Food ingredients Global

What Food ingredients Global does

Food Ingredients Global (Fi Global) is a B2B trade event and digital media platform serving the global food and beverage ingredients industry, operating as a brand within Informa Markets, the events division of Informa PLC (LSE: INF). The company was established in 1993 with its flagship event Fi Europe and has since built a portfolio of approximately 9–10 annual exhibitions spanning Europe, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South America, including Fi Asia, Fi Africa, Fi India, Fi Vietnam, Hi Japan, Hi Korea, and Fi South America. Its flagship Fi Europe event, held annually in Frankfurt, brings together 1,650+ exhibiting companies and 27,000+ attendees from 135+ countries.

Fi Global's offering combines live exhibitions with three owned digital platforms: Ingredients Network (a global online directory for ingredient buyers and sellers with 800K+ annual unique visitors), Smartcore (a B2B digital marketing solutions arm offering branded email, webinar, and campaign services for exhibitors), and Fi Global Insights (a content and intelligence platform covering ingredient innovation, R&D, regulation, and sustainability). Fi Europe 2026 features supporting programs such as the Innovation Awards, Innovation Hub conference, Future of Nutrition Lunch & Learn, Pet Food & Nutrition Forum, Women's Networking Breakfast, Tasting Bar, and a Startup Challenge, indicating vertical and programmatic expansion beyond the core exhibition floor.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: transaction-based event revenue (exhibition booth rentals, sponsorships, and attendee passes with tiered pricing ranging from €87 standard passes to €1,299 supplier passes), subscription and directory revenue from Ingredients Network, and professional services revenue from Smartcore marketing campaigns. Customers are primarily ingredient suppliers (Roquette, Ingredion, ADM, DuPont, Brenntag, Azelis, Emsland, Dohler, AAK, Naturex, Angel Yeast, Exberry) on the sell side, and food and beverage manufacturers on the buy side. The company is wholly owned by Informa PLC and does not have independent external investors.

Name

Food ingredients Global

Legal name

Informa PLC

Website

https://figlobal.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fi Global is a B2B trade event and digital media platform for the global food and beverage ingredients industry, operating 9–10 annual exhibitions worldwide (flagship Fi Europe in Frankfurt) and digital platforms including Ingredients Network, Smartcore, and Fi Global Insights, as a brand within Informa PLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade exhibitions and events

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Beverage & Hospitality Trade Shows Organizers (THAHABAI)

Keywords

• Food ingredients exhibitions
• B2B trade events
• Ingredient sourcing platform
• F&B industry events
• Digital marketing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event-based revenue: Revenue generated from exhibition passes, booth bookings, and event sponsorship packages for Fi Europe, Fi Asia, and other regional food ingredient events globally
2. Digital platform subscriptions: Revenue from Ingredients Network online directory access and premium features for connecting buyers and suppliers of food ingredients globally
3. Marketing solutions: Smartcore provides digital marketing services including custom branded emails with high-performing open rates (27.57% achieved for Fonterra), webinars, and campaign management for food and nutrition brands

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fi Global organizes annual global food and beverage ingredients exhibitions (including the flagship Fi Europe in Frankfurt) and operates supporting digital platforms — Ingredients Network (online B2B directory for ingredient buyers and sellers), Smartcore (B2B digital marketing services), and Fi Global Insights (industry content and analysis) — to connect F&B ingredient suppliers, manufacturers, and R&D professionals worldwide.

Product overview

Fi Global is a comprehensive B2B platform for the food and beverage ingredients industry, operating as part of Informa Markets. The offering consists of a core event platform (Fi Global) that coordinates 10 global in-person and online exhibitions annually, complemented by digital platforms including Ingredients Network (online directory for ingredient buyers and sellers), Smartcore (digital marketing solutions), and Fi Global Insights (content and intelligence platform). The flagship event is Fi Europe, held annually in Frankfurt, which features exhibition floors, the Innovation Awards, Innovation Hub conference sessions, networking programs like the Women's Networking Breakfast, and the Startup Challenge competition. Additional regional events include Fi Asia, Fi Africa, Fi South America, and others, along with the Fi Webinar Series for year-round content delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ingredients Network: The leading online directory for global sellers and buyers of ingredients used in food, nutraceuticals, supplements, and functional food & beverages.
• Smartcore
• Fi Global Insights
• Fi Webinar Series
• Fi Europe
• Fi Africa
• Fi India
• Fi Asia Thailand
• Fi Asia Indonesia
• Hi & Fi Asia-China
• Fi Vietnam
• Hi Japan
• Hi Korea
• Fi South America

Products and services

• Fi Global Events Portfolio A portfolio of 9 annual global exhibitions (Fi Europe, Fi Asia, Fi Africa, Fi India, Fi Asia Thailand, Fi Asia Indonesia, Hi & Fi Asia-China, Fi Vietnam, Hi Japan, Hi Korea, Fi South America) that bring buyers and sellers of food and nutraceutical ingredients together in-person and online.
• Fi Europe The leading global food ingredients event held annually in Frankfurt, Germany, featuring 1,650+ exhibiting companies, 27,000+ attendees from 135+ countries, conference programming, the Innovation Awards, Innovation Hub, Tasting Bar, Startup Challenge, and networking programs. Pass tiers include Standard (€87), Priority (€111), Premium (€174), and Supplier (€1,299).
• Ingredients Network An online directory connecting global sellers and buyers of ingredients used in food, nutraceuticals, supplements, and functional food and beverages, with 800K+ unique annual visitors.
• Smartcore Digital Marketing A B2B food and nutrition marketing solutions service providing smarter digital campaigns, custom branded emails (e.g., 27.57% open rate for Fonterra), webinars (e.g., 650+ leads for Gencor), and campaign management to drive returns on investment and time for food industry clients.
• Fi Global Insights A content and intelligence platform providing analysis of ingredient innovations, R&D breakthroughs, processing technologies, regulatory developments, and sustainable sourcing strategies through newsletters, reports, webinars, and videos.
• Fi Webinar Series A series of webinars covering key food and beverage market topics including marketing strategies, ingredient sourcing, and product development for F&B industry professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27.57% unique open rate achieved for Custom Branded Email campaigns (Fonterra case study)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Innova Market InsightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partnership providing market intelligence and trend analysis to Fi Global Insights platform, enhancing the content offering for food and beverage industry professionals.
• MintelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partnership delivering consumer and market research insights to Fi Global's content platforms, supporting industry analysis and trend reporting for F&B professionals.
• FMCG GurusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsumer insights partnership providing FMCG market intelligence and trend analysis to supplement Fi Global's content offering around food ingredients and consumer preferences.
• SmartcorecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Digital Marketing Provider of Fi Europe, offering exclusive access to organiser-verified visitor data through smarter solutions for exhibitors and event marketing packages.
• BnetworkminorOthersOfficial hotel booking partner for Fi Europe 2026, providing accommodation services for attendees traveling to the Frankfurt event.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IFT (Institute of Food Technologists): Operates IFT FIRST, a flagship North American food ingredients and food science exposition. IFT is the most direct global competitor to Fi Global in the food ingredients exhibition category, serving overlapping supplier and R&D buyer audiences with a similar event-and-content model.
• William Reed: B2B food industry media and events company operating FoodNavigator, BeverageDaily, and Natural Products Expo. Directly comparable to Fi Global's combination of ingredient-focused events and digital content/intelligence platforms serving F&B manufacturers and suppliers.
• Comexposium (SIAL Network): French-headquartered global events organizer operating the SIAL food exhibition network across Paris, Shanghai, Toronto, and other cities. Competes directly with Fi Global for food and ingredient supplier marketing budgets and global buyer audiences.

Others

• Sosland Publishing (Food Business News): B2B food industry publisher operating Food Business News, Milling & Baking News, and related titles. An adjacent media and information peer sharing Fi Global's content and intelligence category, though primarily publishing rather than event-led.

Broad incumbents

• Koelnmesse (Anuga): Major German trade fair organizer running Anuga, the world's largest food and beverage trade fair, alongside ProSweets Cologne and other food industry events. A broader incumbent with overlapping supplier and buyer audiences but covering finished food categories well beyond ingredients.
• NürnbergMesse (BIOFACH): Operates BIOFACH, the world's leading organic food trade fair, and VIVANESS for natural and organic personal care. Overlaps with Fi Global's natural, organic, and clean-label ingredient exhibitor base.
• Messe Frankfurt: Global trade fair organizer hosting numerous food-related events and is the venue operator for Fi Europe's flagship event. A broader incumbent with adjacent food exhibitions and overlapping exhibitor bases across its diverse portfolio.
• Reed Exhibitions (RELX): Global exhibitions arm of RELX, organizing large-scale trade shows across multiple industries including food and hospitality. A broader incumbent that competes for enterprise marketing budgets and global brand activation spend.

Regional players

• Dubai World Trade Centre (Gulfood): Operates Gulfood, one of the world's largest annual food and beverage trade shows in Dubai. Directly comparable in scale and audience but focused on the Middle East/Africa/South Asia region rather than Europe.

Emerging players

• Specialty Food Association (Fancy Food Shows): Operates the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows in the U.S., connecting specialty food producers with buyers. Overlaps with Fi Global's supplier-discovery use case but is more focused on finished specialty foods rather than upstream ingredients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/food-ingredients-global
• Xx.com/Fi_Global
• Facebookfacebook.com/FiGlobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food ingredients Global