Anuga, one of the world's leading trade fairs for the food and beverage industry, is once again reaffirming its role as the industry's innovation platform this year: with its renewed collaboration with Ecotrophelia Europe, Europe's leading competition for sustainable food innovation, Anuga is creating a platform for visionary product ideas, young talent, and forward-thinking entrepreneurship.

As part of Anuga 2025, which will be held in Cologne from October 4 to 8, the Ecotrophelia European Final will be held at the Congress Center Nord on October 7 and 8. The awards ceremony will be held in the Trend Zone on Boulevard Nord. "For us, the partnership with Ecotrophelia Europe represents a strategic milestone for the entire food industry. Together, we are creating a platform that brings together the highest level of sustainable innovation, young entrepreneurship, and industry networking," emphasized Jan Philipp Hartmann , Director of Anuga.

With its collaboration with Ecotrophelia Europa, Anuga is deliberately sending an important signal: for the promotion of young talent, for sustainable added value, and for the future of the food industry. "We are delighted to return to Anuga for the 2025 edition. Our collaboration with Koelnmesse underpins our efforts to bring our competitors together and offer them the opportunity to experience how the food industry innovates in a rapidly changing world. We appreciate the support and creativity of the Anuga team, allowing us to showcase our emerging talents in action," adds Maarten van der Kamp , President of Ecotrophelia Europe.

Ecotrophelia Europe is considered the "Champions League" of food innovation and has shaped the European debate on food innovation for over 25 years. Each participating country organizes a national preliminary round in which the most innovative concepts for sustainable food products, developed by student teams of 2 to 10 members, are selected. The winning teams will then compete in the European final, which will be held during Anuga. The national rounds are coordinated by the respective food associations. The competition is organized by the European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG) Ecotrophelia Europe, an alliance of seven national food associations and the European industry organizations FoodDrinkEurope and EIT Food.

The competition's goal is to create a Europe-wide innovation ecosystem and transform sustainable product ideas from colleges and universities into long-term marketable concepts. Participants benefit from direct contact with industry, investors, and project partners.

For the first time, Korea, a non-European country, will participate in the Ecotrophelia Europe competition, a particularly fitting expansion given that Korea is also the official partner country of Anuga this year. This inaugural participation marks a significant step in increasing the competition's international visibility and underscores the global relevance of sustainable food innovation. The organizers are particularly pleased to welcome a four-member Korean student team this year, who will compete with their innovative product, "To-flex." The connection between Korea, as an Anuga partner country and the first non-European participant in the Ecotrophelia Europe competition, is a powerful symbol of growing global networking and the growing importance of innovative food concepts.