What visitors and exhibitors can expect at Biofach 2022

In 2022, the world's leading trade fair for organic food, Biofach / Vivaness, will return to a total of 13 halls at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. With a changed sequence of days from Tuesday to Friday and further conceptual innovations, exhibitors and trade visitors will have the opportunity to exchange ideas in person and to exhibit and get to know new organic products from 15 to 18 February 2022. As the organisers announced at a press conference on Wednesday, exhibitors from over 70 countries have already secured a stand at the fair.

Innovations and highlights at Biofach / Vivaness 2022

In order to expand the range of products and services on site and to offer trade fair participants added value, the Biofach concept will be supplemented by digital formats such as online mapping of the exhibitor range as well as communication and appointment-making tools. In addition, parts of the Biofach and Vivaness Congress will be streamed live and later available on demand. All trade fair participants automatically have access to the digital platform.

Since "Zero Waste" has become more important in recent years, Biofach 2022 will for the first time dedicate a separate product area to the topic in cooperation with the German Unverpackt (“Unpacked”) Association, as well as corresponding events at the congress. In addition, packaging will also play an important role at the joint stand "Innovation made in Germany" with 32 newcomers from the industry.

At the Biofach there will continue to be three meeting points where trade visitors can exchange ideas on the topics of "Initiatives & NGOs", "Next Generation" and "Generation Future".  

On-site congress with digital offer

The focus of the Biofach Congress is "Organic.Climate.Resilience. - with this theme, the organisers of the platform, IFOAM - Organics International platform, the German Federation of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW) and Biofach, want to focus on the fact that organic makes farming and food systems resilient and climate-friendly and protects livelihoods.

"In the face of global pandemics, we see more than ever the need for resilience. The climate crisis in particular threatens our livelihoods and thus agriculture and food. The good news is: organic as a system based on the principles of health, ecology, fairness and care already works today. This is demonstrated by millions of farmers and food producers worldwide," Louise Luttikholt, Executive Director of IFOAM - Organics International, explained at the press conference.

Natural cosmetics continue to grow

In view of Vivaness 2022, Mirja Eckert, owner of the market research company "The New", gave an insight into the developments of the German and international natural cosmetics market at the press conference. As the figures of the Natural Cosmetics Industry Monitor from the first half of 2021 show, natural cosmetics in Germany is still growing at 5 percent and is one of the largest natural cosmetics markets worldwide. In the past four years alone, the natural cosmetics industry has benefited from over 4.5 million new buyers from a wide range of age groups, says Eckert.

However, conventional and near-natural cosmetics are on the decline, according to the expert. This shows that more and more consumers are consciously looking for sustainable products and that cosmetics consumption is becoming increasingly political. Aspects such as supply chains and climate neutrality also play an important role - especially for younger consumers. According to Eckert, the development of new trends has also changed. These often no longer relate to individual product aspects such as certain ingredients, but are more broadly based. Current examples of this are trends such as "Genderless Beauty", "Circular Beauty" and "Menopause".

Dynamic hygiene concept

Since September 2021, events and exhibitions have been held on the Nürnberg Messe site on the basis of the Bavarian framework hygiene concept in close cooperation with the Nuremberg Health Department. According to the organisers, Biofach / Vivaness 2022 will also be held in accordance with the hygiene and protection measures applicable by the authorities. As Heinz Prießmann, Safety Officer at Nürnberg Messe, explained to journalists, the concept developed can be adapted at short notice depending on the pandemic situation and is based on the official Bavarian traffic light system:

• Level Green: 3G concept or voluntary by decision of the organiser 3G+ or 2G
• Level Yellow: 3G+ concept or voluntary by decision of the organiser 2G
• Level Red: 2G concept

The specially developed hygiene concept also includes a fast lane at the entrance to the exhibition grounds. Exhibitors and trade visitors have the opportunity to speed up their entry by having their vaccination or convalescent status noted directly on their admission ticket. This makes it possible to enter the exhibition almost as before the pandemic. In addition, Nürnberg Messe will provide a "high-performance" test provider on site who can safely carry out PCR tests within around 35 minutes. However, it is not yet possible to say which regulations will apply in February, according to the organisers - but they are prepared for all scenarios and the exhibition can take place in any case.