January 2012/Prepared Foods -- One of the great things in life is constant change, but you need not look far for a foundation of stability and familiarity. Digital media offers ever more efficient and inexpensive methods of communications, yet Prepared Foods in print (originally Canner/Packer) is entering its 117th year as strong as ever. Virtual trade shows have risen in popularity, yet in-person events remain in demand. For example, the recent 2011 Food Ingredients Europe (FiE) boasted a 20% increase in pre-registration and 19% increase in first day registration over the previous FiE event. The main complaint was “too crowded aisles.”
The supplier community has changed, with China entering the world market. Dennis Seisun, IMR International, notes that the presence of Chinese exhibitors at FiE continues to grow. However, he adds, “Concern about quality and safety of Chinese food ingredients has spawned a rapidly growing service sector to audit and test the quality of Chinese suppliers.” The need for reliable ingredient quality is unchanged and will eventually drive up the costs of economy suppliers wanting to compete in a global market.