Thailand ready to host concurrent Fi Asia Thailand, Vitafoods Asia 2025

Harnessing its rich culinary heritage, agricultural powerhouse, and production capabilities, Thailand remains the unrivalled “kitchen of the world”. A mindset focused on innovation drives manufacturers to adapt to changing market trends. 

Thailand is also steadily cementing its position as one of the biggest players in the nutraceuticals space, with market value estimated by Euromonitor International to breach 9 percent CAGR between 2022 and 2027.

Such market dynamism and a strategic location as a trade and transportation hub make Thailand the ideal venue for the biggest trade events in F&B and nutraceuticals this year -- Fi Asia Thailand and Vitafoods Asia. The shows will run concurrently from September 17 to 19, 2025 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok, allowing attendees to experience the market synergy and maximize the learning, sourcing and networking opportunities at less cost and time.

Fi Asia, the largest event for food and beverage ingredients

Fi Asia Thailand 2025 has been the leading event for the ASEAN food and beverage industry for almost three decades now. This year, it will gather together 750-plus exhibitors and 23,000 visitors from 70 countries.

The three-day event will feature the full spectrum of F&B and nutraceutical innovations across Asia, encompassing functional foods and beverages; flavors, spices and flavor enhancers; proteins; sweeteners and sugar replacements; food supplements and nutraceutical products. It will likewise highlight the new trends in binders, stabilizers and thickeners, texturizers, dairy and dairy replacements, antioxidants, plant-based products, coffee and tea, probiotics, collagen, cocoa and chocolate, fibers, and vitamins.

The Innovation Zone will have industry leaders unveil their newest creations while Innovation Tours provide a guided tour of the show floor care of industry experts. The Innovation Startup Challenge will have finalists, from entrepreneurs to students, showcase forward-looking F&B products focused on health and functional foods and beverages. Visitors and guests can get inspiration from more F&B innovations and futuristic culinary concepts at the Future Food Workshop or learn more about sustainable solutions, food waste management and regenerative agriculture at the Sustainability Hub.

Besides acquiring a deeper understanding of the industry through more than 60 insightful sessions led by industry leaders, guests can benefit from three days of networking with manufacturers, importers and exporters, distributors and experts.

Vitafoods Asia, leading event for functional ingredients & dietary supplement products

Running parallel with Fi Asia, Vitafoods Asia 2025 features an additional 10,000sqm of exhibition space to let guests explore and experience the latest in the health and nutrition sector. The region’s most important nutraceutical industry event is expected to draw 13,000 attendees and 650 exhibitors from 80 countries this year. 

Cutting-edge ingredients, raw materials and products will headline exhibits in the following categories: dietary and health supplements, food, beverages, health food, pharmaceuticals, and functional food and beverages. Suppliers of products for personal care, natural and herbal medicine, even animal health and nutricosmetics will also display their newest innovations.

About 60 conferences and technical seminars will provide attendees not just with learning opportunities but also with a chance to engage with industry experts and thought leaders. Besides the Innovation Tours, there will be a resource centre each for omega-3 and probiotics, both presenting the latest market trends and product development in these categories. The separate Tasting Bar will let attendees sample products, flavors and textures, giving them a first-hand experience of the latest and emerging products and solutions.

Media briefing for Fi Asia and Vitafood Asia, at the Chiang Mai Marriot Hotel on April 23, 2025: Speakers joining the panel discussion host: second from left: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yuthana Phimolsiripol, Lecturer, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Chiang Mai University; Ms. Rungphech Chitanuwat, Regional Portfolio Director – ASEAN, Informa Markets; Mr. Smith Taweelerdniti, Managing Director, Nithi Foods / Vice Chairman, FTI Chiangmai / Vice President, Thai Future Food Trade Association, and Mr. Puripan Bunnag, Senior Vice President, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB)

Thailand's readiness 

With Fi Asia and Vitafoods Asia happening in the wake of the Myanmar earthquake last March that also caused considerable damage in neighbouring Thailand, both the public and private sectors in Thailand have been closely working together, checking infrastructures and monitoring the situation to make sure the country is safe to travel to.

Puripan Bunnag, senior vice president of the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), said that buildings, including hotels and conference and exhibition venues, and condominiums, have been inspected and evaluated. “About 3,500 buildings were investigated, and out of these only 34 were noted as having been affected by the earthquake. The rest passed government inspection. Hotels also do regular inspection and have been tasked to report to the Thai hotel association,” he assured.

“To further assure exhibitors and visitors from all over the world who are coming to Thailand this September, we are working closely with the government, including the Ministry of Interior and the Department of Civil Works, and have a system in place to ensure the safety of our attendees. Thailand is safe to travel to and we’re ready to receive visitors, whether they be tourists or arriving for MICE and business,” Bunnag stated.

Informa Markets, the organizer of the two events, likewise assures attendees Thailand is ready. Rungphech Chitanuwat, Informa Markets regional portfolio director for ASEAN, said that despite the recent natural disaster that affected the country and five months ahead of the trade shows, both events are already fully booked and Informa is geared up to start preparations for next year’s shows.

“Besides providing a platform to present the latest in the F&B and nutraceuticals markets, we hope for the shows to be an avenue for ingredient producers and farmers, especially local players, to see the level of research and innovation that’s happening and learn from the conferences and networking. One interesting topic is achieving sustainability in managing agricultural wastes, how these can be turned into value-added products,” Chitanuwat added.

Thai food industry stronger than ever

The food and supplements industries benefit from the support not just of the government but also of academic and research institutions. Chiang Mai University, for example, has been for years supporting businesses and entrepreneurs in both market knowledge and product development.

One area of focus is sustainability, according to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yuthana Phimolsiripol, lecturer with the department of Food Science and Technology and faculty of Agro-Industry at Chiang Mai University.

“In the area of sub-ingredients, for example. Are they safe enough? Can they have some health benefits? These are just some of the questions we try to address as we conduct more studies and collaborate with industry players,” Dr. Phimolsiripol shared. He said that their work is not limited to supply chain sustainability but is increasingly about the future of food.

Noting how interdisciplinary their approach can be, he added: “What the work also requires is that we do not stop with food processing. We link with pharmaceutical entities. We link with a medical school. To confirm that a raw material is safe, we conduct clinical trials, even animal trials. These are just some of the work involved as we delve into the future of food,” said Dr. Phimolsiripol.

Smith Taweelerdniti, vice president of the Thai Future Food Trade Association, sees the new tariffs set by US President Donald Trump as posing some challenges for Thailand’s food industry but that the impact will not be as severe. Big Thai brands such as those for coconut milk, fish sauce and chili paste may either ask the importer to handle the duty or raise their prices, the latter with the risk of pushing sales down as consumers avoid higher-priced items.

Private-label manufacturers or those supplying under US supermarket brands or brands that cater to these supermarkets will have to evaluate and negotiate with the importer and retailer how to meet duty fees, he added. For suppliers such as those for ingredients that have little control of the supply chain, they could find themselves losing buyers for their products because of diminishing exports.

“But we can also look at it this way: With China being imposed with the largest tariff, more and more companies previously sourcing from there are moving or looking to move to other countries, including Thailand. So we monitor the market, but we also prepare," Taweelerdniti said. "The other thing we tell companies and entrepreneurs is to watch their cash flow. Because even if incoming revenues from the US drop significantly or worse hit zero, there will still be cash outflow because they are buying from the farmers and maintaining the supply chain.”  

Taweelerdniti, who is also managing director at Nithi Foods and vice chairman of FTI Chiang Mai, said that while current technologies allow for attending both shows virtually, the industry immersion and being able to see and sample products and network with other attendees trump any other concerns, including the recent earthquake in Myanmar.

He noted: “We can certainly just catch online videos of the show, chat with prospects and download brochures. But online participation won’t enable us to network that much, compare ingredients from different suppliers, and really be exposed to market trends. The contacts one gets at Fi Asia and Vitafoods Asia are second to no other exhibition in the region. There may also cost and other issues related to traveling, but physically attending lets one do business at the same time experience the culinary, shopping and sightseeing haven that is Thailand, right?” 

To register for Food ingredients Asia, go to https://www.figlobal.com/asia-thailand/en/attend/register-your-interest.html

To register for Vitafoods Asia, go to https://vfa.imasia-passport.com/en/user/register