The world’s biggest food fair has returned, with Anuga set to take place once again, at Koelnmesse, from 7 to 11 October. Ahead of Anuga 2017, ESM brings you its largest show preview to date, highlighting the must-see attractions and must-visit stands, as well as the wider food trends that are influencing exhibitors at this year’s event.
There are just weeks to go until Anuga 2017, taking place at Koelnmesse from 7 to 11 October, and it’s fair to say that the biggest food trade fair in the world is shaping up for its largest edition to date.
Around 7,200 exhibitors from 100 countries will be presenting the latest trends and innovations in the global food and beverages market over the five days of the exhibition, with more than 160,000 trade visitors from over 190 countries expected.
Some 89% of the exhibitors and 69% of the visitors will come to the event from markets outside Germany, making Anuga the most important trade, sourcing and trend platform for the international food industry. Indeed, in the run-up to this year’s event, organisers Koelnmesse engaged in press conferences in far-flung destinations around the world, such as Bangkok, Thailand, New Delhi, India, and São Paulo, Brazil, and right across Europe, to drum up support and lay the foundations for a great show.
Extensive Reach
Anuga covers the entire Koelnmesse grounds, a total 284,000-square-metre gross exhibition space across 11 halls, some of which are multi-storey. There are also four entrances, a trade-fair boulevard, and a central piazza, to facilitate ease of movement. For those wishing to attend, however, comfortable shoes are recommended – it’s a massive event space.
Back in 2003, the show’s organisers introduced the concept of ‘ten trade shows under one roof’ – a model that has been repeatedly adapted to the changing marketplace and developed further for this year’s show. We speak to Dietmar Eiden, vice-president of trade-fair management at Koelnmesse GmbH, on page 104, and ESM will take a deeper look at the unique aspects of each trade show on page 118.
In summary, they are as follows: Anuga Fine Food (international food, including spices, oils, vinegar and delicatessen products); Anuga Dairy (milk and dairy products); Anuga Bread & Bakery (baked goods); Anuga Frozen Food (frozen foods); Anuga Meat (meat products); Anuga Organic (bio and organic products); Anuga Chilled & Fresh Food (convenience and ready-to-eat products); Anuga Drinks (alcoholic and alcohol-free beverages); Anuga Culinary Concepts (out-of-home trends and products); and Anuga Hot Beverages, the latest addition to the Anuga trade show line-up, which will focus on tea, coffee and other hot beverages in the growing out-of-home market.
Special events also abound over the five days of Anuga, including the Anuga FoodService Power Breakfast, Anuga Taste Innovation Show, Anuga Chef of the Year, Anuga Patissier of the Year, and the E-Grocery Congress among the major events running alongside Anuga 2017.
Anuga is operated in close cooperation with the Federal Association of the German Retail Grocery Trade e.V., Berlin (BVLH), while industry sponsors include the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries and the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, so you can expect a myriad of other events to be announced in the days leading up to the event.
India In Focus
As well as welcoming exhibitors and delegates from around the world, each Anuga event welcomes a particular nation as its partner country. At Anuga 2017, India will be presenting its culinary diversity and efficiency in the food industry with a series of activities over the course of the five days, commencing with its contribution to the Anuga Opening Ceremony on 7 October. The Indian government’s Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI) will be coordinating activities throughout the event.
Koelnmesse and India have a longstanding relationship. In 2015, Her Hon’ble Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of the MOFPI, visited Anuga in order to gain an impression of the trade fair and Indian participation therein. In addition, Koelnmesse has been organising a number of trade fairs in India for many years, including ANUTEC – International FoodTec India, which took place again this year, from 21 to 23 August in New Delhi, and Annapoorna – World of Food India, which took place in Mumbai from 14 to 16 September.
This increased presence is also likely to lead to a significant increase in exhibitors. Whereas only 45 exhibitors from India exhibited at Anuga in 2005, at the last edition the show welcomed 135 Indian exhibitors – a number that will grow further this year. Many Indian companies will be participating under the flag of the Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), while the Agricultural & Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) will also be organising several firms to
appear. Elsewhere, the Indian Oilseeds and Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEPC) is participating at Anuga for the first time.
Commenting on India’s participation at Anuga 2017, Katharina C. Hamma, COO of Koelnmesse, said, “We are very much looking forward to the collaboration with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries in the scope of Anuga. The trade fair offers the Indian food and beverage sector an excellent projection and development area.”
After all, food has been part of Indian culture for more than 8,000 years, since the dawn of civilisation itself. Discover what the future holds for this always influential culinary nation at Anuga 2017.
Growing All The Time
Anuga 2017 is set to break all records in terms of attendance, however, the bar was already raised to heretofore unseen heights at the previous edition of the show, in 2015, which welcomed some 160,000 trade visitors from 192 countries. The 33rd edition of the show took place between 10 and 14 October 2015 and welcomed Greece as its partner country. Around 200 Greek food exhibitors were on hand to maximise their presence at Anuga 2015.
Among the key trends discussed were the growing importance of convenience products, healthy eating, vegetarian and vegan products, halal, reduction in food and packaging waste, and the growing significance of free-from, all of which have become very much embedded in the industry psyche in the years since.
“Anuga 2015 exceeded our expectations,” Friedhelm Dornseifer, president of the Association of the German Retail Grocery Trade (BVLH), commented at the show’s close. “The high interest shown by exhibitors and visitors from Germany and abroad is impressive and underlines the significance of Anuga as the world’s most important trade fair for food and drinks.”
Huge Diversity
Dornseifer added that the huge diversity of products on offer at Anuga “clearly reflects the food trends that have been accompanying us for some time. Furthermore, the theme ‘convenience’ gains ever-increasing relevance. Those companies that succeed in linking these characteristics with healthy and sustainable aspects have good prospects of achieving high sales.”
Elsewhere, Dr Wolfgang Ingold, chairman of the Federation of German Food and Drinks Industries (BVE), praised Anuga 2015 for highlighting the “quality, safety and diversity of the ‘Made in Germany’ seal”, while Ingrid Hartges, chief executive of the DEHOGA (Deutsche Hotel- und Gaststättenverband e.V. Der Branchenverband des Gastgewerbes) trade association for the German hotel and catering industry, hailed the show’s position as a “source of inspiration and an important stimulus for many foodservice professionals.
“For five days, our foodservice marketplace was a well-attended, communicative, innovative and international platform and central point of contact for foodservice trends, business contacts and manifold taste experiences.”
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. For more A-Brands news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
