This October, Anuga, the world’s leading food fair for the retail trade and the foodservice and catering markets, will take place at Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany. This biennial event is a central business and communications platform for all players involved in the development, manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of food and beverage. It’s where new products make their debut to complement today’s and tomorrow’s trends. 

In response to global growth in out-of-home eating and retail foodservice and meal solutions, Anuga has created a new culinary creative program. Here, culinary professionals and retail operators will converge to share ideas and recipes for the development of foods and beverages that appeal to today’s foodies, namely millennials who crave flavor adventure and convenience. The trade fair for the out-of-home market unites equipment, technology and culinary for specific regions and export. All of this will be housed in the Culinary Concepts hall, which is one of 10 sectors within Anuga.  

This hall will also include the Anuga Culinary Stage, which will feature renowned chefs sharing cooking skills and gastronomy concepts. Top-class finalists will compete here for “Chef of the Year” and “Patisserie of the Year.” Throughout the hall, solutions will be presented to address the globally established trend towards clean, simple foods. 

“Consumers are demanding more than speed and convenience from their fast-dining operations, including retail foodservice and meal solutions centers,” said Mette Petersen, president and managing director of Koelnmesse Inc., Rosemont, Ill. “They also want greater transparency with sourcing and traceability of ingredients.”

Anuga prides itself on being 10 trade shows under one roof. This design is a well-arranged layout divided up into themed areas, which makes it easy to focus and get work done. In addition to Culinary Concepts, the other halls are: 1) Bread & Bakery, 2) Chilled & Fresh Food, 3) Dairy, 4) Drinks, 5) Fine Food, 6) Frozen Food, 7) Meat, 8) Hot Beverages and 9) Organic.

“In response to global growth in retail and foodservice innovations of coffee, tea and cocoa, this year marks the first time Anuga is dedicating a separate hall to hot beverages,” said Ms. Petersen. “Attendees will experience first-hand the latest innovations in cold-brew technology, along with updated traditional coffeehouse brewing systems and products.” 

The 2015 Anuga attracted nearly 160,000 trade visitors from 192 countries. Event organizers anticipate breaking this record in 2017, as Cologne continues to attract buyers and sellers from all countries around the world. That’s because Anuga has become the benchmark for all food trade fairs worldwide in terms of both quality and quantity. 

Leading up to the expo, event organizers scour the food industry for trends and will create trend platforms before the exhibition to make it easy to find exhibitors, participate in educational programs and attend special events that are important to specific businesses. For the 2015 expo, these platforms included: Fair Trade, Gourmet, Halal, Health/Functional Foods, Ingredients, Kosher, Organic, Private Label, Vegan and Vegetarian. 

Mark your calendar for the 34th Anuga taking place October 7-11, 2017. For more information, visit www.anuga.com