Of the Innovative Power of Food Start-Ups and Healthy Foods
Andreas Nagel, Head of Convenience Retail LSG Group was out and about at Internorga, Germany’s premier trade fair for the Out-of-Home market. Get to know his take on trends.
1. What surprised you?
First of all, the innovative power of food start-ups; nearly all the innovations were presented by start-ups, regardless of the sector. It seems like the Big Players will either have to adopt the trend or join the “newcomers” one way or the other. The second thing that surprised me was the increasing offer for organic and healthy food. There were eye-opening innovations that combined well-known products with new ingredients; like “Beetroot Flatbread” or “American Cheesecake with Skyr”, for example. Finally it was obvious to me that we will face a much closer link between coffee and food2go in the area of supply chain and equipment-design.
2. What in particular did you like?
As usual, I enjoyed the strong mix of food and the respective equipment manufacturers at the exhibition itself. On top of that, I also liked the fact that food and beverage innovations, and especially start-ups, have been given more space.
3. What does the exhibition have to offer for the LSG Group?
It offers us the opportunity to observe the latest trends and the other players in the market – especially since we as the LSG Group are still in the “trainee stage” in terms of convenience retail in Germany. Since all our potential customers such as coffee shops, petrol stations and wholesalers are also visiting the convention, many intense discussions can happen in those two days. At the same time, the trade fair helps us to better understand which segment the LSG Group can stand out in right now; at the moment, that’s in the frozen food and snack box sector, in my opinion.
4. Last but not least, why would you go back?
I have been a regular guest for the last ten years. I will definitely continue to take the opportunity to gather information and meet lots of business partners at the same time in the same place.