Exclusive extended feature: Fi Europe celebrates 30th anniversary in style

The 30th anniversary edition of FiE in Paris saw a melting pot of innovation across food and drink sector, with confectionery and snacks developments represented strongly, as editor Neill Barston discovered speaking to a wide range of businesses in our special extended feature.

Across the bustling, expansive halls of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, there was an impressive array of ingredients innovations for the latest landmark iteration of the globally-focused Fi Europe event.

While there may not have been too much tinsel in evidence for this festive sector showcase held last month on the edge of the French capital, there was a clear sense of celebrating the sector’s vibrancy.

Last month’s edition was especially memorable as the event’s 30th iteration, with the show alternating locations between Germany and France, as it seeks to showcase the brightest and best developments across the ingredients market.

As its organiser’s confirmed, a total of some 24,351 visitors from a total of over 130 countries participated in the 2025 trade fair, which also drew nearly 1,500 exhibitors.

Significantly, confectionery, snacks and bakery were extremely well represented in the mix, as businesses large and small alike, vied for potential custom in a hotly competitive sector.

Despite many segments of the industry experiencing a broad array of possibilities, there appeared friendly rivalry between companies operating right across the food and drink market.

Confectionery Production has been in attendance to gain an inside track on some of the latest trends and products influencing our combined sectors, with the industry reporting a strong sense of buoyancy.

The mood of determination present across the expo’s halls came despite the wider sector facing higher sourcing, energy import and export costs within the past year from the US.

Companies such as Arla Foods were among exhibitors at this year’s FiEurope. Pic; Neill Barston

As previously reported, one of the prevailing trends within the sector has been amply represented in the form of the ongoing shift towards delivery of products that cater to the health and wellbeing sector, which has increasingly extended to the confectionery and snacks market.

As its organisers observed one of its standout features came in offering visitors the chance to see some of the core trends that are likely to be shaping the rest of 2026 and beyond, which was supported by its own innovation report.

Yannick Verry, Brand Director, Fi Europe believed there had been a wealth of opportunities for the industry to convene to great benefit right across its full spectrum.

“Fi Europe has always been about bringing people together, and this year it was clear how much the industry values that connection,” 

 “The show floor was buzzing with a real sense of community.

“The conversations happening in our hubs, theatres and networking events weren’t just meaningful in the moment – they’re the catalyst for the innovations we’ll see shaping the market in 2026. We’re excited to carry this momentum forward as we prepare for Frankfurt 2026.”

As the Fie team asserted, efforts to  emphasise human connection were central to the 30th anniversary edition.

The Community Hub – a dedicated space designed to bring together micro-communities and industry groups – facilitated collaboration and knowledge-sharing through presentations and gatherings, while the Tasting Bar invited attendees to experience ingredients through sensory product samples.

The event also staged its own innovation awards that added to the air of celebration around the site.

 The future of food 
Perhaps above all other trends across the event, functional ingredients occupied a special place in the attentions of many exhibitors, keen to capitalise on the growing demand for health and wellbeing products that have flooded the market in recent years.

Significantly, confectionery and snacks markets have clearly engaged with this trend, which saw a number of businesses showcase enhanced protein offerings that have been identified as a core growth area.

Furthermore, as the organisers cited, food upcycling also emerged as a key theme, driven by increased consumer awareness and tightening sustainability regulations.

An innovation tour, panel discussions, a sustainability networking lunch featuring keynote speakers and an interactive workshop on building resilient food systems helped inspire industry professionals looking to tap into the upcycling opportunity.

As for global health agendas, this was very much represented in the presence of key businesses exhibiting at the latest edition of this global ingredients extravaganza.

Among them, Netherlands headquartered Rousselot, which exhibited a broad range of solutions targeting the wider market, aimed at sugar reduction and delivery of natural ingredients.

Speaking to Confectionery Production, Tim de Lange, global application centre manager for the business, enthused there had been an encouraging reaction to its renewed presence at the event. 

He said: “We’ve seen high interest in the two types of gummies that we have been showcasing (including infused gummy within a gummy), so we’ve been working on functionalising these products, putting supplements and vitamins in them. If you have to take those supplements every day, why not make them as indulgent as possible.

“For our gummy caps, we had a really nice meeting with someone today who wanted to produce them, and with having our own labs, we are able to show them how this is done,” added the product specialist, who also discussed its range of nutritionally enhanced crackers that had also attracted significant interest in Paris this week.

Indeed there were a huge range of international businesses making their mark on the event.

For its part, Canadian-based Malic acid specialists, Bartek reported decisive results from its appearance at the trade show, which followed on from its engagement at our last conference event in Brussels.

Milad Moshfeghian, vice president of innovation (pictured above, left), said: “I haven’t been to Fie for six years now, and I have to say it was very well organised, it’s clean, successful and managed.

“The general mood has been quite positive, with people looking for growth opportunities, and welcome to hearing about the features of our products. It’s been a great experience.

“Genuinely, I find the baseline level of knowledge here has been high, so it’s been refreshing to find that is the case. I think the reception as a Canadian company has been very good and that people have been looking forward to doing business with us,” adding that having the chance to walk the show offered some key inspiration.

Among other companies that have offered a key focus on confectionery has been Prinova, which has an extensive portfolio of functional solutions for industry, which has also extended out to the sweets and snacks market around the world.

Michael Robbins, of Prinova, said: “It’s been a very good show for us with some really busy meetings, and we’ve had both lots of customers and suppliers coming to see us.

“We have felt we have showcased ourselves in a different light this time from how some people might know us as being ingredients distributors. So we wanted to break the mould of that and show that we are able to offering solutions across many different categories.

“One of the big innovations that we have had for confectionery in the past couple of years has been an ingredient called Treha (a carbohydrate found in all foods), and is a high purity Trehalose molecule used in many applications such as bakery and sweet treats like Mochi – as a texture enhancer, so if you get them out of the freezer, it stops the outside coating from freezing. It also is used in cookies and doughnuts,” he notes of the product innovation, which is just one of many on its books.

As he added, there had been a ‘massive rise’ in interest around confectionery products, which has in turn driven a renewed focus upon the category.

In terms of the show’s value, he felt that the experience of covid which had seen many events across the industry cancelled, revealed just how keen people were to get out there and be at shows, which has been reflected in the positive showing for the business at this year’s FiE.

Dr Isabelle Jaouen, of Alland and Robert, who was among speakers at our last edition of the World Confectionery Conference, explained the business had a strong response at the trade fair.

“We’ve had lots of customers and event visitors who have been to see us here, discussing Acacia gum and what can be done with it within food applications.

“Gaining the award last year at the World Confectionery Conference allowed us to present our Syndeo gelling, which is a blend of vegetable hydrocolloids,  substitute gelatine, and we’ve had many contacts from people over that, which has been very interesting.”

Her colleague, Violaine Fauvarque, was equally impressed with the turn-out to the latest edition of the show, particularly with it being held on home territory.

She added: “We’ve been very happy to see the event being held here in Paris. While we are French, we have been coming to see us from all over the world.

We’ve been working on sustainability within the business, and gained certification for this in 2023, and we are still focusing on as it’s a real focus for us regarding ethics and sustainable supply chains, and making sure we are working collaboratively with all our partners.”

First time appearance

Significantly, the 30^th edition of FiE attracted an array of global market players, including taste and flavour group Givaudan.

The company presented concepts inspired by evolving consumer expectations, including its gut-friendly puffed snacks featuring Oatwell with oat beta-glucans for fibre content and green banana powder, cheese flavouring and paprika colour.

Furthermore, there were also chocolate creations range from plant-based to dark and white varieties, crafted with nature’s finest ingredients such as yerba maté, açaí, ginger, blueberry and lemon. Naturally coloured with Vegebrite and Michroma and safflower, they deliver rich flavour, they are said to offer uplifting notes and delightful crunchy textures for a multi-sensory experience.

In addition, the company is also showcasing a high-protein bar built on crunchy soy crispies and natural ingredients such as acerola, rosemary, raspberry and matcha.

Margit van Hasselt, global marketing manager commented: “We have some demonstrations that showcased how we integrate our three segments of flavours colours and ingredients, as for chocolate we have shown a white, vegan and dark chocolate.

With the white and dark chocolate we have integration of flavours combined with fruit inclusion to have those multisensorial aspects to it, along with botanical.

This is part of focusing on wellness versus indulgence consideration, where people feel they can snack without guilt that we are engaged with.”

Equally, Jeppe Sand Laursen, of Arla Foods Ingredients, also believed that this latest iteration of the show in its anniversary year had been especially notable for the business.

It demonstrated a number of applications across its capabilities within the overall food sector, including for confectionery.

“It’s been a fantastic event that has confirmed the high level of demand for protein within the market. It has been great catching up with colleagues and partners across the industry.

“I think what is important for us is in helping our customers to increase the level of proteins within their products. One of things that you really cannot compromise on is taste and texture, and that’s something that we are experts on.

“Within confectionery, there’s a big trend towards snacking, particularly within cookies and brownies – though that’s not an area that has traditionally seen proteins being used, as that is difficult to do, but we have actually found a solution that is really good.

The show also offered a significant proving ground for new enterprises seeking to gain a foothold within the market.

Among them, was ambitious start-up Seprify, which has just signed an agreement with ingredients firm, Oterra, which has been hailed as having significant potential.

The plant-based white colouring that can replace titanium dioxide (TiO₂) in food and beverage applications, including confectionery.

As its developers noted, it has been tested across 15 food categories, this solution is a real game-changer for the food colouring sector, in terms of performance and sustainability. 

Head of Sales Carola Weiss commented to our title: “For us, this show is one of the key events. We were looking into food applications for quite a while, and we have developed prototypes for the food sector that we are able to show to customers.

“We are using 100% white pigments based on cellulose, which are natural and completely biodegradable, and we have produced differing grades. It’s food safe and is very versatile across the food sector,” as well as potential within the pharma sector.

Another recently evolved business brand with potential for confectionery or snacking use is Magtein, the US-based magnesium supplement designed to aid sleep.

As its business director, Laurenlia Bliss explained, “What we have seen is that dietary supplements are increasingly going into food and beverages, so that’s what we are seeing in the US. Its been there in America for the past decade.

“As far as snacking is concerned, we are seeing that people are just tiring of taking pills all the time, so we are seeing some cool innovation, so one of our products is a soft chew that has taken off well, and with Magtein being taste-free, which is unusual for Magnesium, it’s easy to formulate with,” she explained of its potential.

Diverse demonstrations

Our title also met with a number of other businesses operating within the confectionery sector, including global ingredients group, Beneo, which also reported positive results for the event.

Marketing director Jan Kritzer noted that the firm enjoyed an especially fruitful few days, with its presence significantly boosted in offering visitors a full range of samples across main courses, as well as desserts, demonstrating the breadth of its capabilities.

“The response we have had has clearly shown that our applications are what people are looking for in the market, and for confectionery that includes fibre enrichment and sugar reduction, as well as glucose reductions,” noted the business of its chef’s offerings during the event, which included fibres, faba bean offerings, as well as its Palatinose (sugar alternative) application alongside other plant-based solutions.

Vegan offerings

Meanwhile, there were plenty of offerings within the confectionery sector as far as SME operators making a distinctive appearance at this year’s show.

For his part, Adrian Ling, managing director of Plamil Foods, which has devised a broad range of plant-based offering that have been developed over the past few decades.

He noted that his team had been pleasantly surprised at the sheer volume of visitors to the event, making some key contacts during the week of the show.

“We’ve found that both our existing ranges and new products have been enormously successful here, seeing a wide variety of customers that has cemented good relationships within the industry. So this has actually been one of the best events we have ever attended.”

Lastly, but by no means least, we also spoke to British start-up confectionery business Win Win chocolate, another former award-winner with our title, which enthused about the experience

Sophie Johnson Trevis, business development manager for the company reported that there had been a really positive reaction to its chocolate range, which is made with cocoa alternatives.

As we have previously covered, the business has attracted considerable media attention, and gained wider industry backing in terms of recently collaborating with Mondelez as part of its business accelerator programme.

Speaking on the event, Sophie, pictured above, added: “It has surpassed our expectations – day one was so intense with great conversations that I don’t think we sat down until we finished it. The other days have been similar with some great contacts made.

“We have been going four years now and spent those first three years trying to perfect the recipe, so this is our first year of commercialisation. So the first part of creating that chocolate is from our base in London, and we know have a co-manufacturer as well, and it’s out there in the market and we have a really positive response,” adding that it has been widely lauded by chocolatiers and bakery specialists alike, offering a strong base to work from moving into 2026.

Overall, the event delivered an engaging array of new innovations right across the spectrum of industry, particularly for snacking and confectionery elements that leant a real buzz to the event as it celebrated three successful decades of showcasing industry innovation.