[dropcaps style=’2′]UBM India organized the 12th edition of Food ingredients India & Health Ingredients (Fi India & Hi) in Mumbai this month at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre. One of the the most comprehensive B2B shows in the Indian sub-continent for food and health ingredients, processing and packaging industry, which took place between 9 and 11 November, was inaugurated by RB Smarta, secretary HADSA; Prabodh Halde, president, AFSTI; P Muthuraman, director, FSSAI; Yogesh Mudras, managing director, UBM India and Rahul Deshpande, group director, UBM India amidst an august industry gathering.[/dropcaps]

The expo rotates annually between India’s two promising food hubs – Mumbai and New Delhi. With a legacy of 12 years, Fi India once again hosted three days of free, on-site seminars on health ingredients, food processing and packaging. The seminars are being organized in alliance with a variety of Indian associations and cover both technical developments and market trends.

This year, the expo introduced a new feature – A Guided Discovery Tour with Nutrimarketing experts on topics like Everything Proteins, Health, Wellness & Bakery Innovations. Other exciting highlights of the expo this year included an Expo Foodtec Pavilion dedicated to food technology, processing and packaging companies, a comprehensive China pavilion, a health ingredients trail and a special Fi India &Hi Cookery workshop.

At the inauguration of the expo, UBM India announced the soft launch of ProPak India which will be co-located with Fi India & Hi from the next edition. ProPak India will be a comprehensive, one of its kind event in India; With India being one of the top five markets for packaged foods, the expo will serve as the most significant platform in India for the industry to meet, network, conduct business, witness latest technology and solutions, exchange ideas and knowledge. With a turnover of $24.6 billion and a growth rate of 13% to 15% annually, the Indian packaging industry is expected to reach $72 billion by 2020. UBM has a strong foothold in key industry segments like food, pharma and cosmetics. Packaging being the most integral part of these industries, the thought behind launching this expo is to capitalize on UBM India’s strength within the industry and explore the potential of this niche segment in India.

Speaking at the inauguration of Fi India and Hi 2017, Yogesh Mudras, managing director, UBM India said, “Food ingredients is a multi-billion dollar industry that is growing worldwide. A revolution in the food and beverage industry, particularly in the processed food domain, has generated countless possibilities for new product development. Changing socio- economic demographics has also led to increased awareness pertaining to the quality standards of food products. Consequently, a focus on the superiority of ingredients that goes into the making of these finished products has also increased.”