KOELNMESSE, COLOGNE, GERMANY — The Philippines is set to showcase natural and fresh Philippine flavors at Anuga 2023 in Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany from October 7 to 11, 2023. Homegrown small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will highlight the country’s premium and top export food products such as mango, banana, and tuna at the world’s largest and leading food fair for retail trade and the food service and catering market.
The Philippine delegation will comprise 13 Philippine food exporters producing fresh and processed fruits, frozen and processed seafood, beverages, and snack items. Carrying the FOODPhilippines banner, the country’s participation is organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and in partnership with the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT), Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) through the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers in Europe (PTICs-Europe) especially PTIC-Berlin. In addition, the International Trade Centre (ITC), a United Nations (UN) agency working with the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) to support Philippine coconut exporters, is set to assemble 10 Philippine coconut exporters showcasing products such as virgin coconut oil and coconut flour to join the FOODPhilippines pavilion in October.
For the Philippine delegation, Anuga will open and strengthen the country’s trading partnerships with the European Union (EU) countries. The EU remains one of the most important trading partners of the Philippines with a strong demand for healthy, natural, and organic food products. Furthermore, the Philippines is one of the seven beneficiaries of the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (EU-GSP+), which gives a special incentive by eliminating import duties on over 6,000 export products.
The participation aims to strengthen market access opportunities, cater to the demand for Philippine food products, and facilitate business partnerships with international markets, especially in the EU. The event is also set to be the most significant industry gathering for senior decision-makers from the retail trade and the food-service or out-of-home market.
CITEM Executive Director Edward Fereira emphasized the importance of supporting local MSMEs. “Our exporters play a vital role in cementing the reputation of the Philippines in the EU as a sourcing destination for the best and high-quality fresh food products and ingredients, especially with the EU-GSP+. There is a strong global demand for organic products, and we foresee growth in the European HALAL market, which aligns perfectly with the offerings of Philippine products,” he shared.
The Philippine companies participating in this year’s Anuga include Amley Food Corporation, Axelum Resources Corp., Fitrite, Inc., GSL Premium Food Export Corp, KLT Fruits, Inc., Mega Global Corporation, Philbest Canning Corporation, Philippine Grocers Food Exports, Inc., Prime Fruits International, Inc., Q-Phil International Trading, Sagrex Foods Inc., Seatrade Canning Corporation, and See’s International Food Manufacturing Corp. The Philippine pavilion will be located at Hall 01.2, Space No. M-010G.
About CITEM
The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is the export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
For nearly 40 years, CITEM has established the country’s image as a premier destination for quality export products and services. It continues to set the highest standards of creativity, excellence and innovation to achieve competitiveness in the home, fashion, lifestyle, food, creative, and sustainability sectors.
CITEM is committed to developing, nurturing, and promoting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), brands, designers, and manufacturers by implementing an integrated approach to export marketing in partnership with other government and private entities.
