SIAL AMERICA UNITES $1.5 TRILLION FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY AFTER WELCOMING 4,600 VISITORS
SIAL America is set to inspire and re-energise the $1.5 trillion food and beverage industry following its US debut in Las Vegas.
The first of its kind cross-category show took place at the Las Vegas Convention Centre from March 22 to 24 and welcomed 4,600 domestic and international exhibitors, key importers, food service companies, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and restaurateurs.
Attendees arrived at SIAL America – which formed part of the inaugural Las Vegas Food & Beverage Industry Week (LVFBIW) – on National Agriculture Day, a nod to the farmers and ranchers who make the industry tick.
In addition to SIAL America, the Las Vegas Food & Beverage Industry Week included Bar & Restaurant Expo, Pizza Expo and World Tea Conference + Expo.
Attendees were able to connect with, and source product from, top tier domestic exhibitors including the Butterball and California Milk Advisory Board, and also were able to network with the strong and diverse roster of international pavilions that took part in the launch of SIAL America.
The floor saw representation from Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Poland, Morocco, Tunisia and many more.
Attendees connected with exhibitors seamlessly through SIAL America’s Matchmaking Platform to
organise nearly 700 formal meetings.
They also enjoyed SIAL’s comprehensive food insight and education sessions moderated by industry thought leaders.
This included “Inside The Chocolate Industry” with Pat Egan, President & CEO of See’s Candies, “The Era of Food on Demand” with Michael Schaefer, Global Food & Beverage Lead of Euromonitor, “Benefits of Animal-Product Traceability” with Steve Sands, President of PFG Protein Brands, and “Beverage Trends in 2022” with Howard Telford, Head of Soft Drinks at Euromonitor.
Attending companies included The Culinary Institute of America, MGM Resorts International, JBS Imports, and Publix Supermarkets.
Jessica Blue, EVP, Emerald said: “SIAL has a long-standing reputation of being the premier event host for the F&B industry around the world and launching SIAL America’s first show with the rare endorsement of the United States Department of Agriculture gave us all the more confidence we were on to something great.
“It was incredible to witness all of the in-person connections being made within in an industry that was so deeply affected by the pandemic. We are honoured to be able to support the industry’s recovery and look forward to coming back even better next year.”
Nicolas Trentesaux, general director of SIAL Network, said that a SIAL event on US ground was “well expected” and done successfully.
He continued: “The SIAL network has been hosting the worldwide food community for almost 60 years. The major US companies and stakeholders received strong support from Paris to Shanghai, from New Delhi to Middle East.
“We are so grateful for the all the positive support we received and the impressive prefigures of SIAL
America 2022 is an excellent development for success in the coming years. SIAL America will no
doubt become the leading generalist food event in the US.”
SIAL America also announced this year’s Innovation Awards winners, awarding bronze to Maine’s
Stonewall Kitchen, silver to Italy’s TipiCilentani, and gold to New Mexico’s The Fresh Chili Co.
Winners of these awards go on to exhibit at SIAL events around the world, reaching an audience of
700,000.
Randy McMillan, Owner of Fresh Chile Co, said the company was honoured to receive the first-ever SIAL America Innovation Award for its Freeze-Dried Hatch Chiles.
He added: “We created this product to extend the brief shelf life of Hatch Chiles and make them easier to ship, without sacrificing any of the amazing flavour and colour.
“We never imagined we’d receive recognition from such a long-standing global presence in the food innovation space. As a family-run business, we had an incredible experience at SIAL and are so grateful for what this event is doing for our industry, and look forward to coming back next year.”
Setting the stage for the global future of food and beverage, SIAL America will return to the Las
Vegas Convention Centre next year for its second annual show taking place from March 28 to 30, 2023.
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