Growth of plant-based food market reflected in increased presence at Anuga 2025
The world’s leading food industry fair is to have a hall dedicated to plant-based food for the first time, acknowledging the tremendous growth and potential of the plant-based food market both in Europe and across the world.
Anuga, the bi-annual trade fair for the food industry, takes place from 4-8 October in Cologne, Germany when about 140,000 visitors from 200 countries are expected to turn up.
This year, innovations from algae and mushroom-based protein, through to cultivated meat will be featured in a new area of the show, called Anuga Alternatives, under the banner “sustainable growth”.
“Product innovations that are designed to improve the global food system should be at the heart of the future of food,” Jan Philipp Hartmann, Director of Anuga, said.
“Global networking also plays a key role in this. With our theme of Sustainable Growth, Anuga shows how the food industry combines innovation and responsibility – and thus provides concrete answers to the most pressing questions of our time,” he added.
ProVeg will play a key role at Anuga, with daily talks on plant-based startups, ultra-processed food, nutritional values and the role of white label for the alternative sector.
“Anuga’s recognition of the role that alternatives play in the current and future food systems really enhances the value of the trade fair for those seeking to support positive food system transformation,” Virginia Cecchini Kuskow, Senior Food Industry Manager at ProVeg said.
“We will see the plant-based side of Anuga continue to grow in future years as more innovative products and traditional uses of plant proteins make it to market and more countries seek to reduce emissions from agriculture and improve the health of their citizens,” she added.
Key trends impacting the industry today
Hartmann identifies four key trends that are currently having the greatest impact on the food and drink sector today. They are as follows:
- Alternative proteins are being scaled up, making precision fermentation more attractive, leading to more and better products.
- Circularity and regenerative models are embedding resource efficiency and turning waste into valuable food products.
- Personalised and functional nutrition is gaining momentum, with strong implications for the plant-based sector.
- Digitalisation and AI is enabling greater transparency, efficiency, and R&D acceleration.
“The effect of these trends are that there are broader hybrid formulations, cleaner labels, stronger health propositions, and a faster iteration from the laboratory to the shop shelf,” Hartmann said.
Food transformation
Plant-forward concepts will feature not only in the dedicated hall but also across all 10 trade shows under the Anuga roof, from fine food section, through drinks to the frozen food section.
Hartmann describes plant-based and alternative proteins as being among “the clearest growth drivers on the Anuga site”.
“When you look at our online exhibitor search, you can see more than 1,600 registered companies for the segment plant-based proteins or foods,” he said.
“The market is diversifying. Mainstream brands and startups are innovating alongside conventional producers that are decarbonising and reformulating,” Hartmann notes. “And consumers are diversifying too: more people, not just vegans, are grabbing plant-based products,” he adds.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For media inquiries, email Peter Rixon at [email protected].
For scientific data, see our Food System Data website.
About ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organisation with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.
