Higher international turnout at SIAL CHINA 2016

SIAL CHINA, Asia’s largest food innovation exhibition, ended with a further increase in foreign participation. It was attended by 2,942 exhibitors (+ 7.6% vs 2015) from 67 countries and 30 provinces in China. Visitors number 76,986, or a 25.6 percent increase compared to the 2015 edition.  This year’s SIAL CHINA took place on 126,500 square meters of exhibition space.

The opening ceremony  

On 5 May, a delegation of ministers (Czech, Belarus, Poland and Russia), ambassadors, consuls and trade officers, as well as representatives of pavilions participated in the Opening Ceremony. The China pavilion was represented by the Director of China Commerce Development Center, Chairman of Gansu Commission of CCPIT, Vice-Governor of Heilongjiang province, the General Manager of China Packaging and Food Machinery Co., Ltd, the Deputy Director General of Department of Commerce of Shandong province, the Vice Chairman General of the Chamber of Commerce of China, the Deputy Secretary General of the China Association of Aquatic Circulation and Processing, and Secretary General of Cold Chain Logistics Specialist Committee.

The Poland pavilion was represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Poland and Ambassador of Poland.

Also present were the Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, the Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus, the Minister and  Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Vice Minister of  Ministry of Agriculture, Lithuania;  the Governor and Vice

Governor of Argentina; and Ambassadors and Consul Generals of Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Poland, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Tunisia, Uruguay, Argentina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, the Ukraine, and other countries.

Poland - Guest Country of Honor

Prior to Poland’s participation in 2016, Poland had always been working closely with SIAL CHINA to boost the Polish-Sino food and agricultural trade for years. In 2016, this pavilion showcased a wide range of Polish food and drinks.

Gansu - Guest Province of Honor

Guest Province of Honor, Gansu showcased Halal foods, seafood products and organic foods in hall E4 and its wines in hall W5.

Key trends that make SIAL CHINA an inspiration to Asia’s food business:

1.  SIAL Innovation

The jewel on the crown of the SIAL Network, SIAL Innovation unveiled 151 products selected by an independent jury, and of which 10 were further rated as the finalist products. The SIAL Innovation Grand Award has long since been considered as the guide for most cutting-edge products exhibited at SIAL events. This year the Gold Award  went to ISOLINE TRADE, S.R.O. from the Czech  Republic for its Trojka drink; the Silver Award to EGNIS INC. from Korea for its Lab Nosh; the Bronze Award went to Just Water International Ltd from New Zealand for its Elite Manuka Honey Water.

2.  La Cuisine – The 3rd edition of the 2016 China International Top Chefs Invitational Competition by SIAL La Cuisine was endorsed by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS). Eight teams, each consisting of three highly skilled chefs, from Austria, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Dalian competed for the championship which required them to complete themed dishes on-site. After two rounds of multiple themes centering on “healthy” and “organic”, the Dalian team took home the Top Chef award. Also at La Cusine, members of Guest Country of Honor, Poland, conducted cooking demonstrations using their food products and ingredients.

3.  Retail & Hospitality Forum  

In partnership with Sinmei, the 5th edition of the Retail & Hospitality Forum gathered leaders in the industry who spoke on the latest topics food sustainability, import and export policy, food innovation, HoReCa, and market trends. Among speakers were online and mobile marketplace Alibaba; leading consumer product company, Suntory Brewery; consultants and experts from The United Nations Office for Project Services and  InterChina Consulting, and REDFERN Associates. Full panel discussions as well as the conference will be shared the online channel YouKu.com.

4.  World Tour

In the 2016 edition, the World Tour helped exhibitors and visitors to understand the specific characteristics of the food market by geographic area. On display were 28 billboards featuring best-selling products and information to define the retail strategies in Australia, Canada, Brazil, Russia, the United States, India, and China. Also posted on the boards were the names of top 10 retailers and top 5 retail trends.

5.  Wine Innovation Forum

The forum, which was organized into 15 sessions, gathered 900 participants on-site. The keynote speaker Tim Wildman MW, was joined by other industry experts Kenichi Ohashi  MW and Sommelier Nikhil Agarwal, among others. This edition introduced more wines from the emerging New World such as Japan, India and Russia.

6.  Best Buy China Competition  

In partnership with WINE100, one of the most professional and influential wine rating agencies in China, Best Buy China Competition showcased star products from 40 exhibitors. The jury of eight made up of trader buyers, wine educators and Tim Wildman, performed a blind tasting of different wines and spirits, of which 10 were chosen as Best Buy and 7 received Honor Awards.

The awarding took place during the After SIAL Party, in the presence of Nicolas TRENTESAUX - Managing Director SIAL Network, Lukasz Holubowski, President of Agricultural Market Agency Poland, Tim WILDMAN – MW, and all SIAL VIPs. 

7.  Master Classes

As a central place for wine experts and wine lovers to converge together, Master Classes are held with dedicated tasting room to cultivate wine lovers’ tastes for premium wines.  EaseScents, DSW and other companies conducted eight tasting and education sessions on interesting topics such as Yellow Wine Lecture – Pagoda  Brand  Handcraft  Wine, New  Era of  the  Imported  Wine, as well as  Development  of  Chinese Wine.  The classes were attended by 500 professionals.

8.  The 2016 World Tea Brewers Cup, China National Competition Endorsed by the Café Culture and Australasian Specialty Tea Association (AASTA), honored traditions with brewing skills and tea innovations. Thirty-one contestants vied for the top spot in these competitions, with Wei Chuwei winning first prize, followed by Fang Zhenzhen and Shen Guohui in second and third places, respectively.

9.  Chocolate World

The 5th edition of Chocolate World had seven sessions held in three days. Participating in this segment of the trade event were top dessert chefs from 5-star hotels including the Renaissance Beijing, Crowne Plaza Park View Wuzhou, and The Opposite House. The Main sponsors, MAXIMS & Pernigotti brought incredible shows on-site. 

Zhou Liqun from the Beijing Hospitality Institute won Best Performance, while Du Huiping, an amateur dessert lover, was awarded Best Creativity, and Zheng Tao from Renaissance Beijing received the Honorary Award. Li Dong from The Opposite House was the named Best Popularity.

10. Seafood Fest

The 4th edition of Seafood Fest (Right Seafood Right Wine) was held by the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA) and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). With sessions dedicated to pairing the seafood with the right wines, the Seafood Fest produced palatal pleasures with gourmet food products. 

In addition, CAPPMY & MSC jointly hosted an event themed “MSC sustainable selection – trace the source of seafood to the fishery” which promotes sustainable seafood such as GFC Rock Lobster, a representative seafood from western Australia and other products from Zhangzidao Group, Dalian  Rich  Seafood  Co., Ltd. , Dalian  Fishing  Beauty Foodstuff  Co.,Ltd. 

11. China Inspection & Quarantine Forum - One Line, One Standard, One Quality SIAL CHINA inaugurated its collaboration with Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (Shanghai CIQ) to organize a dedicated  panel  discussing the matter of food producers supplying quality food that meets HACCP international standards for both domestic and overseas markets. As a unique opportunity to engage with Shanghai CIQ where both private and public sector representatives came together to form  the panel.  This forum attracted over 250 attendees.

12. After SIAL Party

On 6 May, After SIAL Party returned to cruise Caption 5 along the Huang Pu River. Over 400 VIP exhibitors and VIP buyers celebrated the great success of SIAL CHINA. The awarding ceremony of SIAL– Best Buy China Competition was done on board.  

Match-making

Riding the wave of big data, SIAL CHINA offered match-making system that helped exhibitors and visitors identify each other’s needs.  There were in total 30,685 attempts of booking match-making meetings involving 2,702 exhibitors and 8,520 visitors in 2016. There were 2,019 meetings booked online.

The next SIAL CHINA will be held from 18 to 20 May 2017.

SIAL CHINA 2016 at a glance:

2,942 exhibitors (+7.6% vs 2015) from 67 countries  

76,986 visitors (+25.6% vs 2015)

126,500 sqm (+10% vs 2015)

21 product sectors including meat, dairy, wine, food and more