The global fruit and vegetable supply chain will gather at Macfrut (21-23 April, Rimini Expo Centre). The 43rd edition is packed with new features: the Caribbean as the international partner, 800 top buyers, 10 Regions of Italy present and Sicily as the Partner Region, the global Mango and Avocado supply chain, Themed Exhibitions and around 100 events.

The global fruit and vegetable supply chain will gather at Macfrut, which will take place from Tuesday, 21 April to Thursday, 23 April 2026 at the Rimini Expo Centre. This three-day event brings together industry professionals to explore business opportunities and discover the latest innovations and trends in a key Italian agribusiness sector, accounting for around a third of the country’s agricultural production and worth approximately €19 billion, with the entire supply chain generating around €60 billion.

The 43rd edition will be packed with new features, all under the slogan „Make it Juicy“, offering a „juicier“, trendier and more innovative event: Mangoes and Avocados are the key products at an event that brings together the entire global supply chain; an international focus on Caribbean countries, with strong representation from other continents (especially Europe and Africa); over 800 international top buyers; Sicily as the Partner Region with the participation of 10 Regions of Italy; Themed Exhibitions on industry trends coordinated by a team of experts; around 100 events, including high-profile conferences on current industry-related issues, in collaboration with the Macfrut Scientific Technical Committee (the New CAP, International Conference on Assisted Evolution Techniques, news on Healthy Food products, Mediterranean Stone Fruit Symposium, among others); two 2,500-square-metre test fields showcasing the latest fruit and vegetable products; and a Start-up area featuring 25 innovative proposals from around the world.

Presentation of the 43rd edition of Macfrut

The 43rd edition of Macfrut was presented at the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in Rome by Francesco Lollobrigida – Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Matteo Zoppas – President of ITA-Italian Trade Agency, Patrizio Neri – President of Cesena Fiera, Paolo De Castro – President of the Macfrut Scientific Technical Committee, Livio Proietti – President of ISMEA (Institute of Services for the Agricultural Food Market), Luca Sammartino – Regional Councillor for Agriculture of the Sicilian Region, Ugo Ferrero – Head of Institutional Affairs at AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation), and Rafael A. Lantigua Ciriaco – Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Italy.

Fruit and vegetables, a strategic asset of Made in Italy: rising exports and consumption

Fruit and vegetables take centre stage at Macfrut. The sector is worth around €19 billion in Italy, accounting for 27% of the national agricultural production and, together with vegetable preserves, 18% of Italy’s agri-food exports (source: ISMEA).

Italian fruit and vegetable exports rose by 11.3% in 2025 (from January to November), reaching a total value of €7 billion (source: Italian Trade Agency). Essentially, around one-third of Italy’s products are exported worldwide. Italy is the third-largest exporter in Europe, following Spain and the Netherlands. Interestingly, the five main target markets for Italian fruit and vegetables are all experiencing significant growth: Germany (2.1 billion), France (722 million), Austria (476 million), Switzerland (397 million) and Spain (319 million).

According to data from Nomisma, Italy accounts for 17 % of the total value of fruit and vegetables produced in the EU, making it the second-largest producer of vegetables (including processing tomatoes) and the second-largest producer of fruit (including dried fruit) on the continent.

ISMEA data shows that vegetable sales are performing well in the fruit and vegetable sector. Total purchased volumes have increased by 2.6%, while expenditure on fruit has risen by 2.7 %.

Specifically, the fresh produce sector has shown significant growth in the vegetable category, with modest increases in the volume of fresh vegetables (+3.5 %) and potatoes (+5.1 %) sold. Purchases of fresh-cut vegetables remain stable (with expenditure increasing by 0.4 % and volumes decreasing by 0.1%), as are those of frozen vegetables (with expenditure increasing by 0.2 % and volumes remaining stable). The volume of tomato preserves has increased slightly (+1.4 %), while expenditure has remained stable and prices have fallen slightly.

With regard to fruit, although juice sales have decreased (-6.5 %), consumption of fresh produce has shifted towards red fruits and tropical fruits, as well as nuts. The sales volume of nuts has increased (+2.6 %), along with kiwifruit (+7.2 %), strawberries (+8.9 %), blueberries (+25.9 %), mangoes (+36.4 %), avocados (+47 %) and pomegranates (+25 %). The consumption of packaged organic fresh fruit is also on the rise, with respective increases in quantity and expenditure of 1.8 % and 7 %.

Macfrut, a global supply chain trade fair

The one trait that sets Macfrut apart is its international outlook, achieved through a year-round programme of presentations around the world and extensive incoming buyer activities organised in collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency. This edition has an international focus on Caribbean countries, which are one of the world’s most dynamic regions, with exports worth over $30 billion. The Dominican Republic is a key player in this focus area, with a stand that has doubled in size since last year (400 square metres), featuring producers and exporters of tropical fruit, as well as institutions and supply chain operators. Cuba, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador will also be present. Representing South America, Chile and Argentina have confirmed their attendance, while Brazil and Peru will be making their debut at the trade fair with their own national stand and a delegation of producers, as well as some of the most dynamic companies in Latin America’s fruit and vegetable industry.

Once again, a significant number of African countries will participate, including 20 from Sub-Saharan Africa, who are primarily interested in acquiring the know-how and technologies for which Italy is world-renowned.

Thanks to the invaluable support of the Italian Trade Agency, more than 800 top buyers from all over the world will attend the trade fair, with a special focus on leading European fruit and vegetable importers, selected through targeted scouting by Macfrut.

Macfrut, the premier showcase for the Italian supply chain

What sets this edition apart is a collaborative process involving all industry stakeholders, which has resulted in a shared vision of Macfrut as the premier showcase for the Italian fruit and vegetable sector. It has earned this status thanks to its ability to bring together all the major players in production, technology and packaging, as well as the three main modern retail chains in the fresh produce segment (Conad, Coop Italia and VèGè Group), and leading companies from every link in the Italian supply chain, which is unique worldwide.

Many Regions of Italy will be in attendance, having chosen Macfrut as the platform for showcasing their exceptional products, including PDO and PGI products. As many as 10 Regions will have their own stand at Macfrut 2026, representing leading national fruit and vegetable companies: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Piedmont, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily and Umbria.

The 43rd edition of the trade fair will feature Sicily as the Partner Region. With over 263,000 hectares dedicated to the cultivation of fruit and vegetables (22% of the national total) and a production of 4.6 million tonnes (19% of Italy’s total fruit and vegetable production), Sicily is a jewel in the country’s crown. Its achievements include being the leading region for organic production, with around 47,000 hectares cultivated, equivalent to around a quarter of the national total. It ranks first in Italy in terms of production value, accounting for around €3 billion (16% of the national total), largely thanks to its excellent PDO and PGI products. Sicilian produce will be given centre stage at the three-day event, where it will be thoroughly discussed and presented to an international audience as part of a wide-ranging programme of activities.

Spotlight on avocados and mangoes

The key products of Macfrut 2026 will be in the spotlight at a global event, ‘Mango and Avocado Explosion’, which will bring together the entire supply chain, from production and marketing to the analysis of agronomic data, market trends, development opportunities and real-world case studies from leading global companies (Brazil, Colombia, the Netherlands, Egypt, India, Peru, Italy, Kenya and the Dominican Republic). This event is an opportunity to explore business opportunities, make new connections, enter into business agreements, and meet top buyers of two products that are gaining prominence in the global market and generating over $80 billion worth of business.

Themed Exhibitions

Themed Exhibitions, coordinated by leading sector experts, confirm Macfrut’s status as a ‘knowledge fair’. In addition to the exhibition and trade areas, each Themed Exhibition will feature a rich programme of conferences on strategic industry topics, offering a broad range of insights: Acqua Campus, dedicated to innovative water-saving systems; Plant Nursery, showcasing the latest nursery innovations (Workshop on Assisted Evolution Techniques, new varieties, rootstocks and genome); Biosolutions & Digital Technologies, dedicated to natural plant protection, nutrition and biostimulation products (international kiwi conference, technical round tables, incoming buyers); Berry Area, dedicated to the world of berries (new varieties and the relationship with large-scale retailers); Healthy Food Area, focusing on minimally processed health-promoting products (the organic product supply chain, fresh-cut produce, Mangoes and Avocados); Spices & Herbs Global Expo, dedicated to the world of medicinal plants, spices and herbal products (focus on the future of spices and medicinal herbs, Tisana Day and Herbal Factory); and Agrisolar, a dedicated showcase for agrivoltaic technologies. There will also be a Start-up area showcasing 25 innovative proposals from around the globe (Finland, Germany, Ghana, Poland, Uganda, the USA and Italy). Visitors to the Pre-Harvest area will have the opportunity to take a look at the latest innovations in fruit and vegetable cultivation in two test fields covering 2,500 square metres.

The three-day trade fair will host around 100 events, including high-profile conferences on current industry-related issues, organised in collaboration with the Macfrut Scientific Technical Committee. Scheduled events include: the New CAP, International Conference on Assisted Evolution Techniques, news on Healthy Food products, Mediterranean Stone Fruit Symposium, among others.

Macfrut 2026 – Rimini Expo Centre: Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 April (9.30 am – 6 pm), Thursday 23 April (9.30 am – 5 pm).

Tetra Pak’s next-generation Automation and Digitalisation portfolio, Tetra Pak^® Factory OS^™️, delivers contextualised, real-time insights for smarter, faster decision-making in food and beverage production.

Tetra Pak unveiled its next-generation Automation and Digitalisation (A&D) portfolio, Tetra Pak^® Factory OS^™ ️at Gulfood Manufacturing in Dubai. This new suite of modular, open and scalable smart factory technologies will transform food and beverage (F&B) production and lay the foundation for AI-ready factories.

A recent comparative study¹ shows that highly automated beverage factories achieve 20 % higher overall equipment effectiveness, 45 % lower product waste and 20 % fewer packaging line stops compared to less automated facilities. Yet, many producers struggle to adopt automation due to limited digital expertise and difficulty of finding a holistic end-to-end solution providers with industry expertise². Tetra Pak^® Factory OS^™ bridges this gap, by combining advanced technologies with deep food and beverage know-how to help producers tackle cost pressures, meet sustainability goals, and prepare for AI-driven manufacturing.

At the heart of the next-generation portfolio is a new data integration platform, powered by open technologies, powerful analytics and industry standards. It connects equipment and systems throughout the factory, transforming fragmented data into one unified, real-time view. This can empower food and beverage producers to deliver consistent product quality, enhance efficiency, reduce utility usage, and lower total cost of ownership (TCO)³.

Designed for flexibility and scalability, Tetra Pak^® Factory OS^™ allows F&B producers to adopt automation and digitalisation at their own pace: starting small, scaling up, and tailoring solutions to their unique requirements.

Tetra Pak^® Factory OS™ standardises data collection across all equipment, regardless of age or supplier, ensuring full compatibility and scalability. Other key features include a unified user experience that enables seamless interaction across lines, equipment and control rooms; a suite of digital applications for real-time monitoring of materials, quality, production and asset performance; and enterprise-level insights powered by contextualised, factory-wide integration.

Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the portfolio is supported by a robust ecosystem including Siemens, Rockwell Automation and Inductive Automation – but it’s Tetra Pak’s deep food production expertise that ensures these technologies deliver real impact for food producers.

¹Tetra Pak Studie: How automation improves efficiency, quality andwaste https://www.tetrapak.c…ion-v2.pdf
²https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/industrials-and-electronics/our-insights/unlocking-the-industrial-potential-of-robotics-and-automation#/
³Consistent product quality and enhance efficiency: Tetra Pak Comparative study: How automation improves efficiency, quality and waste [https://www.tetrapak.com/content/dam/tetrapak/media-box/global/en/gated/automation/automation-digital-products/automation-digital-solutions/documents/comperative-study-improvements-through-automation-v2.pdf] Reduced utilities usage and lower total cost of ownership: https://www.tetrapak.com/insights/cases-articles/future-of-dairy-production

The number of consumers cutting back on their grocery shopping as a result of inflation has grown significantly during the past year, according to new research.

In a survey commissioned by specialist PR consultancy Ingredient Communications, a quarter of respondents (24.9 %) said they had stopped buying a food or beverage product in the previous three months due an increase in price. This is significantly higher than 10 months earlier in late 2021, when the same survey found that 17.6 % of shoppers had traded out of a product because it had become too expensive.

The research, conducted by SurveyGoo, also found that nearly half of respondents (48.4 %) had purchased a product less often, compared with 36.5 % previously. More than half (50.9 %) said they had bought less of a product, compared with 40.8 % before, while 57.8 % said they had switched to a cheaper brand, compared with 47.5 % in 2021.

Retailer brands have benefited from the squeeze, with 35.6 % of respondents saying they had switched to an own label version of a product, versus 25.8 % in the previous survey.

SurveyGoo polled 1,000 consumers in the USA and UK during the first week of October 2022. The previous survey was carried out in early December 2021 when inflation was already on the rise. Since then, prices have soared even higher. Year on year inflation in the UK’s food and beverage category was 14.6 % in September this year.1 In the US, inflation for food consumed in the home was recorded at 13 % over the same period.2

Nearly all respondents to the latest survey (98.1 %) said they had noticed food and beverage prices rising in the previous three months, compared with 94.2 % in the 2021 survey.

Richard Clarke, Managing Director of Ingredient Communications, said: “Since we first conducted our price sensitivity survey in December 2021, the war in Ukraine has exacerbated an already volatile situation. As well as difficulties sourcing certain raw materials, fuel costs have gone through the roof. With winter on the way in the western hemisphere, and no sign of Russia backing down, demand for energy will spike and it’s hard to see any short-term easing of the inflationary pressures that food companies and consumers are facing.”

He continued: “In manufacturing, it’s tempting to look for quick fixes to cut costs but in the food industry there are always risks to this. Consumers are very attuned to recipe changes and pack size reductions and social media means news of these can spread fast. At Ingredient Communications, we’ve always advocated using high quality ingredients that differentiate a product. But in these challenging times, it’s also worth talking to your ingredients suppliers to see how they can help. Many have extensive formulation expertise and might be able to advise on how to reduce input costs without compromising on quality or losing brand equity and consumer trust.”

1https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/bulletins/consumerpriceinflation/september2022#notable-movements-in-prices
2https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm#:~:text=percent%20in%20September.-,The%20index%20for%20all%20items%20less%20food%20and%20energy%20rose,items%20less%20food%20and%20energy.