Decarbonisation, energy efficiency, and artificial intelligence to feature at at F4F – Expo Foodtech 2024

Food 4 Future – Expo Foodtech and Pick&Pack will bring together more than 450 experts from 16 to 18 April in Bilbao, Spain.

This year, CEOs from leading food companies such as Javier Dueñas (Campofrío), Óscar Vicente (Angulas Aguinaga), Pilar Damborenea (General Mills), Alberto Jiménez (Smileat), Roselyne Chane (Sanygran), Rodrigo Sánchez (Natur All), Patxi Arrtutia (Delicass) and Agustín del Canto (Okin), among others, will meet in Bilbao to address the challenges in terms of decarbonisation of the industry, energy efficiency, and the application of artificial intelligence, as well as to share strategies to face the inflationary environment and a fall in demand.

Food 4 Future World Summit will also bring together senior executives from leading brands in the food industry, such as Soledad Camacho (Danone), Enrique Rodríguez (Vichy Catalán) and Guillermo Mena (Fruselva), who will discuss changing consumer preferences, consumer empowerment and the role of marketing in promoting sustainable, healthy and affordable choices.

The conference will also explore adaptive strategies for brand positioning, considering factors such as cultural relevance, supply chain resilience and market penetration, and will provide insights on how to balance the strengths of local brands and established global brands.

Sustainability will once again be one of the central topics of the Food 4 Future World Summit. Candela Aldao (Mahou San Miguel) and Pablo Mazo (Heineken), will present sustainable methods and practical examples in the field of supply, production and packaging.

Carmen Gómez-Acebo (Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Iberia) and Amaia Aguirre (Ausolan), will provide their expertise in the field of 360º sustainability, while Mariví Sánchez (Nauterra – the former Calvo Group), will explore the strategies used by the industry to minimise waste, improve resource efficiency and promote recycling initiatives throughout the product life cycle.

Immersed in a constantly changing world, the challenges and trends facing the food industry and the supply chain – from the impact of technological innovation to the imperatives of sustainability or the disruption caused by global events will also be discussed by Alejandro Gonzalez Navech (Pascual), Cristina Lecumberri (Congelados Navarra) or Eva Navascueces, (Alma Carraovejas).

The retail sector will play a leading role with Raimundo Castilla (Makro); Ainhoa Oyarbide (Eroski), Christopher Burleigh (Grupo Uvesco), and Carlos García (Grupo Dinosol). This session will analyse profitable retail models, the integration of digital technologies and the strategic selection of product varieties to meet the diverse demands of consumers.

National Congress of Packaging 4.0 will take place within the framework of Pick&Pack, which this year will be held in Bilbao simultaneously with F4F – Expo Foodtech. It will address issues such as mechanisms to measure the sustainability of packaging, its communication with the consumer, or the search for new materials.

European Logistics Summit 2024 will address another of the hottest debates in the sector such as the challenges posed by the impact of last-mile delivery and how we can improve traceability to reduce carbon footprint.

Among the experts participating in both forums are Macarena Ruiz, eCommerce manager at DIAGEO; Jorge García, CIO of Pack 2 Earth; Sofija Selkovnikova, CEO of Lukks Pack; José María Fernández, director of circular economy at IHOBE; Miren Arantza, managing director of ELIKA; Juan Pablo Esquivel, research associate at IKERBASQUE; Juliet Bray, accelerator mrogramme Manager at EIT Food; and Marc Monnin, director general of the Spanish Plastics Centre (CEP), among many others.

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