SIAL spotlight for fresh produce

Fresh produce will be in the spotlight at the SIAL 2006 Global Food Market Place exhibition in Paris this year.

The event, which is held on alternate years, will run from October 22-26.

There were 27,000 French and international trade visitors at SIAL 2004, including retailers, wholesalers, food manufacturers and catering companies.

Visitors to SIAL 2004 included leading supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury’s, fine grocery retailer Fortnum & Mason and convenience chain Spar.

SIAL 2006 is the only multi-specialist exhibition to offer a dedicated fruit and vegetables section, and the sector had nearly 540 exhibitors in 2004.

The fruit and vegetable sector ranks third in the areas of most interest to visitors, with 20 per cent of SIAL’s visitors taking an interest in the industry.

“There will be more emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables in 2006, as this is an increasingly important sector,” said SIAL general manager Adeline Vancauwelaert.

New fruit and vegetable products will be featured in the Trends and Innovations Area, alongside the Special Innovation Award for Fruit & Vegetables.

Students from the Culinary Design workshop at the art and design college ESAD in Reims will be creating a range of innovative ways to present fruit and vegetables.

These concepts will include taste sensations, new modes of presentation, and new styles of consumption based on fruit and vegetables.

Their creations will be on show in the Fruit and Vegetable Design: fresh ideas! area.

The Fruit and Vegetable Design area will be sponsored by Rungis International Market, the biggest fresh produce market in the world with a turnover of EURO 7.1 billion and nearly 1.6 million tonnes of produce sold in 2005.

The La Cuisine du SIAL area will host a programme of professional demonstrations throughout the event.

Students from the Catering for Receptions course at the Ferrandi Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Française will prepare a range of sample designs using fresh fruit and vegetables in La Cuisine du SIAL.

The Nutrition Village will hold a series of round table discussions during the five days of the exhibition, with topics such as ‘Fruit and Vegetables for Health’, ‘Health Foods and Organic Products’ and ‘Successful Fruit and Vegetable Campaigns’.

A series of Fruit and Vegetables Buyers’ Meetings will take place throughout the exhibition, and resources such as a Fruit and Vegetables Visitor’s Guide will be available at the event.