Anuga FoodTec 2027: dedicated hubs tackle automation and efficiency

As food and beverage manufacturers grapple with unprecedented supply chain volatility, strict environmental regulations, and rapid technological shifts, Anuga FoodTec 2027 is restructuring its exhibition floor.

Under the overarching banner “Navigate Complexity. Smart. Safe. Sustainable,” the leading international supplier trade fair — taking place in Cologne, Germany, from 23-26 February 2027 — is introducing two dedicated exhibition frameworks: the Smart and Sustainable community hubs.

Conceived alongside the German Agricultural Society (DLG e.V.), these hubs mark a shift in how the trade show functions. Rather than acting as a passive showroom for heavy machinery, the event is transitioning into an interactive blueprint for the modern factory floor. For international food and drink processors, the addition of these hubs provides a clear roadmap to bridge the gap between complex macro trends and practical, day-to-day operations.

Decentralising innovation: the two pillars

The new community hubs isolate the two most disruptive transformation vectors in modern processing: digital intelligence and industrial resource management. By embedding partner exhibitions directly alongside technical presentation stages, the show floor maps theory to tangible technology.

The Smart Hub: operationalising the Smart Factory

For manufacturers facing intense pressure to increase production line flexibility while safeguarding product quality, the Smart hub addresses the architecture of intelligent production. The focus here moves past basic automation to target data-driven process optimisation.

Attendees will navigate practical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins, examining how these tools can manage complex format changes on the fly. Key areas of focus include:

• Data-based cleaning-in-place (CIP) optimisation to reduce downtime
• Real-time energy monitoring during high-speed filling processes
• AI-supported statistical process control for zero-defect quality management
• Advanced cybersecurity protocols to insulate highly networked factories from digital threats.

The Sustainable Hub: engineering the circular plant

Supported by industry sponsor Ecolab, the Sustainable community hub tackles the heavy engineering required to hit net-zero targets and comply with evolving global environmental frameworks. The priority is technical viability — proving that resource preservation can actively strengthen a manufacturer’s bottom line.

The programming highlights interconnected strategies such as energy-optimised process management, water cascading, and industrial heat recovery. Additionally, the hub acts as an incubator for alternative protein processing and alternative packaging lines, giving manufacturers direct exposure to the engineering solutions required to scale clean-label and climate-conscious products efficiently.

“Whether AI-based systems for increasing efficiency, modern safety concepts or circular approaches in the field of sustainability: in a time of technological upheavals, Anuga FoodTec 2027 shows with live demonstrations and pilot lines how operations can already design their processes today to be more energy-efficient and conserve resources,” explains Roland Thiemann, director of Anuga FoodTec.

Moving beyond traditional lectures

For the visiting food tech community, the addition of these hubs means a complete departure from rigid, one-way industry presentations. Koelnmesse is deploying a variety of interactive knowledge-sharing formats designed to foster genuine collaboration:

• Tech Talks & Deep Dives: compact, highly focused case studies detailing systematic sustainability and digital implementations.
• Fishbowl Discussions: open-forum panels that break the barrier between speakers and listeners, allowing audience members to actively drive the dialogue.
• BarCamps: dynamic user-led sessions where participants themselves build the agenda around their most immediate factory-floor challenges.

By integrating dedicated lounge and food service networking areas directly into these technology zones, Anuga FoodTec 2027 ensures that the global food engineering sector leaves Cologne with not just inspiration, but the concrete partnerships and technical strategies required to future-proof their production lines.