ANUGA Preview: Discover Europe

As a run-up towards ANUGA in Germany, the biggest food and drink trade show in the world, this is a decidedly European issue. You will find within, a 16-page feature on the region.

For a start, we offer an overall outlook of the European retail market through a Regional Report (pg 28-30) by Michael Gerling, from the Federal Association of the German Retail Grocery Trade (BVL), which is also founder of ANUGA. In his trends and perspective piece, Gerling discusses the familiar demands for safe, clean, sustainable and affordable food by the consumer. Private labelling, has thus grown to become a deserving, and in global hypermarkets – very large, shelf to be reckoned with.

Experts have examined this development on several occasions in our magazine. In the previous issue (June-July 2009, pg 8-10), Professor Matthias Horst said: “In Germany, the top five retailers have a combined market share of about 84-85 percent. One reason for their success is the introduction of private labels, which have been quite well received by consumers.” He added, “There is also a tendency to private labels to be in the premium segment, especially in the UK and this is growing too in Germany.”

More of Professor Horst’s research findings and stories on the private labelling potential will be featured in our upcoming October-November 2009 issue. Do keep a lookout for it, and access articles from past issues free in our archives at www.FoodExportOnline.com in the meantime.

Back to our European specials, you can also find reports on shopping habits in the UK (pg 34-37), as well as improved agro-logistic (pg 41-43) networks in the Netherlands, that disseminate farm-fresh produce in lesser time-to-market. Manufacturers, exporters, importers and consumers can all save costs on storage, transportation and wastage this way. Those interested in setting up or buying from food and drink companies in the Netherlands may find a Dutch lady luck smiling right there, in the form of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency.

Besides the trade aspects, we also offer a glimpse of European tastes and sentiments. My interview with one Michelin-starred chef Paco Roncero (pg 38-40) puts into perspective the avant-garde spirit of Spain’s F&B scene today. Led by and together with the legendary Ferrán Adriá, “molecular cuisine”, or vanguard cuisine, is now an official “Spanish food” tag probably second only to tapas. Think olive oil, not only for cooking or as a dressing, but transformed into bread spread, pasta, candy, ice-cream… Impossible is nothing to Roncero. Other than the chef story, pictures of the Wales True Taste Food & Drink Awards 2008/9 winners (pg 31-33) depict delectable treats from the pristine Celtic country, many of which are boutique/artisan products also successful in export.

Both this and the October-November 2009 issues will be distributed at ANUGA in Cologne, where we have a booth. See you there!

Nicole Liang
Assistant Editor