Steena Joy – Milan

Many Italian food exporters find it difficult to export food items like cheese, wine and chocolates to India due to the stringent rules set by the national food regulatory body, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Speaking to Food & Hospitality World on the sidelines of Tuttofood, one of Italy’s largest B2B food trade shows, a spokesperson for Flamigni (famous Italian producer of nougat and panettone) informed, “A year ago, one of the big hotels in India had ordered some products from us, but the consignment got stuck at the customs and had to be turned back because of labelling inconsistencies. We label our products in accordance with world standards, but apparently, it does not meet the FSSAI approval. Our customer had to bear the delivery charges and we never heard from him again.” There have been many such instances when imported goods have been either stuck or turned back by India not due to any specific concerns over the quality/ safety of the imported items or their country of origin, but primarily due to lack of clarity and in some cases, even misinterpretation of FSSAI’s food packaging and labelling regulations.

Tuttofood, organised by Fiera Milano, one of the world’s largest organisers of exhibitions, saw over 78,000 certified industry visitors this year with a sharp increase in foreign visitors (up 78.7 per cent) from 119 countries over the four days of the event. The exhibition space was divided into 10 pavilions (four more than 2013, when it was last staged) with exhibitor companies representing a broad spectrum of the agri-food sector, from dairy products to meat to coffee. Corrado Peraboni, CEO of Fiera Milano, said, “The figures from this edition, especially the number of targeted business appointments, paint a clear picture: Tuttofood is ‘the’ tool par excellence for the next stage of Italian agri-food internationalisation. It is thanks to the show that a large number of high-quality SMEs have obtained access to markets where it would otherwise be exceedingly difficult for them to earn recognition in any other way. The target of €50 billion in exports is increasingly within reach for Italy’s food system, and we are doing our bit.”

Fabio Aromatici, head of international development, Fiera Milano added, “An exhibition is a strong mirror of the market it represents. A strong exhibition means a strong market.” Fiera Milano is also bringing its Business to Consumer (B2C) event, Good Food & Wine Show for the first time to India. The show will be held in Mumbai in December 2015. Aromatici informed, “Good Food & Wine Show (GFWS) has been held in South Africa for the past 16 years in three locations: Cape Town, Durban and Gauteng. It is a successful B2C show with 120,000 targeted visitors last year, and netting 200 million rand in national coverage across all media. We are now taking the show outside Africa to India where we are already present through Global Fairs & Media (a joint venture between The Indian Express and Hannover Milano Fairs India). Unlike in South Africa where the event is held alongside Food Hospitality World (FHW), a B2B event in Mumbai, it will be a standalone event in the first year and we are confident it will be a huge success. In the future we may have it alongside the FHW trade show.” He added, “We plan to link it to Bollywood and invite the right celebrities to the show to give the glam factor and bring in the crowds.”

The Good Food and Wine Show showcases top South African and international chefs (past events have featured, among others, Michelin-starred legends Gordon Ramsay and Giorgio Locatelli), restaurants, wines and cutting-edge trends in haute cuisine. A wealth of interactive displays and demonstrations are offered, from exclusive private cooking lessons with the finest chefs to exhibitions from boutique wine-houses.

Visitors to Milan are also making their way to Expo Milano 2015, a universal exposition which opened on May 1, 2015 and will close on October 31, 2015. This is the second time Milan is hosting the exposition, the first being in 1906. The Expo will be held under the theme Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life and has pavilions from countries in Europe, USA, Asia and Africa.