pacprocess MEA, Food Africa Witness Record Attendance
More exhibitors, more space, and more visitors! pacprocess MEA and Food Africa 2024, held from 3-5 December, 2024, in Cairo, served as the central platforms for the F&B, processing, and packaging industries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. More than 1,000 exhibitors from 35 countries took the opportunity to showcase their innovations.
With a total of 31,000 visitors, the interpack alliance trade fair duo set new standards and impressed both with its international composition and the high level of expertise of the participants. Matchmaking formats and a high-calibre supporting programme helped visitors to make new contacts and discover innovative solutions for the industry.
interpack Director Thomas Dohse emphasises, “This year’s pacprocess MEA and Food Africa have shown how much the industry benefits from a platform that combines innovation and networking in an exciting market, and is also supported at the highest political level. We look forward to building on this success in the future. Food Africa celebrates its tenth anniversary next year.”
The significance of the event was clearly evident during the opening ceremony with the participation of high-level government officials including Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Sherif Farouk, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El Khatib, and Industrial Control Authority Chairman Ehab Mohamed Amin. “Their presence underlines the importance of the two exhibitions in promoting the food and packaging industry in the region,” adds Dohse.
Top Level Global Participation
With more than 1,000 exhibitors from 35 countries, pacprocess MEA and Food Africa 2024 set a new attendance record. Spread across five exhibition halls, they offered a comprehensive range of innovations and solutions that could have a lasting impact on the MEA markets. Highlights of this year’s event included the 14 country pavilions and more than 500 hosted buyers. The B2B matchmaking programme was well received and encouraged a dynamic exchange of ideas and partnerships.
Challenges & Opportunities
The concurrent conferences focused on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Key topics at the Food Africa conference included Egypt’s Vision 2030 for the food and agriculture industry, opportunities in the tomato industry, and the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between National Bank of Egypt (NBE) and Mahaseel, a smart digital platform that connects farmers with customers instantly. pacprocess MEA 2024, on the other hand, focused on sustainable packaging solutions and the circular economy. Other topics included material innovation, green transformation, and SME development.
Sustainability & Innovation
Reducing food loss and waste was a particular focus of pacprocess MEA’s sustainability programme. The SAVE FOOD DESIGN and SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN AWARDS recognised the top three products/solutions in their respective categories for their exceptional contributions to reducing food loss and waste and for their positive environmental impacts achieved within the processing and packaging sector. Germany’s MULTIVAC Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co. KG took the top honours winning the gold award, followed by Theegarten-Pactec, also from Germany, who took the silver; with Saudi Arabia’s FIPCO, winning the bronze.
The SAVE FOOD initiative also showcased other groundbreaking approaches to global food security and provided important impetus to the industry. The highlight was the award of this year’s SAVE FOOD project competition to Nigeria’s Tomato Jos Farming and Processing Ltd. The jury consisted of experts from FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), and WPO (World Packaging Organisation).
The next pacprocess MEA and Food Africa will take place from 9-11 December, 2025.
