作者：FBIF Product Department
FBIF2026 will take place on April 27–29 at the Hangzhou International Expo Center!
Undoubtedly, even in the face of challenges, we remain committed to our work with unwavering determination, because that is the only way forward. In fact, reality is far from bleak. The food & beverage industry continues to present exciting opportunities and promising prospects.
Demographic and social shifts are reshaping the demand landscape. An aging population is accelerating the need for nutrition, health, and convenience. Smaller households and the rise of single consumers are driving growth in small packaging, ready-to-eat formats, and personalized nutrition, while generational differences are fueling greater diversity in consumer demand. At the same time, individuals are showing sharper and more urgent attention to health and beauty. Rather than broad health concepts, consumers are turning toward precise, science-based functional solutions, spurring growth in products designed for aging, gut health, brain health, and sleep.
展开剩余96%On this foundation, consumer logic is being rapidly redefined. Younger generations are shifting away from traditional asset allocation and embracing flexible consumption as a means of enhancing quality of life. They value instant experiences and diverse choices, showing a willingness to pay for innovation, aesthetics, and emotional value, while also demanding rationality and cost-effectiveness. This unique blend of "emotional and rational" is becoming a new force driving the market forward.
Retail and technology are evolving at speed. AI is accelerating product selection, demand forecasting, and replenishment, while new channel models are reshaping the landscape—membership-based retail, instant retail, and discount formats are thriving side by side. Players like Sam's Club and Aldi are capturing share with private labels and unbeatable value; JD 7Fresh, Dingdong, and Meituan Xiaoxiang are propelling instant retail into a new growth frontier; and convenience stores are reinventing themselves as "five-meals-a-day + private label" lifestyle solution hubs. Differentiation in retail is becoming the core of competition. For brands, viable paths are diverging: some are building long-term equity to become "super brands" like Coca-Cola, leveraging scale and consumer mindshare to weather channel shifts; others are pursuing channel-led, audience-centric strategies with rapid, precise product customization and differentiated innovation, achieving explosive penetration within niche segments.
Globalization and supply chains are also opening new avenues for growth. Even as global markets enter a phase of stock competition, Chinese brands still have opportunities to break through. On one hand, China's rising global influence and cultural confidence are creating new windows of perception for homegrown brands. On the other, China's complete industrial ecosystem and highly efficient supply chains enable faster responses and higher productivity to meet diverse and fast-changing global needs. While global market growth is limited, structural opportunities are increasingly tilting toward Chinese brands that can combine cultural value with supply chain excellence.
Therefore, FBIF2026 takes "Forging Ahead" as its theme. In a world defined by cyclical swings and converging forces, what we see is not only challenge, but also depth and opportunity for food and beverage. True industry leaders will navigate volatility, sharpen their focus amid fragmentation, and find new growth even in stock-driven markets.
Highlights from FBIF2025
Too impatient to read the full article and just want to register right away? Scroll down and "Contact Us" directly. But we suggest giving it a full read first, you might discover some exciting opportunities to get involved!
1.FBIF2026: Six Key Industry Trends & Chief Merchandising Officer Forum LaunchAt FBIF2026, we will spotlight globalization, advanced technologies, functional ingredients, channel dynamics, and brand strategies. Building on this, we have distilled six key trends that deserve industry attention, and we invite you to join the discussion. These are not just insights, but future pathways for growth.
This year, we will once again conduct a systematic review of 3,000+ products and brand cases from over 30 countries worldwide. From there, around 70–80 representative and inspiring examples will be selected. Our analysis will unfold across five core dimensions: product innovation, brand strategy, channel breakthroughs, packaging design, and consumer engagement. The result will be a series of thought-provoking topics designed to help the industry find answers grounded in practice.
At the same time, we firmly believe that the future of food & beverage brands lies not only in the products themselves, but also in their ability to reach a broader world and forge deeper connections with consumers. Only by taking the initiative and bringing together the world’s most influential retail forces can brands truly unlock growth and breakthroughs.
With this conviction, we are launching the FBIF2026 Chief Merchandising Officer Forum. From 138 retail giants worldwide, we have selected 30 of the most representative retailers, including Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, ALDI, Lidl, Whole Foods, FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, Freshippo, JD, Pangdonglai, Meituan, as well as regional leaders such as Bindawood/Danube in the Middle East and DFI Retail Group in Southeast Asia.
We are inviting their Chief Merchandising Officers and decision-makers to join FBIF2026 and engage in high-level business dialogues with brand leaders. Discussions will center on five modular topics: market trends and consumer data analytics, merchandising strategy development, team and supplier relationship management, blockbuster creation and differentiation, and membership models and brand value enhancement.
Swipe to Explore the FBIF2026 Agenda
Trend 1: Tech Acceleration Reshaping the Value Chain
The food and beverage industry is undergoing an unprecedented technological leap, reshaping the value chain from production to R&D to supply chain management. Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) technology is disrupting food processing and opening a new premium track; synthetic biology and precision fermentation are bringing "future ingredients" such as milk proteins and functional compounds into reality, redefining the raw materials landscape; AI and digital twin technologies are being applied to formula optimization and end-to-end factory management, driving exponential gains in R&D and production efficiency. Technology is no longer a side experiment but a mainstream force, accelerating the industry's value transformation.
Robots on WAIC；Source: RedNote
Trend 2: Functional Ingredients Move Center Stage as "IP Engines" of Consumption
In the past, the value proposition of functional foods was often vague. Today, ingredients themselves are emerging as core brand assets and consumer anchors. R&D is no longer about piling up formulas but about building hero products and consumer mindshare around "star ingredients." From creatine to N-acetyltaurine, and from lithocholic acid to pioneering compounds like PTER, scientific breakthroughs are directly fueling consumer demand. At the same time, with High Pressure Processing (HPP) on the rise, whether herbal beverages can achieve differentiated growth through the "food-medicine homology + HPP" model has become a hot industry topic.
Functional ingredients are no longer just names on an ingredient list. They are evolving into unique "ingredient IPs," supported by scientific validation, brand storytelling, and contextual applications. From scientific discovery to marketing innovation, the "IP-ization" of ingredients is becoming the new growth engine for functional foods.
Source: Freshippo APP、TAC Website
Trend 3: No More Grand Narratives—Precision by Consumer and Occasion Is True Innovation
Food and beverage innovation has moved far beyond the basic functions of satiety and hydration, entering an era driven by multidimensional scenarios. New launches are abundant, yet most products only enjoy a brief moment on the shelf. Brands that truly scale are those that pinpoint a precise occasion and invest in it deeply, turning it into long-term consumer recognition and stable demand. For example, "drinkable growth formulas" targeting children's beverages, dairy combined with sports nutrition to capture the fitness audience, or low-GI products with convenient packaging accelerating entry into the aging market. Beverage brands designing "24-hour consumption scenarios" and flavored waters positioned around "sensory pleasure + scientific hydration" exemplify how occasion-driven strategies open sustainable growth pathways.
Of course, there is no single formula. Some brands focus on one core scenario and build it into a powerhouse, while others maintain agility through rapid product rotation, even if each item is "one shot, one market." No matter the size or strategy, the true dividing line in food and beverage innovation is how precisely brands match people with occasions.
Source: Oikos Website、Tmall@DGI、Alpro
Source: Tmall@Mengniu、Stur、ripple
Trend 4: Innovation Is Not Just Ingredients and Tech, but Also a System of Taste, Emotion, and Culture
Amid fragmented information and the pressure of short-term performance, consumers now expect more from brands than products alone. They seek long-term trust and authenticity. At the same time, food choices are no longer simply about "nutritional intake," but are closely tied to emotional regulation and cultural identity.
Ganyuan's freeze-dried nut-and-fruit snacks, Hokkyoku's crystallization technique that turns gummies into popsicles, and Koikeya's chips that use "authentic ingredients + multi-stage seasoning" to recreate regional flavors all demonstrate that R&D is no longer just about ingredient innovation, but a systemic project spanning texture, flavor, and cultural expression. Similarly, KitKat's evolution from driven insights to cultural resonance, and Chick-fil-A's 11-year reign at the top of satisfaction rankings through "radical service," both illustrate the importance of capturing consumer emotion.
True marketing and product innovation are not only about running the right models, but also finding the connection points between culture and emotion.
Source: Koikeya、Hokkyoku、KitKat Japan、Ganyuan Foods、Classy K
Trend 5: Packaging Evolving from "Brand Symbol" to "Brand Asset"
From unified brand symbols to personalized experiences enabled by AI and 3D printing, and from IP integrations to interactive social triggers, packaging is steadily upgrading into a strategic asset for companies. Nestlé leverages digital packaging to accelerate product launches and deliver personalized engagement; Genki Forest refreshes its overseas packaging to balance global consistency with local appeal; McDonald's TableToGo turns takeout boxes into interactive dining experiences that fuel social sharing.
As more brands treat packaging as the first touchpoint for consumer communication and an extended canvas for storytelling, its role will go beyond container and information carrier. Packaging is becoming a critical driver of sales, brand recognition, and long-term value creation. Highly recognizable, experience-rich packaging not only communicates brand value more efficiently but also deepens and diversifies consumer engagement.
Source: Chi Forest、Leo Burnett
Trend 6: Channel-Driven Product Selection Revolution, Unlocking Global Opportunities
As the global retail landscape undergoes rapid transformation, channels are no longer the end point of product distribution—they are evolving into core incubators of food and beverage innovation. Chief buyers, merchandising teams, and private labels are jointly driving a new revolution around efficiency, differentiation, and digitalization.
1. Membership Retail: The Dual Code of Bestsellers and Efficiency
From Costco to Sam's Club, membership-based retail is reshaping category strategies through a model of "curation, speed, and high turnover." Chief buyers no longer aim for blanket coverage; instead, agile merchandising systems create "member-exclusive bestsellers," using a limited number of SKUs to drive massive sales and repeat purchases.
2. Private Label Rising: New Space for Differentiation and Premiumization
Private labels such as Kirkland, Member's Mark, and Simple Truth have become growth engines for global retail giants. By breaking into new blue-ocean categories such as nutrition, ready-to-eat, and pet food, they leverage stable quality, price advantage, and differentiated positioning to successfully shift from "commodity" to "brand."
3. Digitalized Selection: From Sales Tracking to Trend Forecasting
Powered by AI and big data, product selection is moving from "experience and intuition" to "driven insight." Retailers analyze member purchase preferences and sensory trends on social media to capture emerging demands—such as emotional consumption, functional foods, and senior nutrition—with greater speed and precision.
4. Global Procurement: Balancing Risk with Strategic Co-Creation
As retail giants expand their international procurement networks, chief buyers must not only meet quality standards but also identify and mitigate supply chain risks quickly. More retailers are choosing to co-create new products with strategic suppliers, forming integrated collaboration models that span raw materials, R&D, channels, and marketing.
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As channels become the key incubators for blockbuster products, the decisions of chief buyers and merchandisers are profoundly shaping the direction of food and beverage innovation. In a fast-paced environment of rapid iteration and survival of the fittest, only truly breakthrough innovations can cut through the channel and win the market. The FBIF Wow Food Awards were established precisely to discover, showcase, and celebrate the industry's most valuable innovations.
2.2026 FBIF Wow Food Awards Now Open for RegistrationTo capture emerging trends and provide a global stage for innovators in the food and beverage industry, we launched the FBIF Wow Food Innovation Awards in 2016, which is a global, comprehensive innovation award dedicated to recoqnizing excelent innovations in different sections of the food and beverage industry.
FBIF Wow Food Awards
The Wow Food Awards currently feature 4 main categories: Product Innovation, Packaging Design, Marketing Innovation, and Ingredient Innovation.
The Wow Food Awards have attracted participation from over 2,000 company teams and more than 3,000 outstanding entries worldwide since it was established.
Participants include leading global food and beverage corporations such as Nestlé, PepsiCo, Mondelez, Mars, Yili, and Mengniu, as well as emerging brands like Genki Forest, WonderLab, GuanZhan, CHALI, and Yongpu.
The awards have also drawn in renowned design agencies from around the globe, including Pearlfisher, Backbone Branding, Prompt Design, and Contagious, in addition to marketing and packaging specialists such as Lingyun, TimeViking, Weibo Innovation, and B&B Studio.
Participating teams (partial) of the FBIF Wow Food Award
Wow Food Awards Highlights：
1. Authoritative International Panel of Judges
FBIF Wow Food Awards 2025 Panel of Judges
Over 100 top industry experts will form the judging panel for the FBIF Wow Food Innovation Awards 2026.
Wow Food Awards upholds professional, impartial, and transparent evaluation principles. A strict blind review process ensures that all entries are judged solely on their innovative merit, free from irrelevant influences.
Every submission that passes the first-round evaluation will receive a comprehensive scoring report and suggestions for improvement, empowering both startups and industry giants to grow under the same high standards.
This is not a competition where participants are guaranteed to win a prize just for taking part.During the 2025 finals, each shortlisted entry will be carefully tasted and evaluated.
2. Extensive Benefits for Participants and Winners
Participant benefits include comprehensive scoring report, offline networking opportunities, and complimentary presence on the official website. Teams are invited to attend the Wow Food Awards ceremony to celebrate the results alongside industry leaders. Participants can also have the opportunities to join the FBIF Food Innovation Expo. In 2025, FBIF attracted over 39,000 attendees. We aim to facilitate in-depth interactions between your brand and potential partners, including distributors, packaging designers, and suppliers—turning appreciation into business opportunities.
Comprehensive Scoring Report、Offline Networking Opportunitie
Winning benefits include official award endorsement, complimentary exhibition exposure, business matching support, and multi-channel exposure.
Winning products will be promoted to 300–500+ distribution channels. Award recipients will also be featured in headline announcements on FBIF’s official WeChat account (with 580,000+ followers and dissemination across 100+ online communities). The organizing committee will assist winning brands in connecting with high-potential partners and prioritize recommending them for client requests—directly translating recognition into business opportunities.
Official Award Endorsement、Exhibition Exposure、Business Matc
3.Consumer EngagementWow Food closely engages consumers through activities such as consumer jury and surprise blind box events. These initiatives attract a diverse range of consumers from different regions, educational backgrounds, lifestyles, and taste preferences, creating dynamic interactions between the public and innovative entries.
Consumer Feedback、Social Media Exposure
Wow Food 2026 is now open for registration. If you are interested in joining, sign up now! We firmly believe that the food and beverage industry holds endless potential for innovation. We look forward to witnessing more “hit products” with you—and together, making the world say WOW to your creations.
4. FBIF Food Innovation Expo (FBIF Super Picks)This year's FBIF Food Innovation Expo spans 53,800 square meters, with an estimated 650+ exhibitors, covering global food industry brands and supply chain innovation enterprises. Exhibits include a wide range of categories such as dairy, beverages, snacks, alcohol, convenience food, functional food, ingredients, contract manufacturing, packaging, design, and marketing.
Let's take a look at the highlights of the exhibition areas that everyone is most interested in!
FBIF2025 On-site Highlights
For detailed information about the FBIF 2026 Food Innovation Expo, please click to view FBIF Expo 2026, 650+ Exhibitors and 47000+ Attendees to Gather!
Key Point 1: Efficient Upstream and Downstream Connection Across the Industry Chain
The FBIF 2026 Food Innovation Expo is expected to welcome over 47,000 attendees, covering participants from across the entire food industry chain, including executives and decision-makers, R&D professionals, marketers, retailers and distributors, investors, media representatives, influencers, and leading consumers.
At the previous FBIF 2025, the total number of forum and exhibition attendees reached 39,184, with 35.67% being director-level or above decision-makers. The exhibition venue is adjacent to the FBIF forum venue. During forum sessions, mid-to-senior industry professionals will also gather in the exhibition area for exchange.
From end-consumer products to various solutions across the industry chain, FBIF Food Innovation Expo will help you efficiently connect upstream and downstream in the industry!
Since booth sales began just one and a half months ago, over 340 companies have already registered to exhibit. Below is a partial list of exhibitors by sub-category:
Key Point 2: Global New Products are Gathered, and Innovation Can be Explored All in One Place
At the FBIF Food Innovation Expo (FBIF Food Picks Expo), you will have a rare opportunity to explore the very latest food and beverage innovations from around the world. The exhibition not only showcases cutting-edge products from leading brands but also offers in-depth insights into innovative packaging and the success stories of breakout products that have risen from zero to one. From product to packaging, from trends to stories—everything about ‘new launches’ and fresh inspiration awaits you in this exhibition area.
1.FBiF Global New Food Collection
The 2025 FBiF Global New Food Collection brings together over 700 innovative products across beverages, snacks, bakery, condiments, and more, sourced from 30+ countries and regions. It delivers unprecedented inspiration for industry professionals while serving as a bridge between brands and trade visitors. From the newest snack flavors to nutritious and creative health foods, the 2025 FBiF Global New Food Collection has already become a hotspot where visitors stop, take photos, and share their discoveries.
Looking ahead, the 2026 FBiF Global New Food Collection will continue this mission of curating and presenting global innovative food products. It will spotlight the latest launches with strong trend potential and market value. Through this showcase, we aim to bring more groundbreaking products face-to-face with the audience and help industry players capture inspiration and broaden their perspectives.
FBiF Global New Food Collection On-site Photos
2.FBiF Global Creative Packaging Design Gallery
In 2026, the FBiF Global Creative Packaging Design Gallery will continue to showcase 160+ of the world’s most innovative and aesthetically striking food and beverage packaging designs.On the design dimension, the exhibition area will be completely redesigned, ensuring every stop is visually appealing and highly photogenic.On the content dimension, in addition to the much-anticipated display area for winners of the FBIF Wow Food Awardspackaging category, a brand-new International Awards area will be introduced—featuring outstanding works recognized by major global design competitions. This expansion will offer visitors a broader and deeper perspective on cutting-edge packaging design.
FBiF Global Creative Packaging Design Gallery On-site Photos
3.WOW FOOD Supermarket
In 2026, as part of the FBIF Global New Food Collection, FBIF will also introduce the WOW FOOD Supermarket— an innovative showcase designed to “bring the community store directly into FBIF.” This 315㎡ immersive experience space replicates real-life shopping scenarios with an authentic supermarket layout. Over 1,000 carefully curated SKUs will be displayed across shelves, and more than 1,000 core channel procurement leaders will be invited to visit.
Key Point 3: Channel guests will be more precisely targeted and focused.
Channel Category Percentage & Channel Guest Category Percent
Over 5,000 channel guests attended the FBIF 2025, including representatives from leading enterprises such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, ALDI, Bussan, Amazon, Temu, Freshippo, JD, Lawson, and HotMaxx. At the previous FBIF Channel Matchmaking, over 100 channels were stationed at the Channel Partnership Negotiation Zone, and eleven themed sessions were held at the Channel-Focused Presentation Area.
The Channel Partnership Negotiation Zone has been meticulously organized into three specialized areas: Top 100 National Chain Supermarkets & CVS, Leading E-commerce Platforms & Influencers, and Food Export Distributors & Supply Chain Solutions Providers. The Channel-Focused Presentation Area included a series of themed sessions, such as ALDI Matchmaking， Guohuo Yanxuan Matchmaking(TAOBAO & TMALL GROUP)， Meituan Instashopping Matchmaking， Walong（USA）＆Wachine Trading Matchmaking， BUSSAN / 7-Eleven Chain Convenience Store Matchmaking， Catering Channel-Focused Matchmaking， Influencer Matchmaking(Inmyshow Digital), among others, to enable the connections between channels and brands to be more efficient.
At FBIF 2026 Food Innovation Expo, the scale of channel guests is expected to double, with a more precisely targeted audience profile. This year, FBIF will emphasize engaging the top 20 channels across three key categories: Chain Supermarkets & CVS, E-commerce Influencers & Group Leaders and Leading Catering & Discount Channels. Additionally, regional retail leaders in East China, particularly in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Anhui, will be emphasized. The exhibition will feature a wider variety of interaction types. In addition to face-to-face meetings with top channels, new activities such as curated product displays, live brand presentations, and new product tastings will be introduced. Furthermore, six segmented scenarios, including breakfast, main meal, and snacking occasions, will be created to facilitate in-depth engagement between brands and buyers, enabling more efficient collaboration.
FBIF Channel Matchmaking Session
Key Point 4: Premium Consumer Openday
Students are both a key consumer base for brands and a vital future talent pool for the industry. This year, we are organizing a targeted C-end user, especially university students experience open day. Through initiatives such as the FBIF Exploration Passport stamp collection plan, the Snack Elective Class , and engaging activities like a Talk Show, we aim to precisely reach and expand our C-end user base. The event is planned to cover 481 universities across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Shanghai. We expect to involve students from surrounding universities, with a total participation scale of 5,000.
Whether you are a newcomer to the industry or a student passionate about the food and beverage sector, we hope this platform will help you connect with peers, gain deeper industry insights, and receive tangible support and assistance!
Highlight 1: FBIF Passport Stamp Collection Plan
This is a special exploration activity designed to create genuine encounters between brands and a new generation of university students!
With a limited-edition FBIF Passport, campus visitors will complete stamp-collecting interactions at multiple check-in points set up throughout the exhibition, experiencing the highlights of the brand and its products up close.
The interaction doesn’t stop at the venue—it will also extend to a wider audience through social media, creating a fun and engaging opportunity for the brand to connect directly with the younger generation.
FBIF PASSPORT、FBIF PASSPORT concept design(PepsiCo Inc)、FBIF
Highlight2: The Snack Elective Class
Have you ever wondered—how many times a day do college students snack? And at what hours are cravings the hardest to resist?
Step into The Snack Elective Class, an exhibition that spotlights high school students’ “non-meal research.” From early morning to late at night, the showcase recreates typical snacking scenes, revealing their preferences and motivations at different times of the day.
Here, visitors gain a genuine portrait of young consumers while also enjoying interactive, photo-worthy settings—perfect for sharing on social media. It’s a fun and insightful way to understand the psychology and culture behind everyday snacking.
The Snack Elective Class Renderings
Highlight 3: FBIF Talk Show: Let's make a "Foodship"!
The FBIF Talk Show is a interactive event designed to engage younger audiences through lighthearted and humorous content, while also offering participating brands a high-quality platform for exposure. We aim to create a dynamic and lively atmosphere where both audiences and brand representatives can express themselves in a fun and authentic way—You Can, You Talk!
This talk show will focus on food-related topics. The performers will feature members of university comedy clubs, professional stand-up comedians, and representatives from participating brands. The fun kicks off with campus promotions and social media buzz —Let's get ready to play with food and life in a whole new way!
Talk Show Mock-up Layout
Key Point 5: Foodtalks Salon - Meet a Better Version of Yourself in Real Stories
In the previous highlights introduction, we mainly focused on industry trends, technological breakthroughs and market opportunities. However, every advancement in the industry is inseparable from the growth and perseverance of individuals. FBIF is not only a window to observe the industry, but also a stage to stimulate self-growth.
The Foodtalks Salon is like an "inspiration supply station" in the exhibition area. There are no long - winded speeches here, only short, straightforward and quick sincere sharing. Food industry bigwigs, entrepreneurs, technical experts and brand practitioners will share their real stories: the courage to break through difficulties, attempts at cross - border innovation, and even reflections after failures. The 「Voices of the Boundary Breakers」 at FBIF2025 made 20 industry pioneers resonate with countless audiences. At FBIF2026, we still hope that through these vivid accounts, everyone can see themselves in others' stories and take away a strength for growth.
On-site photos of the Foodtalks salon
5.Contact UsContact her for speeches and strategic cooperation:
Contact her if you want to participate in the conference, exhibit, visit, or learn more about FBIF2026:
Contact her for media cooperation:
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