Green Health Led by Organics

Fu Bingbingg

BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2022， over a four-day period from 26–29 July 2022， was successfully concluded， all the passion of the international organic community was on display in Nuremberg. BIOFACH， the Worlds Leading Fair for Organic Food， and VIVANESS， the International Trade Fair for Natural and Organic Personal Care， celebrated their comeback with a one-off ‘summer edition. The more than 24，000 trade visitors from 137 countries were absolutely delighted to be reunited. Relishing the opportunity for personal exchanges， networking and in-depth discussions of topical issues， they discovered innovations and trends and enjoyed the multisensory experience of a diverse range of products from the 2，276 exhibitors from 94 countries.

BIOFACH 2022 focuses on the hot topics of the organic and natural industries such as the environmental-friendly products， local raw materials， green packaging， plastic reduction and natural cosmetics. The theme of this exhibition is organic ？ climate ？ resilience， highlighting the concern of the whole organic food industry for the environment and sustainable development. Many highlights are offered at the exhibition， including the Agricultural Forum at the Congress， the special unpackaged display area and the forum area of VIVANESS， all of which made their debut this year.

Green Health More Focused

In the center of Hall 3， the organizer has built a huge organic product exhibition area. Hundreds of enterprises have displayed their products according to fresh food， frozen food， canned food， dessert drinks， non-food and other categories. Raw materials of each product， from the planting to harvesting， all are free from chemical fertilizers， pesticides， production regulators and antibiotics； The products are processed with clean energy； The packaging materials are generally glass， renewable non-plastic or new organic packaging materials. Green packaging is a major trend of this exhibition. According to the latest data of the German Federal Environment Agency， Germany produces about 238 kg of packaging waste per person per year， which is far higher than the average level of the European Union， and this trend is still rising. Since the outbreak of COVID-19， people do online shopping and take out services in large numbers， resulting in a sharp increase in the use of disposable packaging. In order to reduce the use of disposable packaging， the organizer of the exhibition has held special activities. More than 60 exhibitors showed sustainable food packaging solutions， including reusable containers or straws， organic biological packaging materials， etc. The beverage straw designed by an Italian enterprise was rated as the best new non-food product at the exhibition. According to the data released by the German government， in the past 10 years， the sales of organic food in Germany has continued to increase， from 6.64 billion euros in 2011 to nearly 15.9 billion euros in 2021. This trend will continue as consumers pay more attention to food production methods and green and healthy lifestyles. Tina Andres， managing director of the German Federation of Organic Food Producers， said at the exhibition： "the organic system provides solutions for the sustainable transformation of diet， which is our focus in the next few years.".

In-personals Immensely Valued

Petra Wolf， member of the Management Boardat NürnbergMesse says： “The organic food and natural and organic cosmetics sector got back down to business in Nuremberg for its highly international community gathering， and wed like to say a big thank-you for what was a massive response！ The mood in the halls was impressive. Everywhere you could hear people saying how glad they were to finally see one another again and be back in Nuremberg. Exhibitors and visitors alike emphasised the unique trade fair experience on site.”

“Again and again， participants emphasised the immense value of the personal encounters， but also the in-depth professional discussions， for highlighting the solutions offered by the organic system， especially in the current global circumstances. We are absolutely delighted that the sector has been discussing these very issues， both onsite and online， and helping to shape the future， from this venue at our one-off summer edition！” Wolf continues.

Issues of the Day Explored

The 123 technically informed sessions led by highcalibre presenters made the BIOFACH and VIVANESS Congress a cutting-edge forum for the sector. Alongside the main theme “Organic.Climate.Resilience”， the 2022 round of the congress explored issues relating to current market developments and trends as well as political and legislative frameworks.

Theme for BIOFACH 2023 Decided

As the World Agriculture Report states： “We need an agro-ecological evolution of agriculture， food production and consumption.” The BIOFACH Congress 2023 therefore aims to put the spotlight on the relationship between the organic system as the agriculture of the future， transformation， global crisis management and food security， including true cost. The ways in which the organic system contributes to more sustainable agricultural， social and nutritional choices will be identified， analysed and discussed. What potential does the organic system offer the planet？ What global development tasks lie ahead for policymakers， the media and society， and specifically， the （organic） farming sector？ Where does the organic system currently stand？ From 14-17 February at BIOFACH and VIVANESS 2023， the opportunities and risks will be explored in the context of the key question： “Organic farming， climate protection and health： Whats the connection between healthy soil and healthy people？” The thematic focus of the congress will be jointly developed by IFOAM –Organics International， B？LW （German Federation of Organic Food Producers） and BIOFACH.

The next iteration of BIOFACH and VIVANESS will take place from 14–17 February 2023 at Exhibition Centre Nuremberg.