IFFA opens its doors with a record number of exhibitors

IFFA, the world’s leading trade fair for the meat industry, has opened its doors on a record number of 1,027 exhibitors – six percent more than at the last event in 2013.

The companies, which include all market leaders, come from around 50 countries and are presenting innovations for the entire process chain: from slaughtering and processing, via packaging, to sales. On around 110,000 square metres of exhibition space spread across seven exhibition halls, they are also showing innovative and creative solutions for the most demanding of all foodstuffs – meat. 

Commenting on the trade fair, Wolfgang Marzin, Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt, says, “IFFA continues to grow and we are delighted to welcome more exhibitors than ever before. Under the motto ‘Meet the Best’, Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre will be the focal point of the global meat industry for the coming six days. I am looking forward to an IFFA that provides impressive confirmation of its position as the leading international trade fair for the sector.”

The good economic climate in the industry and butchers’ trade represents an excellent starting point for a successful IFFA 2016. The outlook for suppliers to the meat industry is good. Meat consumption has risen worldwide at a rate of around three percent a year for the last five years. Consumption and production will continue to rise and there is a backlog of demand in the up-and-coming countries of Asia, Latin America and East Europe.

Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association of the VDMA, commented, “IFFA is the driving force for the national and international meat industry. The propensity to invest in the sector is high and our expectations of IFFA 2016 are correspondingly optimistic.”

IFFA is also a must for the butchers’ trade and butchers comprise of the biggest groups of visitors. According to provisional estimates by the German Butchers’ Association (Deutscher Fleischer-Verband – DFV), revenues in the butchers’ trade stabilised at a high level in 2015 with total sales estimated to have reached approx. € 16.3 billion.

Trends presented at IFFA

What sets the world’s leading trade fair for the meat industry apart is its unequivocal focus: everything revolves around meat. At IFFA, the spotlight is on innovations and trends that cater for the needs of the market and generate decisive, future-oriented impulses. The current trends are reflected by the extensive range of products and services to be seen at the fair, and mirrored by the complementary programme of events. 

In the case of machines and devices for processing and packaging meat and meat products, the key subjects include quality and the increasing demand on product safety and traceability. Additionally, considerable attention is being paid to product optimisation through energy efficiency, increased output, simple cleaning processing, more automation and environmentally-friendly solutions.

In the butchers’ trade, the emphasis is on taking account of new developments in consumer eating behaviour, e.g., convenience foods, take-away snacks and meat-substitute products. Investments in energy efficiency and the simplification of working processes are other top themes in the butchers’ trade. In the case of companies from the ingredients and additives segment, the focus is on food trends and nutritional trends. ‘Clean Labelling’ has been an important trend in the meat industry for many years and gives expression to the demands of consumers and the trade for products with as few additives as possible. Another top theme is salt reduction and, at this year’s IFFA, many exhibitors will be presenting concepts with which the salt content of meat products can be reduced significantly without any loss of taste.