The new edition of F4F–Expo Foodtech will mark the roadmap for technological innovation in the food sector

• From 16 to 18 May, the BEC in Bilbao will bring together more than 7,000 professionals in search of the latest innovations and digital solutions that will help the sector to improve its competitiveness
• Leaders from international companies such as Danone, Coca-Cola, Pascual, Campofrío and Eroski will present the new technological trends that are revolutionising the food and beverage sector

F4F - Expo Foodtech, which today presented the new features of its next edition, will once again turn Bilbao into the world capital of the foodtech industry from 16 to 18 May. The global technology event for the food and beverage industry will bring together more than 7,000 professionals to analyse the future of digitalisation in the food and beverage sector. Leaders from companies such as Coca-Cola, Danone, Pascual, Campofrío and Eroski, among other international firms, will present the latest trends in automation, robotisation, Artificial Intelligence and innovation strategies that are defining the industry’s new roadmap.

The Basque Government's Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy, Bittor Oroz Izagirre, expressed his enthusiasm for F4F–Expo Foodtech: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming the Basque Country's benchmark event in the food sector, which brings with it knowledge on the latest trends, technologies and solutions to respond to consumer challenges.”

For her part, Ainara Basurko, Provincial Councillor for Economic Promotion of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, highlighted “the enormous opportunity that holding F4F–Expo Foodtech represents for the Basque Country and Bizkaia, thus contributing to the creation of synergies and continuing to help attract projects and talent to the region”. This has been confirmed by the Councillor for Economic Development, Commerce and Employment of the City Council of Bilbao, Xabier Ochandiano: “This is a very important project for our city. Three years ago we fully committed to F4F–Expo Foodtech and we were not wrong. It is the only congress to combine volume and specialization in Bilbao.”

“For ICEX, F4F–Expo Foodtech is an excellent platform to project the innovative ecosystem of the Spanish food industry to the rest of the world, claiming our potential as a Spain Foodtech Nation,” said Maria Naranjo, Director of the Food Industry at ICEX.
In addition, Javier Dueñas, President of F4F–Expo Foodtech and CEO of Campofrío, stressed “the key moment we are going through, with rising inflation, a growing ageing population, an increasingly informed consumer, and the need for big solutions to meet big challenges. Collaboration between the private and public sector is crucial so that we can all use resources responsibly”. In this sense, Sergio Fabregat, director of F4F – Expo Foodtech, explained that automation, robotics and new 4.0 technologies are key to facing the great challenges facing the sector. That is why, “automation, new processing techniques, new generation ingredients and sustainability will be some of the main themes of the 6 auditoriums of F4F–Expo Foodtech. All designed for professionals in the sector to find the challenges and solutions for their day-to-day work”.

Top-level executives to delve into the challenges facing the food industry

The Food 4 Future World Summit, held as part of F4F–Expo Foodtech, will bring together 450 international experts to present success stories on how to improve the efficiency of the sector's production plants, new trends in food products and how to address the industry's upcoming challenges. One of the future challenges will be to feed almost 10 billion people by 2050, while driving economic development and advancing climate neutrality. Mar Coloma, CEO of Heura, together with Y.C. Choy, VP and Head of Europe Development Board (EDB), will delve into this challenge by analysing new solutions such as technological innovation in plant-based meat, reduction of food waste and solar-powered fertilisers, among other proposals.

Precisely, the industry is experimenting with a new way of conceiving products with the help of technology. In this field, María Camacho, VP Marketing Danone Spain, and Alejandro González, R&D director at Pascual, will delve into how the dairy sector is evolving with innovations focused on sustainability, plant-based dairy alternatives and the personalisation provided by technological advances.

Moreover, in the current context, given the problem of raw material supply, rising energy costs and geopolitical and demographic effects, innovation will play an important role. Experts such as Jonathan Berger, CEO of The Kitchen; Andy Zynga, CEO of EIT Food, Paulo Silveira, CEO and Founder at FoodTech Hub Latam, Henrik Stamm, Food system change investor at Blendhub, and Adam Lyle, Executive Chairman of Padang & Co, will reflect on how innovation is fundamental to face the challenges that the sector faces.

Digitalization to boost the industry

The application of digitalisation in industry, process automation and data analytics will contribute to improving the supply chain and customer experience, as well as saving costs and streamlining orders and deliveries. Oriol Folgera, Director Operational Excellence Iberia at Coca-Cola, and Roberto Delgado, CEO of Mobile Lean, a company that aims to transform factories into sustainable environments, will discuss how digitalisation is transforming and improving the competitiveness of the food industry. María Paredes Ramos, from Estrella Galicia, and Carole Tonello, commercial director at Hiperbaric, will discuss how technological trends such as the use of artificial intelligence, the growth of e-commerce and the expansion of mobile technology, among others, are having a major impact on the future of food.

Another relevant aspect for the food sector are the new consumer behaviours. In this aspect, Javier Dueñas, CEO of Campofrío, together with Jorge Tejero Lorenzo, from Personal Food, will address how the industry can offer personalised value propositions to meet the increased awareness of health, user preferences and the food we consume. Along the same lines, Rosa Carabel, CEO of Eroski, and Cedric Pantaleon, Vice President of Sales at Danone Spain, will explain how the new food shopping experience in a global and digital world makes it necessary to seek new strategies and shopping patterns to offer unique value propositions.

In the words of Rogelio Pozo, director of the Food 4 Future World Summit and CEO of AZTI, “Food 4 Future World Summit is already one of the largest congresses in the world within the industry. This year we expect to have more than 150 hours of success stories, solutions and proposals from top professionals”.