A record-breaking 7,400 exhibitors and 170,000 visitors gathered Oct. 5-8 in Cologne, Germany, for Anuga. Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the biennial event put the global food and beverage marketplace in the spotlight. While plant-based, often vegan, products dominated much of the conversation, there was still a very strong presence of premium, gourmet and indulgence finer foods including cheeses, meats, confections and baked goods.
Insect-based products were quite the buzz, with a number of start-up companies showcasing their innovations in a special pavilion in the meat hall. Meat-free burger and sausage concepts were well represented at Anuga, while blended products were garnering attention for their trendy names, market positions and flavorful recipes. Meat snacks, gourmet sausages and convenience burgers were plentiful, with many showcasing on-trend flavors and value-added claims, such as recyclable packaging, fully traceable and high protein.
“Anuga has once again succeeded in presenting the diversity of the food industry in an impressive way,” said Friedhelm Dornseifer, president of the German Association of the Retail Grocery Trade. “In spite of the high importance of social responsibility and sustainability that goes hand in hand with the manufacturing and sales of food, with its wide variety of new products, Anuga 2019 demonstrated impressively that the appreciation of food is above all a matter of taste. Offering products that comply with the ethical needs of the consumers that also provide them with the highest possible degree of enjoyment is a big challenge for food manufacturers and distributors.”
The next Anuga will take place Oct. 9-13, 2021.
