The Basque Country leads the ‘foodtech’ revolution: Food 4 Future celebrates a new event.

The Basque Country leads the ‘foodtech’ revolution: Food 4 Future celebrates a new event.

• The Food 4 Future Expo Foodtech, along with Pick&Pack for Food Industry, is scheduled to be held concurrently from 16 to 18 April at BEC-Bilbao Exhibition Centre.
• The Euskadi Basque Country booth will showcase institutional tools aimed at fostering business development and supporting the establishment of new enterprises, contributing to the enhancement and expansion of the Food and Gastronomy Value Chain in the Basque Country.
• Key figures from global companies including Danone, Campofrío, General Mills, Vichy Catalán and Pascual will unveil their strategies and technologies to address the food sector's challenges.

This morning, Food 4 Future - Expo Foodtech 2024 unveiled the latest news for its upcoming edition, reaffirming Bilbao's status as a global hub for food innovation. A notable shift this year is its concurrent hosting with Pick&Pack for Food Industry. Under the banner of ‘Foodtech 6.0’, F4F - Expo Foodtech will convene over 8,000 industry professionals, 280 exhibitors, and 450 international experts. The event aims to foster the exchange of solutions, strategies and success stories, steering food production facilities towards greener, more sustainable and technologically advanced operations.

In his presentation, Bittor Oroz, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Policy for the Basque Government, delved into the sector's future trajectory, emphasising the pivotal role of technology in addressing pressing challenges like decarbonisation. Oroz underscored the imperative of ramping up sustainable and nutritious food production across Europe while fostering closer connections between businesses and consumers. He hailed events like Food 4 Future as vital strides towards realising these objectives.

Xabier Ochandiano, the Councillor Delegate for Economic Development, Trade and Employment at the Bilbao City Council, expressed Bilbao's immense pride in hosting a prestigious international event such as Food 4 Future, emphasising its importance for both the city and the burgeoning sector. Similarly, Joseba Mariezkurrena, Director General of Entrepreneurship, Talent and Business Competitiveness at the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, highlighted the strategic importance of the food industry for the region. He mentioned Bizkaia’s advanced entrepreneurial ecosystem, which fosters the emergence and expansion of technological startups and innovative enterprises on a global scale.

María Jesús Abellán, the head of the food innovation department at ICEX, emphasised the key role of events like Food 4 Future in developing food innovation. ICEX is actively engaged in bolstering Spain's reputation as a leading FoodTech Nation through initiatives such as this. Spain is already a formidable force in the agri-food sector and is now striving to assert itself as a trailblazer in applying science and technology to food. ICEX is dedicated to solidifying Spain’s status as a FoodTech Nation on the global stage.

Javier Dueñas, President of F4F - Expo Foodtech and CEO of Campofrío, outlined the focus of the upcoming event, highlighting industry challenges such as population growth. He noted the disparity between stagnant continents and rising consumption rates, stressing the importance of innovation in addressing these shifts amidst a post-inflationary climate. He stated the key roles of technology and innovation in navigating changes within the food industry’s value chain, particularly in facilitating adaptation to evolving market dynamics.

Over the course of three days, prominent companies including AgroBank, AZTI, Basque Culinary Center, Blendhub, Chemometric Brain, Christeyns, the Basque Food Cluster, IFR, Siemens and Tecnalia, among others, will showcase cutting-edge foodtech innovations spanning robotics and automation, sustainability, and food science and safety, among other solutions. This shows the Basque Country's dedication to fostering business development and nurturing the establishment of new enterprises within the food and gastronomy value chain, a key sector of the region's economy. The Basque Country will host a dedicated stand showcasing institutional resources available to the food and beverage industries, furthering its commitment to industry growth and enhancement.

Future 4 Food World Summit uniting food industry leaders

F4F -Expo Foodtech is set to host the  Food 4 Future World Summit, emphasising technology’s key role in food production and preservation. The upcoming event will spotlight cutting-edge advances in precision agriculture, sustainable methodologies and preservation technologies. Furthermore, the summit will delve into the implications of generative and adaptive AI on the industry landscape. The discussion will also cover the impact of inflation and geopolitical factors on the sector. Rogelio Pozo, Director of the Food 4 Future World Summit and CEO of AZTI, summarised that various COOs from top companies in the food industry will discuss future challenges and trends, changes in consumer demands, food safety, and the incorporation of the latest generation of ingredients.

Executives from companies such as Danone, Campofrío, Mahou San Miguel, Pascual, Nestlé, Estrella Galicia, Coca-Cola Europa-Pacific Partners Iberia, Sanygram and Eroski are just some of the more than 450 international experts who will discuss and present the latest trends in the food and beverage industry.

Pick&Pack for the Food Industry arrives in Bilbao alongside F4F - Expo Foodtech

The upcoming Pick&Pack 2024 event, following its stint in Madrid, is set to make its mark in Bilbao, running concurrently with F4F Expo Foodtech from 16 10 18 April at BEC. As the sole event in Spain dedicated to packaging and logistics for the food industry, it will convene leading companies showcasing their latest advancements in processing systems, containers, logistics, robotics, transportation, traceability, supply chain management, labelling, coding, packaging systems, and innovative packaging materials. Moreover, technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, IIoT and Data Analytics will also take centre stage.

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About Food 4 Future – Expo Foodtech (16-18 April 2024, BEC-Bilbao): F4F .- Expo Foodtech serves as the innovation gathering for professionals across the food sector's entire value chain. Spanning three days, the event will unite more than 8,000 food and beverage industry experts and 250 companies at the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC). This meeting aims to showcase cutting-edge solutions in food tech, robotics, automation, processing and packaging machinery catering to diverse segments within the food and beverage industry. The event will also delve into critical topics such as food safety and science. A highlight of the event is the Food 4 Future World Summit, Europe's largest congress, offering insights into the latest trends, success stories and transformative tools within the food and beverage industry, featuring input from over 450 international experts. Organised by NEBEXT and AZTI, F4F - Expo Foodtech 2024 will be Held concurrently with Pick&Pack for Food Industry, Spain’s only event dedicated to packaging and logistics for the food industry.

Pick&Pack for Food Industry is an event organised by NEBEXT, a company specialising in professional events focused on innovation and technology transfer. NEBEXT is known for organising events such as HIP, Digital Enterprise Show, Rebuild, Tourism Innovation Summit, and Advanced Factories. The event will take place on 16-18 April 2024 at BEC - Bilbao Exhibition Centre. Pick&Pack is an exclusive innovation event for industry leaders and SMEs in the food industry seeking solutions in logistics, intralogistics, and packaging. Two congresses will take place during the summit: the European Logistics Summit 2024, which focuses on distribution, and the National Packaging 4.0 Congress, dedicated to packaging. Pick&Pack 2024 will take place concurrently with Food 4 Future - Expo Foodtech, the international innovation event for the food and beverage industry.