Alimentaria seals the recovery of fairs in Barcelona

The King inaugurated yesterday the Alimentaria fair, which reopens its doors in Barcelona after the absence due to covid, and does so with an eye on the recovery after the pandemic. The first hours after the opening invite optimism, due to the large influx of public to the show, which indicates that after the Mobile World Congress in March marked the beginning of the recovery of the big fairs, Alimentaria confirms it. In a clear gesture of support for the sector, after the inauguration, Felipe VI visited the seven pavilions, in a tour of almost two hours in which he stopped at 32 stands to talk with representatives of some of the participating brands.

The institutional entourage, numerous and with the security device that accompanies the head of state, aroused the curiosity of some of those present. The King, who arrived in Barcelona accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, made his tour in the hall with the Government delegate in Catalonia, Maria Eugènia Gay; the mayor of l'Hospitalet de Llobregat and president of the Diputació de Barcelona, Núria Marín, and the president of Fira de Barcelona, Pau Relat, as well as the president of Alimentaria and the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, José Luis Bonet, and the president of Hostelco, Rafael Olmos.

The president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, posed in the official photograph prior to the start of the tour. As happened a month ago, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Mobile, both avoided greeting the head of state formally upon his arrival at the fairgrounds, although they did do so later inside pavilion number 7, from where the entourage began its journey. Colau accompanied the King on his visit to this first pavilion, while Aragonès, who was with the Minister of Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural, Teresa Jordà, made his own tour.

"The pace of accreditations in recent weeks is very high, above that registered in 2018", celebrates the general director of Alimentaria, Toni Valls. "The expectations are very good," he adds, noting that there are about 25% of international visitors. The forecasts are very good and speak of about 100,000 professionals until next Thursday at the Fira Gran Via venue in l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, despite the absence of Russians due to the war and Chinese due to covid restrictions.

The pace of accreditations is higher than in 2018, before the covid pandemic

The atmosphere was undoubtedly reminiscent of the pre-pandemic fairs. The presence no longer scares almost anyone and visitors did not hesitate to remove the mask to try products. The stands of the 3,000 exhibiting companies were full of activity. The only fair comparable to Alimentaria is the Mobile. So much so that it occupies 85,000 m2, almost all of Gran Via. It is a hall of salons, composed of a dozen specific fairs. With this sum it is possible to create one of the great international platforms of the food industry. In 2018, its last edition, it was held for the first time together with Hostelco, the sample of hospitality equipment.

As it happened four years ago, the "digital transformation" of the sector is once again one of the visible trends in Alimentaria, says Valls. On the other hand, the relationship between "nutrition, health and well-being" and everything that has to do with "sustainability" is increasingly present.

The classic ham does not fail at the food fair

Mané Espinosa

As for the entourage of authorities, headed by the King, it made its first stops in the hall at a stand of coffee makers and another of squeezing machines of oranges and apples, in which representatives of the brands made a brief explanation of the machines. At the next stop, in the exhibitor of the Canning Company Dani, Felipe VI exchanged an affectionate greeting with the vice president of the cannery and president of the Catalan employer Foment del Treball, Josep Sánchez-Llibre.

Then, the visit continued with the anchovies of l'Escala, Vermuts Miró, Coca-Cola, the Damm brewery, the García-Baquero cheeses and those of the TGT brand, and various sausage firms, including El Pozo and Noel, before heading to the large firms Danone and Nestlé. Along the way, some members of the entourage – not the main authorities – took the opportunity to taste some of the products offered on trays at the stands, while a well-known tetrabrik broth firm distributed shopping bags with its brand and a half-liter container.

Aragonès posed next to the King in the official photo although he did not greet him upon his arrival but inside the room

The group, made up of more than a hundred people, including authorities, security personnel and journalists, aroused the attention of both visitors and workers of the fair. "Let him come, to greet him, to take a picture," some girls laughed behind a counter. The visit closed in pavilion number 1, where the stand of the Generalitat is located. Aragonès and Minister Jordà had already left and it was a general director who represented the Government. The King exchanged a greeting and the entourage headed towards the exit.