From 20 to 23 March 2018, Anuga FoodTec will be offering a broad-based technical programme flanking the trade fair and addressing topical themes in food technology. Simone Schiller, Managing Director of the DLG Competence Center Food & Beverage (DLG – Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft/German Agricultural Society) knows what visitors to the trade fair in Cologne can expect.

sweets processing: Ms Schiller, DLG is responsible for organizing the technical programme at Anuga FoodTec. Which main emphasis have you selected for 2018?
Simone Schiller: On the grounds of its exceptionally high importance for the food and beverage industry, the technical programme at Anuga FoodTec 2018 will be concentrating on the guiding theme of resource efficiency. Visitors to the fair will find numerous opportunities in Cologne for grappling intensively with this multi-faceted issue, which is highly relevant for the entire industry.

sp: So efficient use of resources is the guiding theme at Anuga FoodTec 2018. What made you decide on this specific priority?
Schiller: The rising demand for raw materials and energy sources worldwide and increasing urbanisation are compelling us to probe the reasons behind our present actions and business practices. Careful and at the same time efficient use of natural resources is the crucial key competence for fit-for-future societies. Many exhibitors at Anuga FoodTec 2018 will be showing innovative solutions for reducing the use of energy and water as well as for cutting food losses in production and at the same time boosting competitiveness. The technical programme at the fair will provide orientation in a structured and compact form and give the trade public fresh stimuli.

sp: How do you intend to illustrate the complex subject of resource efficiency at the fair?
Schiller: In order to keep the guiding theme of resource efficiency in the spotlight throughout the fair, we have decided to combine three event formats. Firstly, there will be an opening conference on the theme with top-flight speakers. Under the heading “Resource efficiency – challenges and opportunities”, internationally recognized experts will shed light on the relevant facets of the matter. Secondly, the extensive programme of expert forums will take up the theme in a separate forum entitled “Resource efficiency”. Thirdly, visitors to Anuga FoodTec will be able to obtain a compact and at the same time informative overview of innovations in the field of resource efficiency during guided tours of the exhibition.

sp: What can visitors expect at the opening conference?
Schiller: At the opening conference on 20 March, the experts Prof. Michael Braungart, Prof. Ruud Huirne, Prof. Pierre Pienaar and Prof. Alexander Sauer will each explore central ­areas of the issue of resource efficiency in their presentations. This will include effective and efficient organization of the value creation process by making optimal use of materials, energy, personnel and capital. Options for the best possible use of resources will be shown – for greater sustainability, lower environmental impact, and savings in a wide range of business sectors.

"Smart Factory for bakery products is now on everybody’s lips"

sp: Which benefits are to be gained from taking part in the guided tours?
Schiller: Anuga FoodTec with around 1,700 exhibitors covers an extremely broad range of topical themes concerned with food technology. The guided tours offered by DLG facilitate orientation and provide visitors with a compact and informative overview of precisely those fields that attract their professional interest. In the course of the roughly one-hour guided tours, selected exhibitors will take about ten minutes each to present innovative products and solutions addressing a specific theme. There will be guided tours on subjects such as innovations in food technology, robots in food production, Industry 4.0, filling and packaging technology, modularization, flexibilization and individualization, and innovative packaging materials.

sp: What special offers are there for the confectionery and snacks industry?
Schiller: A great many! The session “Interdisciplinary reformulation of foods” plays a role in the topical theme of public health and will give new impetus to acceptance of products with less sugar, salt and saturated fatty acids. In recent years, the texture of foods has developed to become one of the top issues in the industry. The session “Texture design” addresses a number of aspects and shows how new technologies and the application of sensory testing or measuring methods contribute to implementing texture design. Furthermore, in the age of Big Data cross-sectoral technologies and topics, strategies and solutions are also reflected in our varied technical programme. I would like to draw attention, for instance, to the sessions “Robots in food production” or “Efficient technologies for electricity, heat and refrigeration”.

sp: Which topics are especially interesting for visitors from the bakery sector?
Schiller: The production of bakery products is subject to high quality and cost pressure, which has led to increasing automation of bakery machinery. This makes efficient process organization all the more important. There is demand for innovative technologies which combine energy efficiency with production ecology and economy and at the same time offer potential for enhancing product quality. The session “Innovative technologies for bakery production” shows current process engineering solutions. Although the production of bakery products can look back on centuries of tradition, it is still in a state of constant change. Innovations ensure that new consumer-friendly and market-oriented products are being developed all the time and the Smart Factory for bakery products is now on everybody’s lips. The session “Trends in innovative bakery production” will generate fresh impetus here. And with the sessions “Enzymes in food production” we are addressing yet an-other thematic area of relevance for the industry.

Anuga FoodTec 2018: focus on innovation

As the leading global trade fair, Anuga FoodTec in Cologne – organized jointly by Koelnmesse and DLG – is the most important driving force of the international food and beverage industry again. It is the only trade fair in the world that covers all aspects of food production. From 20 to 23 March 2018, the industry presents its innovations and technological visions there – from processing, filling and packaging technology to packaging materials, ingredients, food safety and the entire range of innovations from all the areas associated with food production. Resource efficiency will be the primary focus of Anuga FoodTec 2018. Numerous accompanying event and congress programmes will also illuminate the topic from various angles.