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Free From Functional & Health Ingredients (FFF&HI) trade fair broke records when it welcomed more than 7,800 key buyers and decision makers from the free from food, drink and sustainable packaging industries through its doors in Barcelona from 28 to 29 May 2019. Now in its seventh year, this staggering 52 % increase on visitor numbers reflects the dynamic growth and development of the global free from market and cements the show as Europe’s leading platform for the free from industries.

Visitors took advantage of the unique platform the show provides, informing and inspiring decision makers from the world of retail, ingredients, wholesale, distribution and foodservice with a packed schedule of conference sessions, pioneering brands and products plus multiple networking opportunities. Five core areas of the free from market – free from, vegan, natural and organic, functional and health ingredients – were represented across four conference stages with insights from key speakers.

Highlights from the packed conference schedule revealed the latest data covering key areas including the 11.5 % increase in sales of free from foods across Europe in the past year and the 133 % growth of the UK free from market since FFF&HI began in 2013. Show partners, ProVeg International hosted a dedicated vegan area and a series of seminars at the vegan conference stage. Verena Wiederkehr, International Head of Food Industry and Retail at ProVeg International revealed the most prominent trends driving the sector including sensory experiences, clean-label products and raw materials, explaining the opportunities for businesses who tap into this buoyant sector.

FFF&HI was the platform for new brands and product launches from those shaping the organic, vegan, functional foods and ingredients markets. On the first day, FFF&HI unveiled the winner of its Product of the Year Awards – a celebration of the most cutting-edge free from food and drink products launched in the past year. Manufacturers and producers put their best innovations for contention to be crowned winner and runner up across three categories, Product of the Year, Best New Brand, Free From Plastics. The lifetime achievement award was given to Molino Nicoli, European leaders in gluten free cereal-based production. I Am Bart’s launched a range of organic snack bars made with vegetables, fruit and seeds without preservatives and added sugars and won the Best New Brand award. FFF&HI will return for its eighth edition in Amsterdam from 23-24 June, 2020.

The confectionery revenues in the German retail sector during the first four months of 2019 rose to € 5.019 bn, 2.5% higher than for the same period last year. According to the figures from the Nielsen confectionery monitor, the sales volume through week 18 of 2019 also increased by 1.4% up to 596,712 tonnes (basis: food retailers + drug stores + impulse channels + gas station shops + department stores). With year-round products, confectionery suppliers achieved increased revenues of 3.3% up to € 4.410 bn with a sales quantity of 547,629 tonnes (+ 2.2%); seasonal article revenues however declined (- 3.1%; € 609 m), as did sales volume (- 6.9%; 49,083 t).
The strongest growth remained unchanged, with salty snacks achieving a revenue increase of 8.5% up to € 1.118 bn. Double-digit percentage growth was demonstrated by premium nuts (+ 16.8%), snack specialities (+ 16.1%), peanut flips (+ 13.1%), tortillas (+ 18.3%) and salted pretzels (+ 10.8%). Above-average performance also came from the baked goods category, with revenue growth of 5.4% up to € 565.7 m, with high growth rates coming from the segments other baked goods without chocolate (+ 13.9%), wafers without chocolate (+ 36.6%), seasonal baked goods (+ 12.4%) and shortbread (+ 26.0%).
The product group with the strongest revenues, chocolate products, increased earnings only slightly by 0.6%, up to € 2.440 bn. Revenue declines were suffered by Easter article chocolate products (- 3.1%), 100 g tablets (- 2.6%), pralines with alcohol (- 2.7%), seasonalised year-round articles (- 14.3%), other chocolate products (- 5.1%) and chocolate specialities (- 5.3%), but these losses were compensated by increased earnings for chocolate bars (+ 1.3%), praline-like products (+ 5.9%), large tablets (+ 1.5%), praline mixtures (+ 4.3%) and chocolate snack articles (+ 1.6%).
According to Nielsen’s calculations, sugar confectionery revenues remained below the levels of the same period for the previous year, down to € 895.1 m for a decrease of 0.9%. Fruit gum/marshmallow/liquorice increased by 2.0%, while revenues fell in the other two core segments of bonbons (- 2.0%) and chewing gum (- 1.5%).

 

German retail confectionery sales in the first four months of 2019 significantly outstripped sales for the same period last year. According to the latest IRI confectionery monitor, revenues rose for the year through April by 4.4% up to € 4.342 bn (without chewing gum and without seasonal articles). Sales volume increased by 3.8% up to 586,484 tonnes (basis: food retailers + drug stores + hard discounters + gas station shops).
The salty snacks product group again achieved above-average rates of increase. Revenues rose by 7.9% up to € 1.117 bn with sales volume of 140,082 tonnes (+ 6.0%). The strongest revenues category, chocolate products (without seasonal articles), increased earnings by 3.3% up to € 1.800 bn, while sales quantity increased by 3.5% up to 179,876 tonnes. Strong growth was achieved here with pralines (revenues + 6.8%; sales volume + 9.4%) and bars (+ 5.2%; + 3.2%).
Suppliers of sweet baked goods and cakes experienced increased revenues of 4.1% up to € 760.9 m with sales volume of 142,984 tonnes (+ 1.3%). After sugar confectionery had underperformed at the start of this year compared to the previous year, by the end of April 2019 their accumulated revenues had increased by 2.1% up to € 663.6 m, with a sales volume increase of 5.0% up to 123,542 tonnes.
IRI registered a mild revenue decline in the chewing gum segment of 0.2% down to € 159.7 m, with a sales volume increase of 1.2% up to 111.5 million pieces. The Easter seasonal business (February - April 2018/19) witnessed a revenue decline of 2.1% down to € 463.1 m and a fall in sales volume of 2.9% down to 30,548 tonnes.

A record 24,211 visitors attended this year’s Vitafoods Europe, an increase of 15 % from 2018, while the size of the show floor grew by 10 % to meet demand, showcasing everything from new ingredients and finished products to packaging and contract manufacturing. As a reflection of the success of the event, more than three quarters of this year’s exhibitors have already rebooked for 2020.

The Vitafoods Education Programme also returned alongside a broad range of talks hosted across the show floor theatres. Featuring almost 90 industry and business experts, the total attendance of all theatres this year soared to 4,082.

In the lead up to this year’s event, the organizers encouraged the industry to come together to explore what was required to shape a more sustainable future through a series of networking events, roundtables and seminars. Ensuring that sustainable practices were in place throughout every aspect of the event – from planning to delivery – was also a priority, and included working with suppliers that share this commitment, powering the event with renewable energy, and introducing new stand build regulations to drive exhibitors to move away from using disposable materials.

As a result, Vitafoods Europe has become the first legacy Informa event to achieve the ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System certificate, a standard designed to help organizations in the events industry have confidence in the sustainability credentials of their event-related activities, products and services.

Vitafoods Europe 2019 offered nine additional events to help build communities and share values across the health and nutrition industry. As part of the Sustainability Square, a new area showcasing the latest consumer and market insights from across the industry, visitors were asked for their opinions on how best to improve the sustainability of the nutraceutical industry.

The 2020 event will take place between 12 and 14 May 2020 in Palexpo, Geneva/Switzerland.

After serving Barry Callebaut for 35 years, of which ten years as Chief Operations Officer and member of the Executive Committee, Dirk Poelman (born 1961) has decided to retire as per the end of the company’s fiscal year, August 31, 2019. The Board of Directors has appointed Olivier Delaunay (born 1963, French national), currently Vice President OSCO EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), as Poelman’s successor and member of the Executive Committee effective September 1, 2019. Poelman will ensure a smooth handover to Delaunay and stay on board until the end of 2019.

Poelman can look on an impressive career with Barry Callebaut. After completing his studies as Industrial Engineer in 1984, he began as Engineering Manager with Callebaut, which later merged with Cacao Barry. Over the course of his career, Poelman worked in various managerial positions and countries before he was appointed to the Executive Committee in 2009, responsible for the Group’s global Operations & Supply Chain Organization (OSCO).