LONDON — This year AACC International goes across the pond for its first annual meeting outside of North America. The meeting will be held in London Oct. 21-23 at the Hilton London Metropole.

“Cereals & Grains 18 offers the unique opportunity to connect with European leaders in cereal science from academia, government and industry,” said Katharina Scherf, Ph.D., 2018 AACC International annual meeting program team chair.

In addition to bringing North American cereal scientists closer to their European counterparts, Cereals & Grains 18 will feature the latest cereal research and science from the farm to the fork. The conference will cover timely topics such as precision agriculture, wheat breeding for quality, shelf life, bioprocessing and more. Each of the three meeting days focuses on a different theme: Sustainability from Gene to Field on Sunday, Safe Ingredients and Quality Products on Monday, and Formulating for Health and Wellness on Tuesday. Attendees can choose from three different types of educational sessions. Featured Sessions host up to 400 participants and provide a bird’s eye view. Focus Sessions drill down more with about 150 attendees. Deep Dives will provide specialists and those who want to be specialists with more in-depth information.

With Cereals & Grains 18, attendees can expect the same commitment to science that AACC International prioritizes. The program team promises the latest cutting-edge research will be presented. Keynote speakers include Achim Dobermann, director and chief executive officer, Rothamsted Research, and Ian Roberts, chief technology officer, Bühler Group. Mr. Doberman will speak Sunday with a talk entitled “Leading from an Illustrious Past into a Demanding Future.” Mr. Roberts will speak Monday on how digitization can revolutionize the grain value chain. On Tuesday, Thorsten Koenig of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Food will lead a panel discussion exploring opportunities to change the way people produce, deliver, consume and recycle food.

“This meeting will have a truly international perspective and will bring in both young and experienced people from all fields concerned with cereals to share the value that being active in AACC International brings,” Dr. Scherf said.

There will even be an E.U. Starch Roundtable and joint panel between AACC International and the International Association of Cereal Chemists discussing how to move the whole grain definition forward.

With a conference packed with the latest science and networking with cereal chemists from around the world, attendees will find everything they’ve come to expect from AACC International’s annual meeting but with an emphasis on the international. Early registration ends Aug. 20, and more information can be found at www.aaccnet.org.