Following a period that included several years of subpar growth, US shipments of food products are expected to register more substantial advances through 2008. This will be among the primary factors driving demand for food additives. Other major factors include the increased use of vitamins and other nutraceuticals in fortified foods such as the increasingly popular energy bars and meal replacements; as well as the broadening market presence of newer artificial sweeteners -- such as sucralose and ace-K -- in food processing applications.