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“Ingredients essential for replicating properties of meat”
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Monday, 09 December, 2024, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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 IFFA is the world's leading trade fair for innovations in process technology for meat and alternative proteins. At its core is the sustainable nutrition of a growing world population with healthy proteins. New plant-based and hybrid products, innovative fermentation processes and the future topic of cultivated meat are changing the entire nutrition system. This is where IFFA (Leading International Trade Fair for Technology for Meat and Alternative Proteins) shows the current trends and solutions. All process steps are represented: from production, processing and packaging to innovative ingredients and nutrition trends at the point of sale.
Johannes Schmid-Wiedersheim, director, IFFA, and brand management food technology at Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, shares his thoughts on IFFA - significance of plant-based and cultivated meat, New Proteins segment, the integration of ingredients, and more, in an email interaction with Kimberley Almeida. Excerpts:
Provide a brief on IFFA.
IFFA scheduled to be held from May 3 to 8, 2025 at Hall Nos. 8, 9, 11 and 12, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition Grounds, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is the world's leading trade-fair for innovations in process technology for meat and alternative proteins. During the six days of the fair, exhibitors will showcase the latest technology across the protein value chain – from production, processing, packaging and ingredients to the retail trends. IFFA has been taking place in Frankfurt since 1949, which underscores the relevance of this show. Since the beginnings of IFFA, our exhibitors have consistently met the ever-evolving market demands with innovative technological solutions. IFFA picks up on these developments and adapts to the industry and the needs of society as a whole. This year’s motto is ‘Rethinking Meat and Proteins’ – which essentially means working together to make food production smarter and more sustainable. Expect to see major innovative technologies such as AI, robotics and sensor technology, as well as plastic-reduced packaging concepts. The supporting programmes will include IFFA Factory, IFFA Kitchen, live stages, discovery tours, product competitions, awards, networking events and much more.
What is the theme for the upcoming edition and how does it differ from previous editions?
This IFFA will be different from its past editions, without losing sight of the core. The top themes are ‘Reaching next-level performance’, ‘Creating value from data’, ‘Putting sustainability into action’ and ‘Creating product variety’. The issues here are how machines and systems in the meat and protein processing industry can achieve higher output, how data can be used to optimise processes and production planning, how greater sustainability can actually be achieved and how manufacturers can operate successfully in a dynamic market with a constantly growing variety of products. These questions will be answered with the solutions presented at IFFA 2025. Buzzwords here are AI, robotics, traceability, recyclability. Numerous innovations and an enhanced exhibition concept will mark the launch of IFFA 2025, which will feature a dedicated ‘New Proteins’ area for the first time. Furthermore, there is a new hall layout and with that, IFFA is expanding its product range and linking the processing stages even more closely together. There will be five main areas: Processing, Packaging, Ingredients, Skills & Sales and New Proteins from plants.
How does IFFA see the growing significance of plant-based and cultivated meat?
New plant-based products, innovative fermentation processes and cell-based meat have the potential to further enrich our entire food system. IFFA not only recognises this growth, but also integrates it into the trade fair programme. At IFFA, we place great emphasis on fostering a positive interaction between traditional craftsmanship, large-scale manufacturing and disruptive innovations, showcasing advancements across all fronts – from cultivated meat and alternative proteins to artisan skills and delicacies. We are working together with the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe), BalPro and ProVeg. They broaden the scope of alternative proteins and will enrich the lecture programme and topical guided tours with their expertise.
How do you see the New Proteins segment and what has made it so relevant?
The topic became so relevant because many of our exhibitors naturally expanded their involvement in this field, driven by evolving market needs and opportunities. At IFFA 2022, more than 200 of the 860 exhibitors showcased products and solutions for processing alternative proteins, highlighting the organic growth and significance of the New Proteins segment. This development reflects a broader industry trend where traditional expertise meets emerging innovation, addressing the increasing demand for sustainable and diverse protein sources while seamlessly integrating them into established processing practices. We can clearly see that proteins became increasingly important over the last years and that the market had a boom a few years ago.
However, we are not losing sight of traditional meat, but are adding to the programme in a broader sense. Messe Frankfurt wants to express this diversity at IFFA 2025. That’s why we have the new area ‘New Proteins’ in Hall 11.0. The World of New Proteins covers a wide range of innovative solutions, including fermentation-based functional ingredients, 3D printing, extrusion technologies and a significant number of exhibitors offering advanced ingredients. These contributions are designed to deliver exceptional taste, texture, appearance and nutritional value, driving the development of high-quality alternative protein products. Relevant institutions from the world of research, start-ups, associations and experts who will provide an insight into the status quo on the topic of new proteins, will complement the exhibition programme. As an example, we will build a hybrid stage called ‘IFFA Kitchen’ where panel discussions and live cooking will come together. With a sub-focus on new proteins, this platform allows industry experts to share insights while chefs showcase tasty applications. Attendees can experience these novel products first-hand, making the discussions both engaging and deliciously tangible.
What can you tell us about automation and digitalisation, and solutions for increasing energy efficiency and resource-saving production in the industry? Have you seen a surge in exhibitors displaying digital solutions?
There has definitely been a surge in exhibitors showing automated and digital solutions – even in comparison to the last event. One major focus at IFFA 2025 is on the current trends in automation and digitalisation, as well as solutions aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and promoting resource-saving production. In the process technology and production of proteins, we see innovations that save energy in cooling and heat recovery systems. In addition, digital monitoring plays an important role, often involving the management of resources and temperature needed to produce meat and alternative proteins. Acquired and analysed data can optimise processes and production planning by coordinating machines efficiently throughout the production chain. The extensive data collected provides greater transparency, safety and traceability, with seamless documentation of the process.
Additionally, incorporating consumer and retail data into production planning opens up new possibilities for further optimisation. Due to the general shortage of skilled labour, especially in the food trades, robotics and automated machines are already taking over tasks such as cutting, packaging and quality control, which reduces human error and improves consistency. We are also seeing many automated solutions in sales, such as self-checkout-systems. Automation is a win-win solution because, on the one hand, automated processes increase productivity and ensure accurate production, while at the same time have a positive impact on the environment. We are really looking forward to seeing the progress and innovations of the exhibitors at the upcoming IFFA and to seeing what is now technically possible.
What are your future predictions for the meat and plant-based protein industry?
I think that the two fields will complement each other incredibly and that they will undergo a transformation over the next few years, especially with regard to the technical possibilities. At IFFA, we will see the status quo and it will certainly provide an impetus for the future. In addition to red meat, poultry and pet food are now also coming increasingly into play, which further expands the areas of processing, packaging and ingredients. Even though Germany is the largest market for plant-based alternative products globally, cultivated meat is not yet approved as a food in the European Union. When it comes to cell-based meat, Germany is catching up with countries that seem to be further ahead, such as the United States, Israel and Singapore. I am sure that in the future there will be more opportunities and developments in Europe to further expand and promote cultured meat. What's more, new nutritional trends and an ever-greater variety of products are enriching our diet. New products are constantly being created, including hybrid products, for example, mixed products made from meat and alternative proteins or fermented products.
The focus is on quality, local produce, sustainability and animal welfare. Comment.
These keywords tend to go hand in hand. Sustainability would not be possible without quality, local production and animal welfare. They should always be considered in the production processes for both classic meat and alternative proteins. For years, we have also been observing that society is increasingly grappling with the ‘where from’ and in general are questioning their dietary behaviour, especially since there are more and more flexitarians. Also, the trend in packaging technology continues to move towards plastic-free and plastic-reduced packaging. However, sustainability often counteracts food protection. Over the past few years, truly creative and impressive solutions have been developed in the packaging domain. On the one hand, the issues are emerging from within society, while on the other, politics is creating new guidelines and requirements for process technology and packaging industry, be it the Green Deal or changes to the packaging law. The industry is responding to this and constantly changing. Events like IFFA, where exchange and knowledge transfer are prioritised, are of course extremely important for keeping track of everything.
How many visitors and exhibitors are you expecting at the event, will there be any dedicated pavilions?
At the upcoming IFFA, we are expecting around 1,000 exhibitors, more than 70 per cent of whom will come from abroad. It is difficult to estimate the number of visitors. In 2022, we had around 49,500 visitors and are pretty certain that we will exceed this number, as 2022, was very much affected by the pandemic. In terms of pavilions, there are our themed ‘worlds’, which are reflected in our new hall planning. They represent the product areas and the supporting programme will be ‘world-specific’. For example, with product competitions, performance competitions and special shows. There is the World of Processing, World of Packaging, World of Ingredients, Worlds of New Proteins and World of Skills & Sales.
Tell us about the integration of ingredients in the IFFA?
Ingredients at IFFA look back at a rich history. Located in Hall 11, the World of Ingredients is at the core of creating products that meet consumer expectations for taste, texture, appearance and nutritional value. For traditional meat processors, this involves sourcing spices, marinades, casings and functional additives that ensure consistent quality and efficiency in production. For alternative protein producers, ingredients are essential for replicating the sensory and functional properties of meat while meeting the demand for clean-label and plant-based solutions. At IFFA, we recognise this dual importance and have designed the event to reflect these priorities. The ingredients section alone has around 150 exhibitors.
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