News From : DagangHalal.com (22 Apr 2016)
The show helps to internationalise agri-food SMEs and opens up opportunities abroad for Spanish food and drink products. It is with this strategic goal that Alimentaria returns, with the expectation of some 10,000 business meetings between its exhibitors and the 800 key buyers from 78 countries representing the distribution, retail and HoReCa sectors who have been invited directly through a number of different programmes. The origin of these selected buyers demonstrates that even though Europe continues to be a priority area for exports, the food industry is committed to consolidating its presence in Latin America, growing in North America and making a strong entrance into emerging markets, mainly in Asia.
However, the international drawing power of Alimentaria goes much further than this. This great Barcelona event once again hopes to exceed 40,000 foreign trade professionals, representing 30% of the visitor total. Discovering new products, sourcing suppliers and closing import and distribution deals are the main reasons why these trade professionals flock to Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via Exhibition Centre between 25 and 28 April.
Over half the international visitors (21,000) come from European countries, which is the destination of 70.5% of Spain’s total food industry exports. Additionally, nearly 10,000 visitors are expected from the Americas, headed by Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and the USA, confirming Alimentaria as an efficient means of getting into new markets on the other side of the Atlantic thanks to the familiarity of language and culture. This year the number of Asian visitors is also expected to rise by 5% compared to 2014, to well in excess of 6,000 trade professionals. For the Spanish food and drinks industry, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan are key markets when it comes to promoting and diversifying food exports.
Meeting agendas
To implement its internationalisation programmes, Alimentaria enjoys the support of organisations such as ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA), the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation (FIAB), the Association of Internationalised Industrial Companies (AMEC), and the Catalan Government’s Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ).
New objective: the Halal market/
Finally, Alimentaria will reveal the potential of the Halal market, which refers to the products and services in the agri-food sector produced in accordance with Islamic law. Halal certification is the essential passport to sell food products in predominantly Muslim countries, a market of over 1,700 million consumers worldwide that generates 500 billion euros, including 20 billion in Europe and over 800 million in Spain. At Alimentaria there will be a supermarket with Halal products, a seminar covering the trends and export experiences of companies in this market segment, and a cooking demonstration given by chef Pedro Corredor, since the Spanish restaurant industry can also find business opportunities in this market, linked to the growth in the number of Muslim tourists visiting Spain.