The INFINITIA industrial consulting team visited the busy ALIMENTARIA trade fair, which reopened its doors after two years of pandemic. In this article we set out our conclusions and reflections on the presence of innovative products at the fair.
Two years after the last edition, the ALIMENTARIA fair in Barcelona reopened its doors, welcoming thousands of daily visitors who strolled among the more than 3,000 exhibiting companies. The ambition of the event and the intense participation made it possible to welcome companies from all sectors of the food industry: regional classics, international novelties, cutting-edge innovations, packaging, etc.
With an eye always on innovation, some members of the INFINITIA team visited the exhibition to discover and confirm the latest trends in the food industry. From our perceptions, we highlight the high interest of the exhibiting companies in the incorporation of organic, vegan and/or healthier products into the market. Along these lines, we found that the fields in which the efforts to renew and innovate were focused were as follows:
- Vegan and vegetarian products. The large presence of these products at the fair perfectly reflected the rise of meat and fish analogues, a sector that presents a wide range of possibilities for product innovation and improvement.
- Vegetable drinks and juices. From soft drinks to vegetable juices and milks with different properties. The growing interest in the possibilities of vegetable drinks was evident at the fair.
- Packaging. Following the general industry trend towards a more sustainable world, many companies at the fair showed interest in reducing plastic content and improving packaging while keeping food properties intact.
In summary, the visit to the ALIMENTARIA trade fair, in addition to providing an insight into a wide range of companies of all sizes, was an insight into current trends, which allowed us to visualise the “endless” opportunities for innovation that the sector has to offer.