Several major German brands will be represented at the International PackTech India and FoodPex India, held at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from 15 to 17 December 2016. The German pavilions at the two trade fairs and at the parallel drink technology India, organised by Messe München (Munich), will include Bosch, Multivac, KHS and SMC Pneumatic. Over 10,000 visitors are expected from India and the surrounding countries. They can look forward to market leaders in technology, covering the entire value chain in the core areas of food, pharmaceuticals, confectionery and baked goods, cosmetics, the retail trade, the automotive industry, milk and meat products, drinks and liquid food. From this year onwards, PackTech India and FoodPex India are part of the ‘interpack alliance’, which combines the expertise and contacts for all global Messe Düsseldorf events in processing and packaging.
The products and services offered by the approximately 290 exhibitors will be complemented by “PDIT – Packaging Design, Innovation and Technology” on 16 and 17 December, a conference that will be held for the first time this year and is being organised in partnership with IPPStar. Its core topic will be SAVE FOOD, an initiative that was originally launched at interpack 2011, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), with the purpose of counteracting food losses and waste. One way to improve the situation is by engaging the expertise of the packaging industry.
The PDIT conference will highlight trends in packaging and in its related process technology where the main focus is on food. It is directed at designers, packaging developers and both national and international product developers in the FMCG sector. But the conference will also target influencers in publishing, conversion and packaging as well as contract packagers, bottlers and material and equipment suppliers.
Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, will open the two-day event in Hall 2 of the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre with a keynote talk on saving food and on the SAVE FOOD initiative. He will be followed by Venu Gopal Chintada, Director at Sathguru Management Consultants, who will present a “Case Study on Food Losses and Potential Solutions – Rice, Milk, Mango and Chickpea Value Chain in Andhra Pradesh”. The field study was commissioned by the FAO and financed through contributions from members of the SAVE FOOD initiative. The purpose of the scientific study was to find starting points for the avoidance of food loss in India and thus to help companies with appropriate solutions to obtain sustainable investments for the benefit of all stakeholders. Next, there will be a range of talks by international and Indian experts on packaging designs suitable to SAVE FOOD, as well as on the legal conditions for food safety and new sustainable food packaging materials. The second day of the PDIT conference will focus on innovations in processing and packaging technology and on specific trends such as efficiency increases, sustainability, traceability and smart packaging.
Highly dynamic developments on the Indian food market have led to a growing demand for technology in food processing and packaging. According to the German Machinery & Plant Manufacturers’ Association (VDMA), Indian imports reached a new climax in 2015 with a growth rate of 30 percent. Demand on the Indian subcontinent is particularly noticeable for German and Italian equipment.