The Food Taipei Mega Show opened yesterday at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, featuring a record-breaking more than 1,700 exhibitors, organizers the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said.
This year’s event, which runs through Saturday, consists of five concurrent exhibitions: Food Taipei (Taipei Food Show), Foodtech Taipei, Bio/Pharmatech Taiwan, Taipei Pack and Taiwan Horeca, which showcases the latest hospitality and restaurant equipment.
It is expected to attract 45,000 visitors, TAITRA said.
Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung Marine Bureau
At the opening ceremony, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said this year’s show reached a new high in scale, with a 2 to 3 percent increase over last year, highlighting its steady growth since the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the event has attracted 3,000 international buyers from 93 countries, indicating strong business potential, Huang said.
It is also hosting exhibitors from 33 countries, including Japan, Australia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore, setting a record for international participation, Huang said.
The US Pavilion, composed of more than 80 companies, is the largest national pavilion at the event.
TAITRA also listed participating domestic companies, including Sunright Foods (日正食品), Dachan Great Wall Group (大成長城企業), Chimei Foods (奇美食品), Anyong Freshmart (安永鮮物), Taiwan Sugar (台糖) and Lian Hwa Foods (聯華食品).
A highlight of the exhibition is the “Future Food Zone,” which focuses on plant-based products, emerging ingredients and precision nutrition technologies, showcasing cutting-edge innovation in the food industry, TAITRA said.
Three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — Guatemala, Belize and Paraguay — are showcasing their signature agricultural and food products, including coffee beans, hot sauces and beef.
The three allies are exhibiting products in the Latin America Pavilion, organized by the government-funded Central America Trade Office (CATO).
Guatemala is presenting its natural and processed agricultural products, including black lemons, frozen avocados, macadamia nuts, white shrimps and coffee beans.
“We have coffee, we have some fruits, we have new products, we have shrimps,” Guatemalan Ambassador Luis Raul Estevez Lopez told reporters.
The envoy, who officially took office in January, said this was the first time he attended the Taipei Food Show.
“Hopefully, step by step, we are going to introduce more and more products as the fairs continue to open,” he said, adding that Guatemalan rum brands are among the products expected to be promoted in future shows.
Taiwan imported US$18 million worth of Guatemalan coffee last year, up 13 percent from 2023, Bank of Guatemala data showed.
Coffee is the country’s second-largest export product to Taiwan, following sugar, the data showed.
Belize was represented by its Marie Sharp’s brand chili sauce and another family-run brand, Hot Mama’s Belize, CATO said in a statement.
Paraguay is highlighting grass-fed beef and natural nuts. Its frozen beef comes from grass-fed grazing cattle.
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