into the huge and growing, health-conscious niche without getting into hot water.
Tea’s Dynamic Duo - Caffeine and Theanine – In this presentation, Nigel Melican, CEO of Teacraft LTD, will share insights on how tea has a unique, complex pair of neuro-active compounds – caffeine and theanine. He says each has a profound effect on one’s body and mind, and each subtly balances the other. The session will examine this dynamic duo and evaluate sources, levels, effects, benefits and and myths.
UncertainTEA: Helping Consumers Navigate Tea Choices for Optimum Health and SustainabiliTEA – During this session, Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., aka The Food Sleuth®, will explain what consumers most want and need to know about tea, review tea terms and labels, and identify earth-friendly, safe and nutritious teas. She’ll explain where consumer confusion lies, and how retailers can best communicate and serve their customers.
Overall, World Tea Expo covers a wide variety of industry topics and tea retail strategies, and the exposition floor features hundreds of new products and services – many of which cannot be found at any other trade show. Register at WorldTeaExpo.com.
World Tea Expo’s new Tea Up for Health education track will explore tea and health, as well as related business opportunities and industry issues. Sessions will cover the latest research, consumer trends, types of teas and their health benefits, tea and fitness, labeling dos and don’ts, and critical "how to" info. World Tea Expo, May 6 – 8 in Long Beach, Calif. at the Long Beach Convention Center, is the leading tradeshow focused 100 percent on premium teas and related products. Discounted advance pricing for World Tea Expo ends April 16. Learn more at WorldTeaExpo.com.
Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., a registered dietitian, consumer advocate and educator, better known as The Food Sleuth®, will present a session called “UncertainTEA: Helping Consumers Navigate Tea Choices for Optimum Health and SustainabiliTEA,” one of many insightful sessions in the Tea Up for Health education track. “Teas offer consumers numerous proven health benefits,” says Hemmelgarn. “However, consumers often face a sea of ‘uncertain-tea’ in the marketplace. I look forward to navigating labels and claims with attendees to help explore and identify the most earth-friendly, safe and nutritious teas.”
Donna Fellman, online education manager for World Tea Academy and one of the presenters in World Tea Expo’s Tea Up for Health education track, adds, “Educating the tea community and consumers about the many ways tea and the tea lifestyle enhance health and well-being is key. It helps everyone in the industry cultivate loyal, long-term customers who are eager to learn more about tea, as it becomes an essential part of their everyday lives.”
In addition to the extensive Tea Up for Health conference sessions, there will be a dedicated Tea Up for Health Pavilion on the Expo floor, showcasing companies, products or service providers that highlight tea and health and wellness.
Highlights of the Tea Up for Health education track at World Tea Expo include:
Herbal and Medicinal “Tea”: Safely Navigating the New Market – Author Suzanne Catty says herbs are big business in tea, and herbal and medicinal “teas” (called tisanes) now represent a stunning 26.4 percent of the total U.S. market – and their share is growing at double digits. With 2013 sales exceeding $375 million, Catty believes herbal ingredients are no longer just flavoring, color or additives, but beverages in their own right with their own requirements. She says establishing professional parameters for tisanes and herbals – covering brewing, cupping and knowledge of therapeutic activity – is long overdue. This presentation will introduce new standards and potentials for safely navigating this exciting market demand.
Beyond Antioxidants: Real Functional Benefits of Tea – Lenore Arab, professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is scheduled to share the truth behind antioxidants. Arab says there’s a new scientific consensus regarding flavonoids, and experts now dismiss the antioxidant activity (free radical scavenging) hypothesis. In her session, Arab will share why this is and how to explain this to clients and consumers. Conference delegates will also be introduced to alternative mechanisms of action other than antioxidant activity, of how flavonoids and tea may affect the cerebrovascular and cardiovascular system. Attendees will understand the epidemiologic foundation supporting associations between tea consumption and cardiovascular health, including coronary heart disease and stroke. She’ll also explain how tea and flavonoids in tea affect vascular function. By the close of the session, attendees will be able to specify dietary guidelines and tailored recommendations for consumers, regarding cardiovascular health and choice of beverage.
The Healing Power of Tea: Ancient Roots, Scientific Branches – An expert in classical Chinese, Ken Cohen, founder of the Qigong Research & Practice Center, will translate the unknown health benefits of tea described in the 16th century classic of Chinese herbal medicine, Ben Cao Gang Mu, the Roots and Herbs Compendium. Cohen will then examine how modern science confirms this ancient wisdom. The session will also include a survey of the key concepts and supportive research – in easy to understand terms – with a special emphasis on heart disease and cancer. Finally, returning to the healing roots of tea, Cohen will discuss the concept of Cha Qi "Tea Qi," and teach a simple breathing technique that increases sensitivity to tea’s healing effects.
Wellness Teas: What You Need to Know to Safely, Effectively, Legally Blend and Market Tea and Herbs – Toffler Niemuth, the founder and developer of Belight Tea, World Vitae, says wellness teas and herbs are often overlooked by Camellia Sinensis devotees. However, wellness teas and herbs are central to what many consumers think of as “tea.” In this session, discover how to connect with this consumer by blending tea and herbs for health, and tap into the huge and growing, health-conscious niche without getting into hot water.
Tea’s Dynamic Duo - Caffeine and Theanine – In this presentation, Nigel Melican, CEO of Teacraft LTD, will share insights on how tea has a unique, complex pair of neuro-active compounds – caffeine and theanine. He says each has a profound effect on one’s body and mind, and each subtly balances the other. The session will examine this dynamic duo and evaluate sources, levels, effects, benefits and and myths.
UncertainTEA: Helping Consumers Navigate Tea Choices for Optimum Health and SustainabiliTEA – During this session, Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., aka The Food Sleuth®, will explain what consumers most want and need to know about tea, review tea terms and labels, and identify earth-friendly, safe and nutritious teas. She’ll explain where consumer confusion lies, and how retailers can best communicate and serve their customers.
Overall, World Tea Expo covers a wide variety of industry topics and tea retail strategies, and the exposition floor features hundreds of new products and services – many of which cannot be found at any other trade show. Register at WorldTeaExpo.com.