Anne Bruce
Food from Britain this week celebrated the lifting of the French beef ban by bringing a contingent of 74 British exhibitors to Sial.
FFB chief executive David McNair said: "For a long time we have had to focus on getting beef exports back into key markets. It is only a small part of Britain's export trade, but it affected confidence in other sectors like dairy. This very busy show proves British exhibitors can now get back to business."
British exhibitor G Costa won FFB's Best New Product award at the show for Blue Dragon Thai convenience meal kits. G Costa md Tim Barlow said: "We are using the show to introduce our new meal kits, and to launch our Elsenham preserves brand in Europe. We are having a very good response, with visitors from Canada, Israel and Mexico."
Other FFB companies included first time exhibitors like Weetabix and the Big Food Group as well as a host of ethnic food manufacturers, part of a total British presence of 102 companies.
They brought a host of innovations including a grab bag of poppadums with mango chutney dip inside from Tastee Foods and a new pizza naan from Patak's, as well as folded filled naan breads and a Raiti sauce.
Patak's business development manager Simon Whitehead said: "It has been an incredibly busy show. We have had interest from many countries."
Other exhibitors agreed Sial was particularly busy this year.
Mayur Foods MD Laxman Pankhania, unveiling a new brand identity for the company, said: "Sial has really improved. We have had a great response."
Weetabix international brands manager Emma Barlow agreed the response at Sial had been overwhelming. She said: "We are here to promote our Alpen Bar in France, it has been a massive success in the UK with £1.5m in sales a week. Now we are having a great international response."
And Shere Khan founder Nighat Awan said: "Sial is the best show in Europe, it is heaving, visitors from Helsinki to the Czech republic are not just interested, they are placing orders on the spot."

{{NEWS }}

Topics