The new edition of Expo FoodTech 2026 will be held on 27 and 28 May in Bilbao, Spain, with Italy as the guest partner country: Expo FoodTech affirms its role as an international event that anticipates the future trends about food, all through the opportunity to explore the Italian agrifood ecosystem, which blends the strength of a well-established industry with growing activity in agrifoodtech innovation. 

There will be 250 exhibitors and more than 300 leaders and experts from the food industry, start-ups and public administrations, to talk about sustainability and automation, but also about new ingredients and innovations that are redefining the competitiveness of the sector.

According to a report by Eatable Adventures regarding the year 2025, the Italian agrifood chain accounts for more than 15% of the national GDP and employs over 3.6 million people, according to ISMEA data included in the study. Furthermore, in 2025, the Italian agrifoodtech ecosystem attracted 121.6 million euros in investments, an 18% increase compared to the previous year. This growth highlights the direction in which the sector is going, considering that globally, investments have declined by 12%. To speak about these topics, including the innovations adopted to address the competitiveness of the sector, efficiency and sustainability, there will be Laurette de Franco, Open Innovation Manager at Barilla; Alessandro Schena, Open Innovation Manager at Loacker; Graziano Stasi, Director of Ingredients and Retail at Molino Casillo; and Jacopo Alberti, Innovation Expert at Amadori.

F4F - Expo Foodtech, organized by NEBEXT and AZTI, will be held simultaneously with Pick&Pack for Food Industry, the only event in Spain specializing in packaging and logistics solutions for the food industry.