EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
food & drink technology Africa
gets thumbs-up all round
The fourth annual conference of food & drink technology Africa (fdt Africa) brought together the
beverage, food and liquid food industry in Johannesburg, South Africa.
H
became clear that “fdt Africa has a great
significance for the growth market of
southern Africa. In particular, the topic of
sustainability, whether in the packaging
or production of food and beverages, is
of concern to the industry,” he said. The
concept of co-location is therefore the
right way “to react to these needs and
to present cross-sectoral and tailor-made
solutions for the industry,” said Pfeiffer. At
the parallel trade fairs, 8 324 visitors were
able to gather information about trends
and innovations from the environmental,
beverage and food industries as well as
from laboratory technology and analytics.
The panel discussion on the occasion
of the opening of the co-location
discussed ‘The Contribution of the Food
& Drink Industry in Southern Africa to
the Sustainable Development Goals
(SGDs)’, and further dealt with the
topic of sustainability. Ranjt Baxi, former
eld from 9 to 11 July at the
Gallagher Convention Centre,
exhibitors and visitors agreed that
sustainability is a key issue in the food and
beverage industry. The show saw high
international participation, and exhibitors
expressed that the co-location concept is
a great initiative from organisers.
Approximately 65 exhibitors from 13
countries presented custom-solutions
for the African market: from innovative
developments for resource conservation
to raw materials, processing, filling and
packaging machines. The concept of
co-location was also very applicable:
analytica Lab Africa and IFAT Africa were
held at the same time at the Convention
Centre, offering synergies in the exhibition
area as well as the supporting programme.
To Reinhard Pfeiffer, deputy chairman
of the board of Messe München (New
Munich Trade Fair in Germany), it
Exhibitors and attendees shared that the expo provided good quality participation.
COLD LINK AFRICA •
SEPTEMBER 2019
President of the Bureau of International
Recycling (BIR) and founding president
of the Global Recycling Foundation;
Douw Steyn, director of Plastic SA; and
Emmanuel Rurema, managing director
of Pentair, agreed that urgent and
pre-eminently collective action by civil
society, industry and the public sector is
required to reduce plastic, manufacture
sustainably and ensure the supply of food
and drinking water. Rurema is already
observing a rethinking in the food and
beverage industry – worldwide.
Manufacturers are aware of their
responsibility to become more sustainable.
The beverage industry, for example, is
striving to reduce water consumption and
wastage in production.
SALES MARKET WITH POTENTIAL
Petra Westphal, Project Group director
of Messe München, is convinced that
“the high level of participation by
international companies illustrates the
potential offered by the South African
market and the surrounding countries.”
This is also confirmed by Vera Fritsche,
consultant at the VDMA Food Processing
and Packaging Machinery Association:
“The consumption of food, liquid food
products and beverages continues to
increase, the production is growing.”
This is reflected in the corresponding
demand for modern manufacturing,
processing and packaging technologies.
“Importing machinery and plants from
abroad is still necessary in order to be
able to meet the growing demand,”
said Fritsche.
Over 60 exhibitors from various
countries came to fdt Africa. National
and international market leaders such
as Bosch Packaging, Fermentis, GEA
Africa, Instek Control, KHS Manufacturing,
Pentair, Schäfer Container Systems and
SMC Corporation South Africa attracted
1 790 visitors. Joint stands from China,
India and Germany illustrate the growing
importance of the event for international
companies.
Suzette Sheepers, CEO of Messe
München in South Africa, is delighted.
“Visitors took the opportunity to learn
about trends and innovations at all three
events. We will continue to offer this
added value in the future, because the
next fdt Africa will also take place in co-
location with analytica Lab Africa and
IFAT Africa.”
Together, the events occupied
17 000m 2 in four halls and the outdoor
area of Gallagher Convention Centre.
Of the 8 324 visitors, 1 790 came from
the conference. In total, 385 exhibitors
presented their solutions and products.
Of that total, 65 exhibitors exhibited at fdt
Africa, while 148 exhibitors accounted for
analytica Lab Africa and 172 exhibitors for
IFAT Africa.
The next co-location will take place
from 13 to 15 July 2021. The venue will
again be Gallagher Convention Centre in
Johannesburg. CLA
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
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