Bord Bia and a record 27 Irish food companies travelled to Paris last week with a view to develop new business opportunities and maintain existing trading relationships at the biggest food fair in the world this year. The biennial Salon International d`Alimentation (SIAL) which began on Sunday 16th October and ran for 5 days was attended by some 160,000 visitors and 7,000 exhibitors from over 190 countries. This year was Ireland`s 21st appearance at the event and Sunday 16th October also marked World Food Day and was a fitting day to kick off the exhibition which Bord Bia was delighted to be a part of.
The theme of this year`s SIAL was innovation; therefore Bord Bia`s ground-breaking Origin Green Sustainability Programme coincided aptly. Four Irish companies were nominated for innovation awards highlighting Ireland as a country that places an emphasis on consistently producing food that stands out amongst competitors. Within this innovation zone one company HiRo by Roisin, Country winner of the SIAL World Tour is now a nominee for the Global Food Innovation Award formerly known as Sial d`Or. The four contenders for innovation awards are “Fruchee” from Dairy Concepts, “Super Turkey Burgers” from Greene Farm Foods and “Gluten Free San Marco Pizza” and “Bakehouse Pork Wellington” from Green Isle Foods.
Bord Bia’s presence was marked with the Origin Green logo and an “Ireland” banner written in white on green as an umbrella which was above each stand and wrapped around the entire stand and exhibitors and stood out very well amongst other exhibitors and countries. Our stands in the meat, prepared foods, frozen and dairy pavilions were strongly branded with Origin Green in this way too, to communicate Ireland’s credentials as a source of sustainably produced food to the 160,000 trade visitors. Along with branded content we had interactive features like iPads on tables containing Origin Green material, infographics and information on the inside walls of our stand, a wall of information on turning blocks and most notably a large living wall of Irish grass. The Origin Green presence was made stronger with many companies including the logo within their own branding which demonstrated their progress on the Origin Green programme to date on their stands.
Origin Green was first launched at SIAL in 2012 and 4 years later we were back with over 200 verified members signed up to the Charter and committed to Origin Green at present. It was an excellent opportunity for Bord Bia to illustrate the Origin Green programme’s progress to date and vision for the future.
Michelle Brady, Origin Green, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board
For more information please contact michelle.brady@bordbia.ie