Food & Drink Expo 2022
Updated: Mar 16
The Foodtech Compliance team took a trip to this year's Food & Drink Expo at the Birmingham NEC. The event was much bigger than expected and was very well attended too. There were hundreds of stands with interesting brands, both new and well-established, with lots of samples available. We certainly didn't need lunch after trying out so many of the tasters on offer.
With our FTC hats on, we were on the lookout for some interesting food tech options and we were very pleased with what we found. Here were some of our favourites:
Plant-It is an Irish meat-substitute brand that was voted Ireland's best in 2021. They had a number of their products available to taste on site. We tried the fish-free goujons and were pleasantly surprised that it tasted exactly like fish. The texture was spot on too. Really delicious and flavoursome.
They have an extensive range of products and accordingly to their website, the products are a great source of nutrition.
Next up was a beverage company called Waterdrop. Waterdrop is an Austrian company with the mission of making us all drink more water. Their Microdrink product is a flavouring cube which you drop into a glass of cold water. If you're tired of fizzy drinks, sugary juices or plain old water, then this product is for you.
Again, lots of samples on offer, and we tried the Boost microdrink when we got home. Tasty and refreshing... a nice addition to my usual glass of cold water. We think this is a company with a bright future.
Finally, we have a hemp cigarette product by Snapz Duo. Not a food or drink, but very interesting offering. This product is marketed as an alternative to tobacco consumption.
Clearly not as healthy as a vape, given the combustion involved, but much healthier than a regular cigarette. Plus it gives you that feeling of actually smoking a fag!
Throw in the benefits of cannabinoid consumption and you have a winning product.
It was a great day at the NEC and it was fantastic to see so many new and established brands in one place. It was good to see the meat alternative and food-tech entrepreneurs making their presence felt too.