ANUGA 2021 trade fair took place from 9 to 13 October 2021 in Cologne, Germany. It was the most prominent food fair organised in Europe since the COVID-19 outbreak. As part of the measures approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development promoting Polish agricultural and food products on foreign markets, the National Support Centre for Agriculture organised its fifth national stand at this fair entitled ‘Poland tastes good’.
ANUGA is the world’s most important exhibition event in the food industry and is organised every two years. The fair aims to enable cooperation between food industry players from all over the world. The fair is also a gateway to the highly reputable EU market. During this year’s fair, despite the limitations and challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, over 4,600 exhibitors from 98 countries presented their products, and 70,000 visitors attended. ANUGA was held in a hybrid format for the first time, combining a traditional trade fairs held in a physical venue with an online platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to participate online.
This year again, Polish companies accounted for one of the more numerous national groups of exhibitors. At this year’s fair, together with the companies present at the stands organised by the National Support Centre for Agriculture, more than 200 exhibitors from Poland presented their products, among which one could find all the companies that play an important role in the domestic food industry, representing a wide cross-section of the Polish food industry.
The Polish national stand covered an area of 312 m2 in total. The three thematic sectors – ANUGA Fine Food, ANUGA Drinks and ANUGA Dairy – featured 4 stands promoting the Polish agricultural and food sector. The stands presented 27 Polish food producers who offered a wide range of products including fudge, toffee, breakfast products, corn snacks, liquid and powdered eggs, eggs, beans, chocolate products and candyfloss, fruit and vegetable preparations, sauces, mayonnaise, dressings, vegan products, rice and corn cakes, fish products, beverages, fruit juices and concentrates, cider, fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, fruit mousses, syrups, energy drinks and dairy products, e.g.: hard cheeses, milk powders and dairy raw materials.
The innovation and quality of Polish products are proven by the fact that one of the exhibitors at the Polish stand, Jetting Systems, won the Anuga TOP Innovation Award for one of its products.
The Polish stand in the ANUGA Drinks sector included an information stand of the Industry Programme for Promotion of Polish Food Specialities developed within Submeasure 3.3.2. ‘Promotion of Polish economy based on Polish brands – Polish Economy Brand – Go to Brand’ of the Intelligent Development Operational Programme (POIR).
To celebrate this year’s ANUGA fair, the General Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Cologne, together with the Foreign Trade Office of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) in Frankfurt and the National Support Centre for Agriculture, organised a Polish evening on 10 October in its seat. The meeting was hosted by Mr Jakub Wawrzyniak, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Cologne. The honorary guests of the evening were the Mayor of Cologne, Dr Ralf Heinen, and the President of the Management Board of the Cologne Trade Fair (Koelnmesse), Mr Gerald Böse. They emphasised the importance of Polish-German cooperation and the long-standing presence at the fair, as well as the excellent relations with Polish partners.
Ms Ewa Kowalewska-Borys, First Secretary – representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the Polish Embassy in Berlin, employees of the Polish Consulate General in Cologne and employees of the Foreign Trade Office of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in Frankfurt am Main shared their knowledge and experience on the German market with Polish entrepreneurs.
The Polish evening was an opportunity to meet potential foreign partners, for Polish companies to present their products and to integrate the Polish food industry. At the same time, guests had the chance to taste traditional Polish dishes.
The great interest in the products offered by Polish exhibitors and the numerous business talks held by Polish entrepreneurs during the fair can attest to the great success of this year’s ANUGA. The next edition of the fair will take place in 2023.
