The 2023 Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair (MIFB) welcomed a record-breaking 9,000 visitors on its opening day today, and expecting 20,000 over the next three days. Running till 14 July 2023 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), this 22 nd edition of Malaysia’s leading F&B trade event is bringing together over 400 exhibitors from over 60 countries with a special focus on innovating solutions for a more resilient food ecosystem in the region.

Themed “Accelerating ASEAN’s Food Security and Sustainability”, MIFB 2023 aims to empower F&B enterprises with collaborative solutions to continue growing even in the face of challenging economic climates, particularly as rising operational costs continue to impact the industry. The exchange of industry knowledge is to facilitate a more stable and sustainable growth for the F&B trade as a whole, as well as to overcome disruptions in the global food value chain like food wastage and climate change.

Held alongside the 20th China-ASEAN Expo 2023 Roadshow (Malaysia) & Guangxi Export Fair, producers, manufacturers, and suppliers from across the world’s food map are showcasing their technology at MIFB. The exhibits span eight key segments: meat and poultry, fish and seafood, dairy, drinks, confectionery and snacks, halal food, naturally healthy foods, and packaging.

Notable guests at the opening ceremony include the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, who highlighted MIFB’s role as a platform for joint industry innovation. “In 2022, agrifood activities as a whole contributed a substantial RM173.9 billion to our economy or 11.5% of Malaysia’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This comprises the added value derived across subsectors throughout the supply chain including agrifood production, food manufacturing and processing, wholesale, retail, and F&B services. Without a doubt, the potential is huge and trade events such as MIFB serve as an essential platform in broadening market access and facilitating cross-border networking that will ultimately benefit local agrifood players. As industry experts around the globe congregate in Kuala Lumpur for MIFB and turn their attention towards initiatives that drive food sustainability, we hope this event will further propel Malaysia forward as a global leader in food,” shares YB Tuan Chan Foong Hin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security.

As part of MIFB’s Zero Food Waste Initiative, the trade fair will debut its proprietary food waste weighing and compost machines to collect, identify and transform all excess food from the event into high-quality crop fertiliser to be redistributed back to the environment. The machines will be used at a large-scale industry event for the very first time, and will convert the food waste into compost specially designed to enhance agricultural produce and soil quality.

Over the three-day event, MIFB is also hosting nine new sessions of its trade talk show, The Knowledge Programme. Featuring industry experts from organisations like the Malaysian Recycling Alliance Berhad (MAREA), Phuture Foods, Tetra Pak, Coca-Cola and Mondelez, the programme takes the form of pocket interviews discussing solutions to mitigate food insecurity, create a zero-waste food landscape, and trends in F&B consumption and production in Southeast Asia.

To enhance connectivity between visitors and businesses, the MIFB 2023 app will allow for real-time digital engagements that complement the in-person experience at the event, as well as create greater opportunities for networking through smart AI-recommended business matching.

“MIFB has become a signature event for the food & beverage community to learn about emerging consumer trends as well as challenges around sustainable food production,” said Chua Wee Phong, Group CEO of Constellar. “We are proud for MIFB to champion innovation on this front, where collective action can create impactful solutions to build a more secure future of food.”

MIFB 2023 is running through this week and is open to the F&B trade visitors with free registration. To find out more about the event agenda or to sign up, please visit www.mifb.com.my or visit the trade fair from the 12th to 14 th July, 2023, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.