Food & Drink Expo 2018 to address industry concerns

One of the strongest draws is the wealth of debate, ideas and demonstrations from which attendees can expect to benefit. Housed within The Grocer Talking Shop Live theatre at the event, industry experts will host a range of masterclasses, plenary sessions, live interviews and panel debates to provoke thought and inspire buyers across the food industry.

Each morning will kick off with a Breakfast Bite session featuring representatives from every UK region, who will each bring their best award-winning products or producer. Visitors will be invited to start their mornings with a few supplied tasters before the sessions kick off.

Across the three days, the show will cover the issues-of-the-moment in the food industry today, with food waste one such subject. A topic of ever-increasing importance, this will be discussed as a plenary debate with panellists including Richard Fox, ambassador for Love Food Hate Waste, and Matthew Fort and Hannah Gallimore from the Co-Op. The audience will benefit from a well-versed panel with participants covering ethical sustainability from the point of view of a retailer, chef and more.

Another key issue for consumers is health. People are demanding that they be given healthy options and buyers must answer that call. A health panel will discuss the latest movements in this sector, from functional foods with a focus on protein, plant-based foods and superfoods, to personalised nutrition and technology, labelling, the war on sugar and obesity. Provenance is another area that has become a hot topic for consumers. The Happerley Board, which works to secure provenance honesty and transparency across the food industry, will host a panel on where our food comes from.

A session on building a brand will aim to guide retailers in how to maximise profitable sales. The audience will hear from success stories within the industry, such as Snaffling Pig and Apprentice Levy

Highly important issues including staff skills will be covered. Useful consumer insight will be provided by MCA and him!, looking at both retail and foodservice, as well as an in-depth look at category growth and projections for the hottest trends next year.

Demonstrating its wide focus, Food & Drink Expo will host suppliers from around the world from Ireland-based Taste Cork, a food initiative to support a sustainable local food economy, to Vleems Food BV of the Netherlands, Holland’s top producer of microwaveable convenience snacks for retail.

Dan Dixon, Sales Director at Food & Drink Expo said, “Every two years Food & Drink Expo provides a unique opportunity for buyers to source inspirational products. But, even more important, is the raft of free advice and insights available to visitors at the show. Success breeds success and we hope that our attendees this year return home full of business-building ideas and an accurate overview of what we can expect across the relevant markets in the year to come.”

Food & Drink Expo is co-located with four other events – The Ingredients Show, which is new for 2018, Foodex, Farm Shop & Deli Show and National Convenience Show. Together they will bring together 1,500-plus suppliers from across the whole food and drink supply chain, from retailers to manufacturers, making it the place to do business in the industry.