Oct 4, 2022

Symposium offers latest in berry health research

While the 9th Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium (BHBS) was postponed in 2021 due to COVID-19, berry research on health has continued through the pandemic and will be presented at the event in 2023.

The symposium will be Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in Tampa, Florida, bringing leading scientists from around the world to share new discoveries that expand the evidence supporting regular consumption of berries for health.

Throughout the symposium, speakers will present their most current work in clinical, basic and applied research, including scientific sessions on berries and cognition, heart and healthy aging, skin health, gut health and microflora, and food technology and chemistry. The 2023 BHBS will have a new feature: four seminar sessions between the scientific presentations, covering topics including immunity, supplements and clamshell sustainability.

“The Berry Health Benefits Symposium has emerged as the premier venue to reveal cutting-edge discoveries on the roles of berries in support of human health and wellness,” Mary Ann Lila, David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor and Director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University, said in a news release.

“Past conferences have advocated for the regular consumption of berries in the diet as a preventative and therapeutic force for health, but this year we will go a step further and explore the myriad topical applications for berry fruit compounds,” Lila, who will chair a session on Berries and the Skin at the symposium, said in the release. “The skin is arguably our largest human organ, and an extensive portal for delivery of phytoactive natural compounds from berries that interact with human targets to promote optimal health.”

Tampa’s location provides an additional opportunity to enjoy Florida’s strawberry season with a tour of area farms and the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center Balm Campus. The day concludes with a Cowboy BBQ at the Southern Grace Ranch.

“This symposium convenes the top academic and government researchers and executives in the food industry, all to lay out the overwhelming evidence for berries as a strategy to protect the human body from the outside in, and from the inside out,” Lila said in the release.

The biennial symposium, first presented in 2005, is organized and sponsored by the National Berry Crops Initiative, a partnership between commodity groups, industry and academia. Symposium attendees will include members of the scientific community, healthcare professionals, food industry, media and scholars. The symposium also offers 16 CEU credits available for the full conference and has published COVID-19 precautions with the health and safety of attendees in mind.