BIOFACH World News Update Vol. II 2024

Following a successful kick-off with BIOFACH Nuremberg in February, followed by BIOFACH AMERICA LATINA and BIOFACH CHINA in June, BIOFACH World enters the second half of the year with many events happening around the globe. And there’s fantastic news from North America: From 2 to 4 June 2025, following its long-standing collaboration with the NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO EAST, BIOFACH AMERICA will celebrate its relaunch as a separate trade fair. This makes it the first trade fair with strict admission criteria for organic certification in North America. As the first port of call for all facets of the supply chain, it not only covers the high demand but also reflects the positive market development for the region.

BIOFACH JAPAN

BIOFACH JAPAN will celebrate its return from 25 to 27 October 2024 when it will be co-located with the GOOD LIFE Fair at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre. The event is being organised by Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s largest daily newspapers, with NürnbergMesse as co-organiser. BIOFACH JAPAN receives support from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Christian Beyer, Manager International Events at NürnbergMesse, explains: “At the latest since Fukushima and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Japanese market has been characterised by a high awareness on the part of consumers for food that is natural and safe. Demand for organic food in Japan is also expected to continue to rise constantly in the next few years. In this growing market, BIOFACH JAPAN is the ideal place to initiate and expand contacts with retailers and wholesalers and get direct feedback on the acceptance of products by Japanese consumers.” Alongside the extensive product range from Japanese and international exhibitors, the event counts two pavilions among its highlights. These are the official German Pavilion, subsidised by the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL), and the Philippines Pavilion with eight participants, organised by that country’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

BIOFACH SAUDI ARABIA

BIOFACH SAUDI ARABIA will be held from 11 to 13 November 2024 alongside the Saudi Organic Food Day. With what is now its third round, this pioneering event is testimony to Saudi Arabia’s commitment to sustainable agriculture. The comprehensive congress programme puts the spotlight among other things on local challenges like water and fertiliser management in farming. BIOFACH SAUDIA ARABIA is being organised by 1st Arabia Tradeshows & Conferences in collaboration with NürnbergMesse. Support is provided by the Saudi Ministry for Energy, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) and the Saudi Organic Farming Association (SOFA). In addition, the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL) will subsidise a German pavilion at the event. “The MENA region, especially Saudi Arabia, represents an emerging market for organic food that was estimated at USD 7 bn in 2022 and can expect ongoing growth,” says Christian Beyer, Manager International Events at NürnbergMesse. “We are looking forward to bringing together industry leaders, political decision-makers and other stakeholders to encourage dialogue and innovation in organic farming.”
Prospective exhibitors can still register for BIOFACH SAUDI ARABIA until 30 September 2024.

BIOFACH Nuremberg

From 11 to 14 February 2025, the world’s leading fair for organic food will gather international representatives from along the entire supply chain in Nuremberg and online on BIOFACH digital. The trade fair will launch its 36th round with an improved hall concept: The aisles that had been widened as part of COVID-19 safety measures will be reduced to pre-pandemic levels, creating more stand space as a result. This means that the temporarily used Halls 3C and 8 will no longer be needed. The new hall concept also integrates VIVANESS completely into BIOFACH. This results in a compact hall configuration but with the same international diversity. In 2025, BIOFACH will once again incorporate highlight topics into its supporting programme specifically geared to the out-of-home catering or retail segments, but there will also be provision for trends and innovations – for example on the special display area for the institutional catering and hospitality sector, the national and international start-up pavilions, or in the SustainableFutureLab and extensive congress programme.

BIOFACH AMERICA

For many years, BIOFACH AMERICA was part of the NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO EAST. From 2 to 4 June 2025, it will now celebrate its relaunch as a separate trade show. It will be the first fair in North America to offer a purely organic product range. The US organic market has doubled in the last 10 years and is the largest market worldwide. Nevertheless, so far there hasn’t been a platform in the region with a 100% focus on organic food. We are delighted that in the shape of BIOFACH America we can now offer the sector a gathering place and platform for representatives of the entire value chain, with sufficient space for exchanges, discussion and knowledge-sharing on the topic of organic food!” says Katharina Neumann, Manager International Events at NürnbergMesse. In keeping with the BIOFACH standard, only organically certified products will be admissible at BIOFACH AMERICA, and there will also be a special organic food range for the catering. “We are very pleased to be bringing the largest organic trade fair in the world to the biggest organic market in the world,” says Bill Ingwersen, CEO/CFO of NürnbergMesse North America. “Atlanta is a fantastic choice as a venue for BIOFACH AMERICA, with the largest airport in the world and a congress centre in a central location within walking distance to important cultural institutions like the National Center for Civil and Human Rights or the NCAA Football Hall of Fame.”

BIOFACH AMERICA LATINA

The 17th round of BIOFACH AMERICA LATINA was held from 12 to 15 June 2024 at the Anhembi Exhibition Centre in São Paulo. Together, BIO BRAZIL FAIR, BIOFACH AMERICA LATINA and NATURALTECH attracted around 46,200 visitors and 760 exhibitors. This once again underscores their relevance as the biggest events in the Latin American organic and sustainability sector. Alongside the international product display, there were plenty of opportunities for participants to network, discover trends, and add to their knowledge. The national and international business round tables, for example, brought purchasers and suppliers together in around 1,000 meetings. Five Brazilian firms were pleased to receive an award honouring the efforts of their brands to promote health, nutrition and sustainability. Topical issues affecting the organic segment were explored in numerous workshops, presentations, and podium discussions.

BIOFACH CHINA

From 1 to 15 June 2024, 12,469 international trade visitors gathered at the Shanghai New International Expo Center for the 17th edition of BIOFACH CHINA. At the event, 174 exhibitors presented their wide range of organic products, from raw materials to lifestyle articles. The opening ceremony was followed by an awards ceremony. After around a year of preparations, the BIOFACH CHINA 2024 Organic Power Award was presented in eight categories. Over a period of five months, industry experts evaluated the submissions, with another 6,320 public jurors also taking part in the voting process. The extensive supporting programme also offered plenty of opportunities for professional development and networking with like-minded colleagues, for example in the forums at the venue or the three live online streams.

BIOFACH INDIA

From 3 to 5 August 2024, BIOFACH INDIA was held at the India Expo Centre, IEML, Greater Noida in Delhi-NCR. Organised in collaboration with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), it is the most important event for the Indian organic sector.

BIOFACH INDIA was a huge drawcard for around 6,500 trade visitors, delegates and agricultural economists. In 2024, around 200 exhibiting companies took part, including manufacturers of organic food, drinks and packaging, certification bodies and academic institutes. In addition, several Indian states and government agencies had their own pavilions.

The focus topic “millet”, an area of particular importance to India, was also covered, e.g. at the pavilion organised by APEDA or in the high-calibre congress programme. The congress also delivered insights into the growing organic market in India and worldwide, explained trends and working methods, and offered scope for important exchanges on current challenges. There were also innovations to discover at the special trends and innovations hub “Nature’s New & Now”. The focus was on three key trends: superfoods and super ingredients, precision agriculture, and clean beauty. At this pavilion, interested visitors found innovative products from trending categories and gained insights into the future development of the market for organic and natural products.

BIOFACH World

NürnbergMesse has proven expertise in the field of organic food. The international organic sector gathers in Nuremberg every year in February at BIOFACH, the world’s leading fair for organic food products. The comprehensive range of certified organic products on display shows their diversity, from fresh products like dairy and cheese, fruit and vegetables to dry products like grains and pulses, nuts and confectionery, and beverages. The international patron of BIOFACH is IFOAM – Organics International, while the national supporting institution is the German Federation of Organic Food Producers (BÖLW). An integral part of this world-leading fair is the BIOFACH Congress, a knowledge-sharing platform that is unique worldwide. With another seven BIOFACH events in China, India, Japan, South America, Thailand, the USA and Saudi Arabia, BIOFACH World has a global presence and year after year brings together around 4,500 exhibitors and more than 150,000 trade visitors.