TRADE SHOW: BioFach

As our last issue showed, organics and fair trade goods have become a movement.

Offering an extensive range of organic food and fair trade products, plus everything worth knowing about agricultural and marketing supplies, BioFach, together with Vivaness, the trade fair for Natural Personal Care and Wellness, attracts a busy crowd of international professionals every year. 

The 2010 exhibition attracted 2557 exhibitors and 43,669 trade visitors to the Nürnberg exhibition centre from 17-20 February. The international share of visitors was again 38%, coming from 121 countries: after Germany mainly from Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. 

According to survey results from an independent institute, 86% of the BioFach exhibitors and as many as 94% of the Vivaness exhibitors expect good follow-up business. As always, all the organic food exhibited is certified to the EU Organic Regulation or the accreditation directives of IFOAM, the patron of BioFach.

“The organic market defied the crisis. The past four days at the exhibition proved that this sector has retained its impetus. The trend to organic and ecologically sustainable consumption is uninterrupted. Periods of slower growth offer an opportunity for taking stock and preparing joint future concepts, which provide the best conditions for sustainable development of the market and its annual get-together. We were particularly pleased about the great political and media attention attracted by Organic + Fair, the Theme of the Year in 2010,” says Claus Rättich, member of the management board of NürnbergMesse.

More than 8000 participants again used the 180 events at the BioFach Congress and the six special forums to exchange views on the market with special emphasis on fairness and sustainability aspects. The Fair & Ethical Trade Forum alone attracted an interested audience of some 750. 

Fairness and sustainability were also key issues at Vivaness: “The visitors this year specifically asked about the added value of our products. Fair trade and sustainability for raw materials and for packaging are very decisive values today,” says Alexandra Vogel, director public relations, i+m Naturkosmetik Manufaktur, Berlin.

Organic winegrowers fared well at the get-together for wine experts led by Italy (with 78 organic vineyards), followed by Spain (49), France (37) and Austria (14). Leé Griffin, brand and marketing director, Stellar Winery, Klawer said: “Here we meet our exact target group and reach new customers, even representatives from the gastronomy segment who are aware of the importance and advantage of the organic and fair combination.”
This is an importance bound to develop and grow even more over the coming years.