IFFA 2013 on course for expansion
Strong interest expressed by regional buyers
While the meat processing industry in Europe is under close scrutiny and food security issues take pride of place in the Middle East, around 950 exhibitors from 47 countries will present their latest line of products and services at IFFA - The No. 1 trade event for the meat industry - in Frankfurt, from May 4 to 9, 2013.
With new products covering the entire process chain - they will occupy 110,000 square metres of exhibition space, an increase of six percent compared to the previous event, organiser Messe Frankfurt expects around 58,000 trade visitors from all around the world. With these figures, IFFA is once again set to underscore its internationally leading position for sector.
Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Messe Frankfurt: "We are experiencing a strong response to IFFA as the unrivalled leading trade fair for the meat industry. All market leaders have signed up to present their innovations to an international audience of trade visitors. With a new, optimised hall concept and more exhibition space, this year's IFFA will have a new look - more modern, more compact and bigger. Together with our partners, we have created the best possible conditions for a successful IFFA."
Middle East interest
The trade fair has been attracting increasing interest from buyers in the Middle East, which is a strongly import-driven market. Current concerns about safe meat processing and accurate labelling and the latest product innovations were all among the enquiries fielded by the Messe Frankfurt team who met with regional trade buyers on the sidelines of Gulfood.
According to a VDMA (German Engineering Federation) report, the Middle East is a significant destination for food processing machinery. The report indicated that the UAE itself imported around € 198 million worth of food processing and packaging machinery in 2011, with € 48 million of that coming from German manufacturers.
After three years of uninterrupted growth, Germany's manufacturers of machinery and equipment for the meat industry continue to be optimistic during the run-up to IFFA. Berthold Gassmann, Chairman of the VDMA Meat Processing Machines Division said: "We estimate that meat-processing machines worth around € 850 million were made in Germany in 2012. This represents an increase of about four percent. Accordingly, we are looking forward to the coming IFFA fair with great optimism. More than ever before, the on-going process of globalisation and changing markets demand a strong, internationally recognised platform that not only offers the global meat industry a complete overview but also reveals the latest trends and shows solutions. And only IFFA can offer all that."
High level of international exhibitors and visitors
The high degree of internationality on both the exhibitor and visitor sides reflects the international importance of IFFA. At the last event, 55 percent of exhibitors came from abroad. After Germany, the top 10 exhibitor nations included Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, USA, France, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Poland. The proportion of German exhibitors has remained stable at around 45 percent over recent years (2010: 421 companies).
The broad spectrum of products and services at IFFA attracts trade visitors from the industry, trade and butchers' business. In 2010, 59 percent of the approx. 58,000 visitors came from outside Germany. The best represented visitor nations were the Russian Federation, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, the USA and Australia. A total of 24,180 visitors came from Germany.
IFFA focuses on the trends in the meat-processing sector
Safety, hygiene, traceability, automation and sustainability are important subjects for the meat-processing and supplier industries. In particular, ever greater significance is accruing to the question of sustainability. Many ideas and solutions for the efficient use of energy and resources have already been implemented in many parts of the meat-processing and packaging technology sector, and IFFA offers an up-to-the-minute overview of them. The machines and equipment to be seen in Halls 8, 9 and 11 cover the entire spectrum - from slaughtering, via processing, to packaging.
Suppliers of ingredients, spices, additives, casings and packing materials (Hall 4.0) are important partners for butchers and industrial meat-processing companies. Besides product safety, a good feeling for consumer trends is vital in this field. One of the main subjects in the sector is clean labelling, i.e., the reduction or exchange of declarable additives, allergens and artificial aromas. Additionally, the trend to 'Walking Food' describes the lifestyle and eating habits of younger target groups, for which the spice industry offers suitable concepts - not just for characteristic spicy sauces but also for appealing take-away packaging.
Comprehensive information about IFFA, the complementary programme and visitor services can be found at www.iffa.com.
Images for downloading are available in the 'For Journalists' section of the IFFA website at www.iffa.com.
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany's leading trade fair organiser, with 538* million euros in sales and 1,891* active employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and approx. 50 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events
"made by Messe Frankfurt" take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2012, Messe Frankfurt organised 109* trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Messe Frankfurt's exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
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* Preliminary numbers (2012).
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© Press Release 2013
