WTCE Ambassador–Travel Nutrition, Melissa Adamski APD BSc MND
http://www.nuttedoutnutrition.com.au
Melissa is a Dietitian and Nutritionist, specialising in the area of travel food, nutrition and diet. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Science (Food Science and Nutrition), Master of Nutrition and Dietetics, is a PhD candidate, and has over 15 years’ experience working as a dietitian–advising both businesses and patients. Melissa is founder of Nutted Out Nutrition, a specialist nutrition business supporting both travellers and the travel industry through expert food and nutrition expertise.
With her second article as WTCE Ambassador for Travel Nutrition exploring why it is important for industry to consider nutrition within onboard offerings, she now shares some of her top exhibitor picks to explore at WTCE 2025.
WTCE 2025 is fast approaching and as the ambassador for travel nutrition one of my favourite parts of the expo is talking to exhibitors and exploring their products. As a dietitian and nutritionist there is nothing better than tasting and trying new foods, especially those tailored for travel. When I step onto the expo floor at WTCE 2025 in Hamburg, here are some products and exhibitors I am particularly excited to explore in regard to nutrition innovation for travel.
(Similar to the note in my 2024 exhibitor picks article, I wanted to highlight that while special meals for dietary requirements do fall under my scope of practice as a travel dietitian I have not featured exhibitors specifically in regards to special diets/meals. This is because Julianne Ponan is the WTCE ambassador for special diets and she has highlighted the exhibitors she is looking forward to visiting.
I am delighted to see Deli Lites (stand 1D91) returning as an exhibitor this year and I am looking forward to exploring their ranges of salads. What caught my eye was their emphasis on vegetables and protein within their salads, not just relying on foods such as rice, noodles or pasta to bulk out the meal. Salads made from a balance of grains, vegetables and protein are important for travel wellbeing and yet many salads served onboard across the globe are not well balanced. So this year I will be stopping by the Deli Lites team to check out what’s new and get the low down on the nutrition of their products.
Yummy Karma (stand 1C109) piqued my interest for the descriptions of their range of fresh meals to go, pots to go, and veggie bites. Their range of meals are described as having no additives or preservatives. I am looking forward to learning more about the nutrition and ingredients of their meal concepts.
You will find Nairn’s Oatcakes at stand 1A112 and I will certainly be stopping by here to explore their range. Plain oatcakes are generally nutritious being a source of fibre and so I am interested to see what offerings they have for the travel industry.
Osterberg drinks located at stand 1B104 describe their range of sodas, non-sparkling drinks, teas and fruit shots as being made without added sugar and having a high fruit content. Fruit and vegetable- drinks can be convenient ways of boosting nutrition while travelling, but with such a large spectrum of these drinks available there are some that are nutritious, and others that are not as good for us. This is why I will be stopping by this stand to learn more about what’s in them, how they are made, and of course hopefully having a cheeky little taste.
There is growing interest in ambient meals and their potential for innovation for the travel industry, and this year at WTCE there are a number of exhibitors showcasing their ambient meal ranges such as Foodcase International BV (stands 4D10 and 4C10), Foodpartners France (1F70) and Top Foods (1D22). As a trained food scientist, as well as a dietitian, I am intrigued to see the quality of these ambient meals. While there are many benefits to ambient foods in terms of supply chains and budgets, it is still essential to give passengers a high quality and nutritious food experience.
That’s why I can’t wait to dive into the offerings in this area to learn more about the composition of the meals and how they taste. I can just remember my husband years ago talking about his experience with ambient meals in the military and how they weren’t great–that’s why I can’t wait to see how far the technology has come and learn more about the quality of these meals.
With nutrition research highlighting AGE’s (which stands for advanced glycation end products) potential role in negatively affecting our health, I am very interested in visiting the Cuisine Solutions stand (1E51) and learning about their use of the sous vide cooking method. Preparing meals using the sous vide method has the potential to reduce AGE in foods (which develop through high heat cooking such as frying or grilling). I am excited to chat with the team and learn more about the cooking methods and the potential for use in the travel industry because if this method of cooking provides both benefits for the travel industry along with the added boost of being good for us then this is a great win!
I absolutely love seeing nutrition innovation in onboard snacks that go further than the traditional nuts and crisps. 4700BC (at stand 1F01) are showcasing a range of innovative corn snacks including crispy whole corn kernel snacks in a range of flavours. Poshi, located at 1E110 has a range of vegetable snacks such as green beans, cauliflower florets and asparagus, and were a standout for me at WTCE 2024. I look forward to seeing if they have anything new in their range this year. Farmley at stand 1A109 has a seed mix and berry mix I am interested in checking out. All these snacks are based on wholefoods which provide vitamins, bioactives and fibres which promote wellbeing while travelling.
Bread is almost synonymous with flying, accompanying main meals as a side, being a main ingredient in sandwiches and rolls served on board, and sometimes even appearing on a cheese plate. With the quality of breads on flights varying due to factors such as ingredients and how they are made, I am always on the lookout for great bread.
High fibre breads made from wholegrains and using traditional baking methods certainly top my list of breads I love to eat. I look forward to stopping by En Route International (stand 1F30) to explore their comprehensive range of breads.
While WTCE can get really busy with networking for many of us, don’t forget to take time to explore the exhibitors and their products. There is nothing better than tasting and seeing food as it really brings foods and products to life and complements what you see in brochures.
You will certainly find me wandering the expo floor chatting with caterers, suppliers and the airlines/railways to learn more about the nutrition aspects of products. Please don’t hesitate to come up and chat with me! I am always up to talk about my favourite topic of food and how we can use food and nutrition to elevate the passenger experience.
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