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Italy's
agrifood innovation ecosystem, which attracted €121.6 million in investment in
2025, will take center stage at an edition focused on innovation,
sustainability, and collaboration between industry leaders, startups, and
investors
By: Redaction. Le Courrier d’Afrique 54
Madrid, May 8, 2026 – The new
edition of Expo
FoodTech 2026 will return from May 27 to
28 in Bilbao, Spain with Italy as
the guest country partner. Over
8,000 professionals attending the leading tech fair for the food industry, held
simultaneously with Pick&Pack
for Food Industry, will have the opportunity to explore
firsthand the Italian agrifood ecosystem, which blends the strength of a
well-established industry with growing activity in agrifoodtech innovation.
According to the report The State of
Agrifoodtech in Italy in 2025, prepared by Eatable Adventures, the Italian
agrifood chain accounts for more than 15% of the national GDP and employs over
3.6 million workers, according to data from ISMEA included in the study.
Expo Foodtech
2026 names Italy as the guest country for its sixth edition.
This
dynamism is also reflected in the innovation sector. The Italian agrifoodtech
ecosystem attracted 121.6 million euros in investment in 2025, an 18% increase
compared to the previous year. This growth highlights the direction the
industry is taking in Italy, especially in a global context where investment has
declined by 12%. These topics will be addressed by prominent speakers such as
Laurette de Franco, Head of Open Innovation at Barilla;
Alessandro Schena, Open Innovation Manager at Loacker;
Graziano Stasi, Director of Ingredients and Retail at Molino Casillo; and Jacopo Alberti, Innovation Expert at Amadori. They will share their insights on how Italian
family-owned companies and large food groups are adopting new open innovation
models to enhance competitiveness, efficiency, and sustainability within their
value chains.
The agenda will also feature
perspectives from Italian startups that are part of the country's foodtech
innovation ecosystem. In this regard, the collaboration with Eatable
Adventures, a leader in agrifood acceleration and innovation in Italy through
FoodSeed and the Verona Agrifood Innovation Hub, has strengthened the connection with the
Italian ecosystem, facilitating the participation of speakers and startups from
the country. These include internationally recognized companies such as NOiET,
Asteasier, Hypesound, NOUS, Aflabox, Agreenet, PeelPack, and Alma Serum, which
will showcase the role of entrepreneurship in transforming the Italian food
industry and its connection with major companies, investors, and institutions.
Furthermore, Italy's participation will allow attendees to learn about an
innovation model based on public-private collaboration and technology transfer
to the industrial sector.
With Italy as the guest country partner, Expo FoodTech 2026 reinforces its role as an international platform to anticipate the major trends that will shape the future of food. The event will bring together 250 exhibitors and more than 300 leaders and experts from the food industry, technology centers, startups, investors, and public administrations in Bilbao to discuss how digitalization, sustainability, automation, new ingredients, and open innovation are redefining the global competitiveness of the sector.
The upcoming edition of Expo FoodTech 2026 will bring together executives from Italian food companies.