(From the left): Paul Lee, Chief Executive, Markets, Constellar; Tang Hai, General Manager, Guanxi CAExpo International Expositions Group Co., Ltd; Chua Wee Phong, Group Chief Executive Officer, Constellar; YB Tuan Chan Foong Hin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Malaysia; Hellen Woon, Event Director, Remme Yaakub, Director, HALAL, Food & Beverages and Agro Based, MATRADE; and Mel Shah, Senior Vice President, International & Business Development, Constellar.

The 2023 Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair (MIFB) welcomed a record-breaking of more than 18,000 visitors over the three-day event. Held from 12th till 14th July 2023 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), this 22nd edition of Malaysia’s leading F&B trade event brought together over 400 exhibitors from over 60 countries with a special focus on innovating solutions for a more resilient food ecosystem in the region.

Themed “Accelerating ASEAN’s Food Security and Sustainability”, MIFB 2023 empowered F&B enterprises with collaborative solutions to continue growing even in the face of challenging economic climates, particularly as rising operational costs continue to impact the industry. The exchange of industry knowledge was to facilitate a more stable and sustainable growth for the F&B trade as a whole, as well as to overcome disruptions in the global food value chain like food wastage and climate change.

Held alongside the 20th China-ASEAN Expo 2023 Roadshow (Malaysia) & Guangxi Export Fair, producers, manufacturers, and suppliers from across the world’s food map showcased their technology at MIFB. The exhibits spanned eight key segments: meat and poultry, fish and seafood, dairy, drinks, confectionery and snacks, halal food, naturally healthy foods, and packaging.

Notable guests at the opening ceremony included the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, who highlighted MIFB’s role as a platform for joint industry innovation.

“In 2022, agrifood activities as a whole contributed a substantial RM173.9 billion to our economy or 11.5% of Malaysia’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This comprises the added value derived across subsectors throughout the supply chain including agrifood production, food manufacturing and processing, wholesale, retail, and F&B services. Without a doubt, the potential is huge and trade events such as MIFB serve as an essential platform in broadening market access and facilitating cross-order networking that will ultimately benefit local agrifood players. As industry experts around the globe congregate in Kuala Lumpur for MIFB and turn their attention towards initiatives that drive food sustainability, we hope this event will further propel Malaysia forward as a global leader in food,” shares YB Tuan Chan Foong Hin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security.

As part of MIFB’s Zero Food Waste Initiative, the trade fair debuted its proprietary food waste weighing and compost machines to collect, identify and transform all excess food from the event into high-quality crop fertiliser to be redistributed back to the environment. The machines were used at a large-scale industry event for the very first time, and will convert the food waste into compost specially designed to enhance agricultural produce and soil quality.

Over the three-day event, MIFB also hosted nine new sessions of its trade talk show, The Knowledge Programme. Featuring industry experts from organisations like the Malaysian Recycling Alliance Berhad (MAREA), Phuture Foods, Tetra Pak, Coca-Cola and Mondelez, the programme took the form of pocket interviews discussing solutions to mitigate food insecurity, create a zero-waste food landscape, and trends in F&B consumption and production in Southeast Asia.

To enhance connectivity between visitors and businesses, the MIFB 2023 app allowed for real- time digital engagements that complement the in-person experience at the event, as well as create greater opportunities for networking through smart AI-recommended business matching.

“MIFB has become a signature event for the food & beverage community to learn about emerging consumer trends as well as challenges around sustainable food production,” said Chua Wee Phong, Group CEO of Constellar. “We are proud for MIFB to champion innovation on this front, where collective action can create impactful solutions to build a more secure future of food.”

MIFB 2024 will return to Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia on the 17 th to 19 th July 2024. To stay updated with the trade fair, please visit www.mifb.com.my.