Cibus Tec Forum 2025: Parma at the center of European food innovation

Cibus Tec Forum 2025 opened today at Fiere di Parma, the event organized by Koeln Parma Exhibitions (KPE), a joint venture between Koelnmesse and Fiere di Parma, dedicated to innovation in the agri-food sector. In just two days, the event concentrates the very best of technological innovation in the industry, with a strong focus on sustainability, research and supply chain security.

This is not just a trade fair, but a unique platform to discover, exchange and anticipate the future visions of food and foodtech.

The Forum welcomes over 200 exhibitors and brands, 25% of which come from abroad all representing the excellence of technological innovation applied to the food and beverage industry.

Cibus Tec Forum positions itself as a true meeting point for the agri-food community, exactly one year ahead of the next edition of Cibus Tec (Parma, 27–30 October 2026), serving as a strategic preview of high relevance.

Cibus Tec Forum is held simultaneously with Labotec 2025, the new and only Italian trade show dedicated to technologies, solutions and services for the world of laboratories and analytical science, featuring a rich program of conferences and specialist meetings.

The event opened with the inaugural conference titled “An European vision for agri-food: sustainability, supply security and a strong boost for research and innovation.” At its core was the crucial issue of scarcity of productive resources and the business strategies required to guide companies toward realistic and sustainable production models.

Today the agri-food sector faces increasingly complex market pressures, demanding a profound rethinking of strategic and organizational models in order to ensure competitiveness and profitability. In this context, technological and digital innovation becomes the driving force of a transformation aimed at sustainability and efficiency across the entire supply chain. Made in Italy is therefore called to merge tradition and modernity to maintain its leadership and innate recognizability on international markets.

From left, Franco Mosconi, President Fiere di Parma; Thomas Rosolia, President, Koeln Parma Exhibitions; and Raffaele Fitto, European Commission's Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms (2024–2029)

Franco Mosconi, President of Fiere di Parma, welcomed the attendees, greeting and thanking the authorities and all the guests: "Two events begin today: Cibus Tec Forum, an event dedicated to innovation in the sophisticated mechanics and agro-industry, and Labotec, an event in its first year, dedicated to laboratories and analysis. Mechanical engineering and agro-industry together represent the primary focus of our manufacturing sector, which is second only to Germany in Europe. Collaborating and cooperating in these sectors with important national and international partners allows us to create, every day, a comprehensive and global trade fair offering. Today at the fair I saw students, companies and researchers: this is the best representation of this place, a place where knowledge and ideas circulate. From this union, innovations are born, and only innovations improve people's lives."

Thomas Rosolia, President of Koeln Parma Exhibitions said: “With Cibus Tec Forum and the increasingly close collaboration between Koelnmesse and Fiere di Parma, we are placing Italy at the center of the international trade fair network, strengthening a unique cooperation model that enhances the technological and production excellence of the agri-food sector. Koelnmesse, with over 23 food and foodtec fairs worldwide, brings global expertise to KPE that translates into new growth and internationalization opportunities for Italian companies. Cibus Tec Forum was created to provide a forum for discussion on innovation, sustainability and digitalization, anticipating the sector’s future challenges. With Labotec, dedicated to the world of laboratories and research, KPE completes its offering, conforming itself as a benchmark for the entire technological and scientific innovation ecosystem.”

Adding value to the opening conference were the reports by PwC and Nomisma on current perspectives and transformations in the agri-food sector.

According to PwC, “The agri-food industry is undergoing a revolution: sustainability and technological innovation are now the real drivers for competition and growth. The implementation of Artificial Intelligence is crucial — currently the most adopted technology by Italian food and agritech start-ups — enabling innovations ranging from crop automation and water management to predictive resource planning, as well as the development of biotechnology and alternative ingredients with advanced sensory performance. Italy, thanks to its unique tradition and integrated supply chain, has the opportunity to lead this global transformation, promoting responsible food models aligned with sustainability protocols. Companies investing in digitalization, training and new tech solutions are already responding to climate challenges and evolving consumer expectations, which are increasingly focused on quality, health and environmental impact. Only those able to combine tradition and innovation will reinforce the value of Made in Italy and assert themselves as international leaders in food,” explains Erika Andreetta, Partner PwC Italia - EMEA Fashion & Luxury Leader.

According to Denis Pantini, Head of Agri-food at Nomisma, “The Italian food industry, despite a complex context of rising costs and consumer uncertainty, continues to demonstrate resilience and adaptability. Companies that focus on sustainability, digitalization and the enhancement of their territorial identity will be able to strengthen their competitive positioning not only in Italy but also on international markets. The challenge will be to combine the excellence of our production with the ability to respond to new consumer needs and environmental constraints, guiding the sector towards inclusive and lasting growth models.”

During the following round table, speakers included Fabio Leonardi (Vice President of Assolatte), Nicola Levoni (Vice President of ASSICA), Alberto Figna (President and CEO of Agugiaro & Figna Molini) and On. Brando Benifei (Chair of the Delegation for relations with the United States at the European Parliament).

From processing and packaging equipment to labeling technologies, from digital automation to process control, the exhibition offering of Cibus Tec Forum is broad and diverse. A dedicated Start Up Area brings together some of the most innovative FoodTec companies, engaged in developing creative and technologically advanced solutions to anticipate the evolving needs of the food industry. Alongside this is the Talent Academy — created in partnership with Cisita Parma — designed to foster dialogue between companies and higher education, enhancing the skills of young talents and promoting discussions focused on FoodTech 5.0 technologies, human-machine collaboration and new strategic skills for the future of the sector.

The schedule of conferences, workshops and round tables is extensive, hosted in four dedicated halls and curated by exhibiting companies and qualified content partners such as, among others, Fondazione OnFoods, the Order of Food Technologists of Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche and Umbria, Alternative, POLI.design, the University of Parma and Logisticamente.it. The breadth and depth of the content make the Forum a high-level venue for knowledge exchange and training, capable of anticipating future visions and generating new ideas for the sector.

Enhancing the international dimension of the event — thanks to the valuable collaboration of ICE-Agenzia — is the presence of top buyers from various Eastern European and Balkan countries. In particular, with the support of ICE-Agenzia’s international network, operators have been selected from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and North Macedonia. These include senior managers and technical directors from food production companies and analytical centers, participating in an intensive program of meetings with the companies present at the event.

The Emilia-Romagna Region has also contributed to the promotion of the event by supporting its activities, content and communication.

The Platinum Sponsor of the 2025 edition is CFT, a company deeply rooted in the Food Valley and an international player in the design of turnkey solutions for the food and beverage industry, renowned for its strong commitment to innovation, sustainability and the promotion of the Made in Italy supply chain.

The two-day event is also an opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Cibus, the long-standing benchmark trade fair for the Authentic Italian Food & Beverage sector. The highlight of the celebrations is the publication of the volume “CIBUS40. 40 years of stories, trajectories and challenges for the Italian agrifood supply chains (1985–2025)”. Published by Agra Editrice, the volume reviews the evolution of the Italian agrifood sector, presenting it through technical analyses by academics and industry professionals, technical sheets by trade associations, and portraits of leading figures in the Italian food business. The initiative is part of the second edition of Cibus Tec Forum, highlighting the ever-closer connection between production technologies and the agri-food industry.