The 16th edition of Food and Hotel Malaysia (FHM), Malaysia’s premier trade-only food and hospitality exhibition will make its much anticipated return this month with its first physical event in two years to be held from 29 March to 1 April 2022 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). Organised by Informa Markets Malaysia, the event will mark the first trade fair for the hospitality industry in 2022 and the first physical event of its kind to be held in the post-pandemic era in Kuala Lumpur.

The four-day extravaganza, which will feature 200 participating brands and welcome over 8,000 attendees during the week, coincides perfectly with Malaysia’s move into Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan and will provide the ideal platform for players from the industry to bounce back their business activities following the challenges faced during the pandemic.

Some of the top multinational and Malaysian brands showcasing their latest products, services and innovations at FHM 2022 include FrieslandCampina Professional, Pastry Pro, Bidfood Malaysia, Global Pacific Victory, DKSH Malaysia, Unox (Asia) and Bestari Sales & Marketing.

“We are thrilled to be spearheading the long-awaited return of face-to-face physical exhibitions for the food and hospitality industry. These trade events offer a truly immersive platform to engage with industry players and form valuable business connections. We encourage all of our exhibitors and visitors to leverage on FHM 2022 to help their businesses recover from the impacts of the pandemic and discover the exciting new opportunities that lie ahead,” said Mr Gerard Leeuwenburgh, Country General Manager of Informa Markets Malaysia.

The key themes of FHM 2022 reflects the latest industry trends, such as plant-based food, food technology, industry 4.0 advancements, pastry innovations and sustainable packaging, while visitors will also enjoy a wide array of stimulating side activities and mouth-watering culinary showcases during the event.

One of the event’s special highlights includes a Pastry Innovation Lab, which will feature live cooking showcases by top chefs from the Professional Culinaire Association (PCA) every day. These chefs will use innovative techniques, ingredients, and state-of-the-art machinery to craft unique desserts, pastries and showpieces infused with Malaysian and Asian flavours. A total of 15 demonstration sessions and 6 tasting sessions will held at the Pastry Innovation Lab over the four days.

FHM 2022 will also herald the return of Culinaire Malaysia, Asia’s most distinguished culinary competition that has been dubbed ‘The Battle of the Chefs’. In this year’s edition, up to 1,000 professionals will compete for glory in seven gastronomic categories – Cold Display, Patisserie, Artistic, Butchery Skills, Individual Hot Cooking, Team Challenge and F&B Skills. Members of the public who wish to witness this exciting culinary showdown may do so with an admission fee of RM10 per person.

A series of educational seminars will be held concurrently with the exhibition and will offer guests the opportunity to stay abreast of industry developments and discover how the pandemic has prompted new trends. The seminar programme lineup includes a ‘Wine Features’ series by Entwine Consultancy as well as a ‘Crafted@Culinaire’ series by AYS Wine & Sake Consultancy, both of which will provide valuable insights into key emerging trends within the regional wine, beer and premium alcoholic beverages industry.

The health and safety of all event participants will be a top priority for organisers throughout the week. In addition to being coordinated in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standard and all relevant government and venue specific regulations, a series of stringent SOPs have also been established to enhance protection for all attendees. These include mask wearing and social distancing mandates, frequent sanitisation, providing entry only to fully vaccinated individuals and limiting the number of people in the exhibition hall, with a special waiting area provided if maximum capacity is reached.

For more information, please visit the event’s official website at www.foodandhotel.com or email info@foodandhotel.com.