Ronald Holman is the Event and Conference director of Free From Food & Health Ingredients, the leading trade show that showcases the vast potential of the Organic, Free From and Vegan market, connecting retailers, traders, manufacturers and technologists alike. The 9th edition of the two-day event will take place on 7-8 June 2022 at Gran Vía Fira de Barcelona.
What will we find when we visit Free From Functional Food & Health Ingredients Barcelona on June 7 & 8th?
This year’s Free From Functional Food & Health Ingredients (FFF&HI) in Barcelona running from 7-8 June is expected to be one of the most exciting yet. Covering a variety of sectors including free-from, organic, vegan, plant-based, functional and ingredients, the event will attract visitors from retailers, food service, bio-chains and manufacturers all looking to add a point of difference to their business.
«This year’s event is set to be a hotbed of innovation and education»
It is a very exciting time in the free-from market as the sector continues to enjoy a surge in popularity. In 2020, free from value sales increased by 16.9% to break the £1 billion ceiling, and this growth continued throughout 2021, with early reports showing demand soaring by 19.6% (£496.1m). With such growth being reported, it is no surprise that this year’s event is set to be a hotbed of innovation and education. More than 320 exhibitors are signed up to showcase over 10,000 pioneering products and brands from over 53 countries globally. These will be grouped into country pavilions to capture the trends and innovations showcased by suppliers, spanning Austria, Bolivia, Chile, Finland, Denmark, Sicily, Thailand, Korea and more.
Alongside a stellar line-up of exhibitors will be a dedicated Conference programme, featuring over 55 different academics, researchers, and consultants from across the functional food and health ingredients industry.
What is the trade show exhibitor profile? And who will be visiting?
Our exhibitors come from different areas of the functional food and health ingredients industry. The majority are free-from food manufacturers, organic food manufacturers, vegan food manufacturers, brand owners and/or private label, wholesalers, distributors, traders and other free-from & functional solution providers. This includes Ingredient manufacturers who are active in the European free-from and functional food & beverage markets. Our visitor profile is mainly made up of international buyers and specifiers from small and large (bio) retail, manufacturers, food service, health and convenience stores.
«Combined with the conference, FFF&HI offers an excellent, immersive educational experience for those wanting to update their sector knowledge»
This year’s edition comes with a revamped programme. Which topics will the activities and seminars address?
We are still very much in the planning phase of the Conference and will be working hard to ensure the speakers and topics are as innovative, engaging, and informative as possible. We will announce the full conference programme in the coming weeks but can reveal that this year’s conference will be divided into three streams – including 1) Free From Retail Conference, 2) Vegan & Plant-Based Conference and 3) Supplier & Insights Conference. Visitors will be able to gain insights into current hot topics such as sustainable packaging, start-up branding, healthy bakery ingredients, consumer behaviours post-pandemic and more. We can also confirm representatives from all ACCIO Clusters like Packaging-, Food Service-, Gourmet- and Innovation Cluster, Camara Catalunya, Innova Market Insights, HRA Global, Lantern, University of Barcelona, Spanish retail industry association AECOC, and Union Vegetariana Spain will all feature on the programme.
«The exhibition provides a unique opportunity for suppliers of new and innovative ingredients and products to meet, network and do business»
Why is Free From Barcelona a must-event for Retail, Catering and Food Service professionals?
Free From Functional Food & health Ingredients is the only dedicated event covering the five key and fast-growing areas serving retail. This includes vegan, featuring a wide range of non-animal derived products; free from spanning gluten, dairy, lactose, egg, sugar, and allergens; natural and organic encompassing free from chemicals, free from GMO, fair trade, free from pesticides, sustainable and 100% natural ingredients. The final two categories include functional, spanning vitamins, nutritional and food supplements, sports nutrition, protein, dietary supplements and many more nutritional and superfood products and wider ingredients solutions, aligning retail and food technology, bridging the gap to develop successful new free from and functional products.
The exhibition provides a unique opportunity for suppliers of new and innovative ingredients and products – which fall into one of the above categories – to meet, network and do business with the very best buyers and specifiers from food manufacturing, retail and foodservice companies in the industry. As those who have visited the event before will attest to, FFF&HI is so much more than a trade show, it is the ultimate free-from, organic and vegan experience. Combined with the conference, it offers an excellent, immersive educational experience for those wanting to update their sector knowledge.
The tradeshow is expanding with Free From Packaging.
Free From Packaging is an exciting zone within the Expo and covers sustainable packaging solutions for buyers of packaging materials working with food and beverage manufacturers in the retail, take away and foodservice catering sectors. In Barcelona this June, the event will attract European food manufacturers, as well as retail and retail packaging designers. It covers paper, carton, rice-based, bio-compostable, biodegradable, corn-based, reusable and recyclable packaging, as well as many more innovative sustainable solutions.
The ‘Free From’ category keeps booming. What will be the hottest trend in Free From in 2022?
The free-from sector is certainly booming and has been for a while. However, I think it is foods that offer health and wellbeing benefits that will be in greater consumer demand this year. Since the COVID pandemic, there has been a heightened awareness around functional ingredients that can improve certain aspects of health – both physical and mental – and the role that food and drink can play in this. These days, consumers are constantly looking for ways to improve their lifestyles, so I imagine products that offer health-boosting properties will certainly be popular.
«Since the COVID pandemic, there has been a heightened awareness around functional ingredients that can improve certain aspects of health and the role that food and drink can play in this»
The future of the food industry is ‘Free From’?
The future of the food industry is certainly free-from, albeit in many different guises. While I do imagine that the more traditional areas of the market (dairy-free, gluten-free etc) will continue to flourish, I expect that other areas will start to grow. For example, the no/low alcohol movement is booming, with consumption set to grow by 31% by 2024, according to market researcher IWSR. While the category is still relatively small, it is proving more popular with consumers, especially with the increased focus on health and wellbeing since the pandemic.
I also expect free-from carbon emissions to be one of the next big trends in the industry. Climatarianism – a diet focused on reducing our carbon footprint – is rapidly gaining traction as consumers become more aware of the impact their consumption habits have on the planet. As a result, I do expect consumers to place greater focus on the carbon footprint of their food.
More information about the event available at: www.freefromfoodexpo.com
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