The third Food Processing & Packaging Exposyum (FPPE), held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi from 3 to 5 November 2015, showed again that Kenya and its East African neighbours have great potential for suppliers in process and packaging technology. It is a region where enormous quantities of locally produced food are lost before they reach the consumer. This is due to faulty processing and packaging as well as inadequate infrastructure. SAVE FOOD therefore featured as a major issue at the FPPE conference, involving the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Messe Düsseldorf.
Feedback from around 920 visitors confirmed that the special format of the FPPE had proved its worth again in this third edition of the event, a combination of a symposium and exhibition which was clearly geared towards the needs of visitors and exhibitors. After all, the East African market has its own specific requirements – a fact that was specially underlined by Bernd Jablonowski, Global Portfolio Director Packaging and Processing at Messe Düsseldorf: “To operate successfully in the countries of East Africa and to open up the enormous potential of the market at an early stage, one needs to have precise knowledge of local conditions, the right contacts and ultimately also a good deal of patience.” The basic mood among exhibitors was similar, as those companies, too, emphasised the market potential that needs to be developed.
“Visitors responded very positively to the clear focus of the conference on relevant government and trade association issues as well as on food loss and needs-focused processing and packaging solutions,” commented Thomas Dohse, Deputy Director at Messe Düsseldorf.
For the first time the FPPE exhibition included a German Pavilion with 17 exhibitors as well as a joint presentation of the aluminium foil industry with five participating companies.
The next Food Processing & Packaging Exposyum will be held in a year’s time, from 5 to 7 December 2016 – again, at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi.
12 November 2015
