Citation
(2005), "Editorial", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 35 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2005.01735daa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Editorial
Recently I attended the IFE exhibition at the EXCEL centre in London. This was held 13-16 March.
The exhibition is mainly food industry based, but there were numerous stands of interest to anyone interested in nutrition and food science.
This was the 14th International Food and Drink Exhibition and was located for the first time next to the FoodexMeatex, which deals with more of the technical and food science side of the industry.
There were over 100 stands from exhibitors at FoodexMeatex and approximately 1,400 exhibitors in the IFE section.
FoodexMeatex with stands on training, measurement devices and new machines and technology made one realise just how advanced the food industry has become and the progress that has been made in food processing technology.
With the vast array of stands in IFE it was almost difficult to select what to look at but there was a wonderful array of both foods and beverages, which included some innovative new products.
There was a massive number of stands from all over the word displaying different products from over 400 different countries. These stands were in most cases grouped in areas representing the different countries; however it was also evident that there were food producers from all over the world also found in the other sections of the exhibition.
Also there were stands from different regions in the UK showing locally produced foods. With the interest in sustainability such foods are gaining importance as part of the menus in both the cost sector and hospitality industry where local foods are being chosen in preference to imported ones.
With the general interest in health and wellness it was interesting to see a section devoted to such foods with products such as those which are gluten free being shown. With the increasing numbers of people having health problems related to diet as well as people with food intolerances it is not surprising that there is now more interest by the catering industry in coping with such diets.
It was a fascinating exhibition with a chance to see and indeed taste many new products and one which would be well worth anyone involved with food and nutrition visiting.
If anyone is interested the websites are http://www.ife.co.uk and www.foodexmeatex.co.uk