Over a five-day period in October 2024, Paris was the beating heart of the latest trends and innovations in the world of food and drink. SIAL has been bringing together food professionals from every corner of the globe over the past 60 years enabling them to take inspiration from the latest developments in the food industry. Our Belgian food companies again won gold on the strength of their insatiable hunger for quality, innovation and sustainability. Our new generation of Food Heroes was also singled out for praise!
SIAL Paris 2024 in a nutshell
- One of the world’s biggest food fairs
- Over 130 countries and 7,500 exhibitors, including 185 Belgian food companies
- Belgium takes second place at Ecotrophelia Europe
1. The whole world as our prospect
Exports are the engine that drives the growth of the Belgian food industry. “International trade fairs and salons are important occasions for our members to meet with existing and new international customers”, Fevia’s International Business Director Tine Vandervelden comments. ”The companies invite their clientele to come and sample their latest products at their stands and to hopefully boost their contracts. In addition, SIAL attracts a worldwide audience of buyers and purchasing officers.
Traditionally the salon attracts a lot of Asians, although this year’s edition witnessed a notable rise in the amount of interest from Latin America. The trick is to stand out among the thousands of fellow exhibitors. Which is why Fevia assembles all Belgian exhibiting companies in an online summary which we bring to the attention of visitors by way of targeted communications. We asked our members about their “golden product”: a recent innovation or a true Belgian classic? Surprising to hear what came up!”.
Keen to learn which products won gold? Follow us on the food.be LinkedIn page and find out now!
2. A source of inspiration for innovation
Fevia’s Elise Herlitska and Nicole Verstraeten attended the fair to spot the latest product innovations. “The striking thing is the fact that the plant-based trend is continuing unabated. However logical it may seem, not all consumers are already on board. In Lithuania for instance, the market for plant-based pâté is small for now, yet companies are making and marketing this kind of food,” Elise explains.
“A mushroom-based fat substitute also caught our attention. It can be used to replace saturated fats in animal as well as vegetable products. The company launched the product to make the plant-based trend just as accessible,’ Nicole goes on to add.
Elise: “Food companies too are pushing for a circular economy. We attended a tasting of non-alcoholic drinks, where the alcohol had been extracted from the drink via distillation. That very same alcohol is then put to other uses. Perhaps you could be swayed by a fizzy drink with candied fruit extracts? The beverage is made from by-products from the production of candied fruit.’
“We also came across products that are beneficial for human health. These included water kefir, a fermented drink that contains probiotics. We also sampled a more balanced alternative to sushi rice made from the Asian konjac plant: low in calories, high in fibre and, what’s more, good for gut flora,’ the ladies said.
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3. Hotspot for young talent and a silver medal
How do we make tomorrow’s food without tomorrow’s talented professionals? Unfortunately, food companies face an acute shortage of young STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) graduates. This prompted SIAL to prepare an online overview of job openings with the various exhibitors. Alongside digital exposure, the fair also dedicated a separate hall where talented professionals are put in touch with food companies.
SIAL also hosted Ecotrophelia, the European food innovation competition where higher education students are challenged to come up with an innovative and sustainable product. The aim is to enthuse young people to go for jobs in the tastiest sector. Our country won silver thanks to Brieuc and Guillaume, the makers behind the nutritious on-the-go breakfast drink Full’iz. Briefly after the prize-giving ceremony, the team was given the opportunity to pitch their product to an international audience.
In addition, two of our colleagues went out around the salon with some Belgian students. Anneleen Bettens and Augustin Goethals from Fevia's ‘Work and Talent’ unit took food technology students from Thomas More University College and biomolecular science students from UCLouvain (Leuven University) under their wing for a jaunt around the fair, stopping at a number of food companies to test their ideas against reality. These youngsters are set to take part in next year’s Food At Work Awards.
Augustin looks back on these successful encounters: ‘I am a “young talent” at Fevia myself. In fact, this was my first ever food fair. I found it fascinating to hear how broadly the students' interests ranged! They also asked pointed questions about enrolling in the innovation competition, which gave them – and me! – a lot to take inspiration from!’.
