The world’s biggest food fair, Anuga, returns to Cologne from 5 to 9 October, with an impressive 165,000 visitors set to attend. ESM focuses on some of the key trends and innovations set to be showcased at this year’s event. This article first appeared in ESM Issue 5 2019.
Anuga, the world’s largest food trade fair, has always boasted impressive numbers – for example, this year’s event is set to welcome an incredible 7,590 exhibitors and more than 165,000 visitors across ten trade fairs. This year, however, Anuga has another number to celebrate, as the 2019 edition marks the 100th anniversary of the first event, which took place in Stuttgart in 1919.
Small Beginnings
The first Allgemeine Nahrungs Und Genußmittel Ausstellung – or Anuga, for short – was a bold move for the newly-established Weimar Republic. As local newspaper Neues Tagblatt wrote of the show, it was the ‘right time for an exhibition where merchants can inform themselves about the available offer’.
Following its initial foray, further events were held in Munich, Hanover, Berlin, Magdeburg and Cologne in the years that followed, the latter of these welcoming some 360 exhibitors across eight exhibition segments, ranging from food and luxury items to chemical and cosmetic compounds.
Further migrations to Breslau (now Wrocław, in Poland), Heidelberg, Dortmund, Koblenz and Kiel followed, but following the Second World War, the exhibition called Cologne its permanent home in 1951 – a location on to which it has held for close to seven decades. Commenting on the 1955 edition, Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, described it as “impressive”, adding that the organisers should be “very proud” of what they had achieved. These high standards have persisted to this day.
As the years progressed, so Anuga evolved – by its 50th anniversary, in 1969, Anuga was a week-long event, and by the mid-seventies, the familiar Anuga logo was introduced. As the Berlin Wall fell, so Anuga became an increasingly international affair, with 70% of exhibitors coming from outside Germany, at the 1989 edition.
The coming of the new millennium saw Anuga shortened back to five days, as well as the roll-out of the ‘ten-trade-shows-in-one’ concept, which it retains to this day.
International Insight
Today, Anuga is a truly international event, with 90% of exhibitors and 74% of visitors coming from abroad, while the offering has evolved from a straightforward trade exposition into one that incorporates insights into current and future innovations, via the Anuga Taste Innovation Show, the Anuga Trend Zone, and the new, future-focused Anuga Horizon 2050 exhibition, all of which form part of what organisers Koelnmesse are calling the ‘Boulevard of Inspiration’.
In addition, a number of major events also align themselves with Anuga, furthering deep insight into emerging trends. Newtrition X explores advancements in personalised nutrition, the E-Grocery Congress examines ways in which e-commerce is shaping the food and grocery landscape, and IFood’19 – the innovation food conference – looks at the latest trends in sustainability, digitalisation, and new food concepts.
Under One Roof
One of the core attractions of Anuga is Anuga Fine Food, the largest of the ten trade shows therein. As well as exploring both gourmet and specialist product developments, this show will also include the Anuga Halal Market.
Elsewhere, Anuga Frozen Food will explore international innovations in frozen, Anuga Meat will examine the latest trends in meat, sausage and poultry products, and Anuga Chilled & Fresh Food will offer a 360-degree view of the growing fresh convenience sector.
Elsewhere, Anuga Dairy, which incorporates the Dairy Unlimited networking event, will showcase innovations in milk, butter, cheese and associated categories, Anuga Bread & Bakery will bring together market-leading expertise from across the bakery sector, and Anuga Drinks will explore innovation in beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks.
The wide breadth of products in the organic sector is set to be showcased at the Anuga Organic trade fair, while Anuga Hot Beverages and Anuga Culinary Concepts will demonstrate why both of these categories are hotbeds of innovation. ESM looks in more detail at what attendees can expect from each trade show on page 112.
Paraguay Calling
Anuga has a history of extending its reach around the world by partnering with countries with established food traditions (in 2017, the partner country was India, while in 2015, Greece took on the role), and this year’s event is no different, as Paraguay is named partner country for Anuga 2019. Paraguay is among the top ten global producers of soya, maize and beef, and the country has invested heavily in its production facilities and export capabilities in recent years.
At Anuga 2017, more than 20 Paraguayan firms were present, under the aegis of Rediex, the investment and export promotion agency within the Paraguayan Ministry for Industry and Commerce, while Cámara Paraguaya de Carnes, which represents Paraguay’s meat industry, participates at each edition of the Anuga Meat segment.
All photos courtesy Koelnmesse.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
