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Gama with Heather Mills, Founder, VBITES
Hailed as the “busiest” edition to date, the 2024 edition of Food & Drink Expo (and its co-located events) yet again emerged as a significant showcase of the latest in food and drinks innovation in the UK and beyond.
Gama with Ian Taylor, Retail Director, Spar UK
Absorbing much of the Birmingham NEC’s extensive showgrounds for three days between 29th April and 1st May, Food & Drink Expo saw around 1,200 exhibitors pack the pavilions to show off the latest products and concepts from across the grocery, specialist retail, wholesale, foodservice and hospitality sectors. Away from the exhibition stands, a major draw for the thousands of visitors that flocked to the event was a diverse programme of presentations, debates and other events spread across five different stages, as well as awards in categories such as Product and Retailer of the Year Award.
Co-located events included the National Convenience Show (in turn incorporating The Forecourt Show), The Restaurant Show and the Farm Shop & Deli Show, while dedicated zones for “plant-based” and “healthy & natural” products were testament to continued interest in the vegan and ‘clean eating’ trends.
Gama with Bryony Gray, Marketing Manager, Met Foods
Out on the show floor, the nicotine category was making its presence felt, with what appeared to be greater representation than in previous editions. A notable trend among e-cigarette brands was the promotion of rechargeable devices with refillable containers, apparently developed in response to the recent UK ban on disposable vapes.
Read this Tradeshow Insight in the latest issue of Gama News
Among the food and drink exhibits, health and wellbeing demonstrated its continuing allure, with high protein products (especially in categories such as bakery and snacks) and energising drinks in particular evidencing the current popularity of products geared towards the fitness enthusiast. Meanwhile, in the field of technology, one energy drink brand in particular was trialling a more automated approach to product and packaging design, with both the can and the flavours of the drink reportedly developed using artificial intelligence.
The next edition of Food & Drink Expo will start in Birmingham on 7th April 2025.
