Food Trade Fair SIAL Paris Returns With An Exceptional Programme

SIAL Paris, organised by Comexposium, is the largest food industry trade fair in the world with more than 7,500 exhibitors and 400,000 exhibited products. Every two years the tradeshow provides unique insights into trends and opportunities in the sector. The event is part of the SIAL Network, the world’s largest network of food and drink trade fairs.

The food routes of tomorrow are being mapped out today, and SIAL Paris is bringing all the stakeholders to the table to examine the major trends and come up with innovative solutions. In a connected, interdependent food system, the supply chain built between companies is becoming ever more strategic and ever more fluid. While demonstrating robustness, with a great capacity to adapt to health and geopolitical challenges, the increasing number of climatic incidents is challenging the ability of the food supply chain to feed a world population that is expected to reach 10 billion by 2060.

The agri-food supply chain is undergoing a process of transformation and (r)evolution, becoming greener, more local, more transparent and increasingly digital.

The new expectations being expressed when it comes to food have a direct impact on the supply methods. Companies in the sector now need to reduce their environmental impact, by favouring local suppliers or virtuous and sustainable chains, while still making their products accessible.

The rise of e-commerce and the desire expressed by consumers for immediacy and convenience mean that existing traditional players are having to adapt their business models and strategies to increase both their agility and their distribution channels. These challenges are making the supply chain ever more complex to build, especially as the industry has to contend with the effects of climate change, even though technology is now making it possible to achieve greater efficiency and transparency at every stage. With artificial intelligence, blockchain, data and many other technological advances, the range of solutions is expanding every day.

These changes will be at the heart of the Supply Chain Summit, organised by SIAL Paris on 22 October (Hall 5A Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre). Find out more about the sessions here:

SIAL Summit: Dedicated To The Supply Chain

Round Table 1 (Tuesday 22 October from 10:45 am to 11:15 am)

REINVENTING THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN, A PREREQUISITE FOR FEEDING 10 BILLION PEOPLE IN 2060!

A “Food Everest” is looming before us: this expression, developed by Sébastien Abis, Managing Director of Club DEMETER, sums up the scale of the challenges facing all companies in the food sector. To meet this demographic peak, which is expected in less than 30 years, we need to harness all our resources to reinvent the supply chain we will need. Both the challenges and opportunities that this presents will be discussed at this round table. Global conflicts and climate incidents alike demonstrate the urgent need to secure end-to-end supply chain from. This philosophy of resilience applies just as much in the field, through new cultivation methods that are part of the progressive construction of diverse models.

Round Table 2 (Tuesday 22 October from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm)

THE FOOD INDUSTRY, A GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN THAT NEEDS TO BE DECARBONISED

In France, a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions are related to the food industry. This figure, provided by ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency), shows the considerable impact that the sector could have if it adopted appropriate strategies. It has become as necessary as it is obvious to decarbonise in order to build a more virtuous value chain, while still having to meet stringent requirements in terms of quality, performance and volume. This round table will highlight innovations that are now deeply rooted in the supply chain landscape to help achieve this, such as direct-to-consumer, river and rail transport, and other effective methods that are being implemented by both start-ups and well-established players.

Round Table 3 (Tuesday 22 October from 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm)

DATA IN THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

Data is profoundly changing the face of food supply chains, enabling greater transparency and analysis and paving the way for greater streamlining of physical flows. The entire agri-food industry is now using data to build more sustainable and resilient solutions, from farm to fork. This is an invaluable tool for feeding consumers’ growing appetite for transparency and guiding their purchasing decisions, as well as improving food safety. During this discussion, the speakers will share real-life examples of how data can be used, and how all stakeholders can work together to obtain complete, relevant data. It will also be an opportunity to look back at the latest technological advances, such as Artificial Intelligence, which are improving the automation of data processing and increasing its use.

For more information, visit: www.sialparis.com.