The 82nd International Fair for the Hotel, Restaurant, Bakery Trades

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What do customers want from the food industry? Something between the opposite ideals of more health and more indulgence. INTERNORGA, as the leading trade fair for the catering and food service market, is a mirror and trend for the industry, which could hardly be more varied and more colourful than it is today. The 82nd International Fair for the Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Bakery and Confectionery Trades will be held at the Hamburg Fair site from 7 to 12 March 2008. There are four mega-trends which run right through the out-of-home food sector – snacking, high convenience, indulgence, and healthy eating. There is a close relationship between the trend to more snacking and the decline of the traditional 3-meals-a-day pattern.

The second trend is towards even more convenience. That means among other things that food has to be appropriate both for eating on-the-go and for taking home or to the office. And modern, rapid, success-guaranteed preparation of products is indispensable in many areas of the food service market, as demand increases for dependable quality coupled with high convenience.

The third and fourth mega-trends towards indulgence and towards healthy eating. It is particularly important in the health and wellness sector to remember that health products are what is perceived as healthy – and that is a matter of individual viewpoint.

These are the four mega-trends which explain the quality development towards better and better convenience products, the desire for products without additives, and at the same time the success of freshness concepts such as "show cooking". The mega-trends in this sector, becoming more important all the time, are wellness, organic and functional food, and low fat.

And then there are the ethnic cooking favourites. Mediterranean cuisine remains very much a favourite, and Asian cooking is still top-of-mind, but Vietnamese food seems almost to be overtaking Chinese and Thai cooking in terms of popularity. Indian cooking, with its diversity of flavour, is becoming a new highlight, in some cases with the addition of oriental flavours. And crossover products that combine some of these trends are also well worth looking at.

German cooking is likewise growing in popularity. Regional dishes are more in demand than ever before, often with a modern slant to them and often in a leaner version. A good example of that is the schnitzel – a classic German product – in mini-format, with sophisticated dips, and suitable for preparation in the combi-steamer as event food.

Individual product groups are also becoming trend sectors. For example fish and seafood, driven by a desire for healthier, more natural food, and also by the important position they have in Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. Another interesting area could be "Surf & Turf", that is seafood in combination with meat, enhancing both product areas. Salad, herbs, fruit and vegetables are also gaining in importance – freshness appeal is vital. But that does not mean the end of snack favourites such as curry sausage & chips – on the contrary, these are being modernised and given a contemporary slant.

The most popular products still include bakery products and bakery snacks, with tremendous appeal simply from their variety and versatility. Here, too, the range of products goes from wellness to absolute indulgence. The fusion of these two sectors is particularly evident with ice cream – fat and/or sugar reduced creations give consumers the same indulgence effects as conventional ice creations. The recipes are becoming more and more sophisticated, sometimes following the success formulas of other segments such as coffee specialities, or recalling trend products from the chocolate sector.

INTERNORGA does not just focus on products. This international trade fair is an ideas and concept forum, offering trade visitors solutions in all areas of the catering and food service market – from products through appropriate kitchen equipment, right up to perfect product presentation. The INTERNORGA 2008, 82nd International Fair for the Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Baking and Confectionery Trades, will be held at the Hamburg Fair site from 7 to 12 March 2008, open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Admission charge: €24 (2-day ticket €34); trade students and trainees: €12. Admission subject to proof of bona fide trade visitor status.

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