The world of ingredients in focus

This year, the international food ingredients industry is coming together at the Frankfurt trade fair location for Fi Europe. 135 countries are represented when more than 25.000 expected visitors meet over 1200 exhibitors. Not only the latest developments are presented here: a variety of networking opportunities offer the opportunity to initiate valuable business contacts.

At Fi Europe, the real and virtual worlds come together. The event platform is available both before and after the trade fair, thus extending the time span for exhibitors and visitors to discover new business opportunities, exchange ideas or be inspired by the latest trends and innovations. The valuable time on site can be optimally prepared and used with the personalized scheduler. The functions include the option of making a note of certain events or sessions or arranging meetings with exhibitors in advance.

For many years, Fi Europe has combined a lively trade fair with a top-class conference program. The widest range of products and services can be found in the exhibition area – the range includes the entire value chain of the food and beverage industry. Exhibitors from all over the world include numerous global companies, including industry giants such as Cargill, ABF Ingredients, Prinova, Brenntag and Lesaffre.

The Fi Europe Conference, which takes place from 28.-29. November, as well as the Future Of Nutrition Summit on the day before the fair, on November 27th, offer exclusive, paid lectures and presentations. The focus here is on current issues and challenges in the food and beverage industry, but the speakers also point out the opportunities that arise from them. The speaker line-up with experts such as Kalina Doykova, Senior Research Analyst at Euromonitor International, or Cyrille Filott, Global Strategist Rabobank, promises an outstanding program again this year.

Attendees of the Future Of Nutrition Summit have the opportunity to delve deep into disruptive technologies and solutions: Speakers such as Floor Buitelaar, Managing Partner at Bright Green Partners, Mario Ubiali, Founder and CEO of Thimus, will talk about what the industry could look like in the future, and Christine Gould, Founder and CEO of Thought For Food. On the other hand, visitors will find freely accessible lectures and presentations in the Innovation Hub and the Sustainability Hub in the exhibition halls.

The topic of sustainability continues to play a central role at the fair. Important aspects include sustainable procurement, labeling and transparency, regulatory requirements, environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) or equality. In the constant striving for more sustainability, Informa recently entered into a partnership with the international organization "Solidaridad". The Sustainability Hub area shows how their work helps to create sustainable supply chains worldwide and can support the ethical and sustainable sourcing of ingredients.

Organized networking opportunities round off what the fair has to offer. In addition to numerous informal opportunities, targeted contacts can be made. This is facilitated by data-supported matchmaking. One of the popular events is the Women's Networking Breakfast – this is where industry representatives in particular find inspiration and new contacts.

A special program item of Fi Europe are the annual awards, which will be presented this year on Tuesday, November 28th as part of an evening event: The Fi Innovation Awards promote innovation and top performance - they honor people and companies who break new ground and make a difference in the industry. The Startup Innovation Challenge, on the other hand, is aimed explicitly at young companies with innovative solutions and offers a real springboard towards success. Visitors to the trade fair can participate in the ideas of the finalists when they present their ideas to a panel of experts made up of investors, accelerators and industry representatives at the Innovation Hub on November 28th.

Yannick Verry, Brand Manager, Food Ingredients Europe and Americas: "Once again this year, Fi Europe offers everything that food and beverage manufacturers need to launch innovations and further expand their business: specialist lectures, opportunities for targeted networking and of course an exhibition that showcases many new ideas. I'm very excited to see the transformative power of all of these elements, and the creativity and connections that will emerge from this melting pot of talent."

About Food ingredients (Fi)
Fi was founded in 1986 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The portfolio includes live events and trade fairs, data solutions and digital offerings as well as top-class conferences. Established worldwide, it offers both regional and global platforms for all stakeholders in the food ingredients industry. More than half a million people have already visited the Fi trade fairs, and the resulting business value is likely to be in the billions of euros. After more than 30 years, the outstanding events, digital solutions and other products are the proven path to market awareness and global reach. Since 2018, Fi has been part of the Informa Markets portfolio. For more information, see www.figlobal.com