Food Ingredients Europe or Fi Europe is no stranger to popularity. It is a food expo held each year with France and Germany alternatively taking turns to host the event. The FIE presents a unique opportunity for professionals in the food and beverage industry to network and learn about the latest happenings in the sector through conferences, databases, publications, etc.
The very first FiE exhibition was held back in 1986. Back then it was held once every two years. And, the host would always be a major city in Europe. With time, the popularity and importance of the event rose and it became an annual expo.
In 2019, to much disappointment of people, the FiE was cancelled due to COVID-19. To avoid skipping another event because of similar conditions, FiE announced the 2021 expo to be hybrid; it would be a live event but people could also attend from their homes using the internet. The 2022 expo followed suit.
Also, by 2020, Health Ingredients Europe had also joined hands with FiE to make all future expos a combined effort.
Now, the event has become a staple for the people involved and a permanent red circle on the calendars of those who are part of the sector. To date, according to FiE’s own website, they have connected more than 500,000 people.
The FiE is the place to go to learn about F&B ingredients, their substitutes, and creative solutions. It presents a great opportunity for new businesses to network with suppliers, technicians, manufacturers, and industry experts. Attendees can also generate new leads, get access to trend-focused content, and enter a community that is fostering change and innovation to create a sustainable food future.
In short, FiE is open to businesses of all shapes and sizes so long as they belong to the F&B sector. How they benefit from being in attendance is left to them to decide.
Paris, France hosted this year’s FiE. And, for the first time, the expo was held at Porte de Versailles. The site, in itself, was a treat to behold. There were 20,000 attendees, on-site and online, and the two three-storey buildings hosted about 1,000 exhibitors.
While the online event ran for longer, from November 28th until December 23rd, the live event was comparatively short and lasted only 3 days from December 6th until December 8th.
The floors felt overly crowded this year. However, the huge turnout also shows the confidence of people returning to the global economy. Surprisingly enough, a lot of new names could be seen exhibiting.
Companies from around the world participated in the event and displayed a variety of products and technologies related to the F&B industry. The applications, solutions, and emerging technologies really stood out.
The expo had everything from plant-based cheese to demineralized whey. But the food ingredients, supplements, and beverages remained the centre of attention for most. That shouldn’t be surprising though as the prevalent themes of the FiE were sustainability, functionality, clean label, and nutrition.
In fact, it won’t be wrong to say that the displays this year were dominated by mass-consumer functional products. The plant-based category wasn’t far behind. While team members from LECITEIN did attend the event, we weren’t exhibiting anything, unfortunately. Oh! Yes, the gummies were the highlight of FiE 2022.
FiE has always remained a priority for people involved in the food and beverage industry, however, the 2022 exhibition seemed extra special since it hosted one of the largest recorded crowds in the event’s history and definitely the largest since COVID-19.
Its highlight remained functional foods and sustainable ingredients. We believe this to be a reaction to the global hyper-focus on plant-based diets and sustainable food systems. Most F&B companies and professionals are trying to speed up innovation in the food ecosystem to match the shifting consumer demands.
The event also provides a great opportunity for manufacturers to find safer, organic, and sustainable raw materials and network with the global F&B community. Did you attend the Food Ingredients Europe 2022?
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