Fi Europe 2013 the largest ever

Food ingredients Europe (Fi Europe) 2013 has closed with record attendance: almost 25,000 attendees visited the event in Frankfurt between 19 and 21 November.

According to the organisers, “80% of visitors confirmed that they control the purse strings of some of the world’s leading food and beverage manufacturers”.

“The feedback from the exhibitors and visitors this year has been outstanding,” said Mathhias Baur, Portfolio Director, Food ingredients Global.

“The Fi Portfolio was able to raise the profile of the show and grow the show exponentially. Not only was it our largest Food ingredients ever, but it was also our most innovative Food ingredients to date. The sheer number of people at the fair, plus the energy in the halls, was an affirmation of the success of the show.”

Across three days, Fi Europe provided multiple platforms for visitors to experience, taste and learn what the future of the food and beverage industry may bring. The event included tours and pods, digital self-guided tours, multimedia social engagement and Michelin star food tastings. Organisers say the Fi Europe Conference was completely full.

The New Product Zone, sponsored by Innova Market Insights, displayed more than 36 new products. Innova also presented Ingredients in Action, an ingredients application tasting bar in which visitors explored how the latest ingredients are being applied to finished food products and learnt about trends driving new product development. Innovative products included a Pepsi-flavoured corn snack and Coca-Cola with stevia.

Fi Europe’s sister event Health ingredients Europe will be held in Amsterdam from 2-4 December 2014. More than 82% of the floor space has already been booked, organisers say.