Alimentaria+Hostelco 2026 strengthens its leadership in a landmark edition
- The leading platform in food, gastronomy, foodservice and hospitality equipment will bring together 3,300 companies from 70 countries and more than 110,000 visitors
- The event, which celebrates Alimentaria’s 50th anniversary, reinforces its international reach and focus on innovation, and consolidates its commitment to the HORECA channel
Alimentaria+Hostelco returns from 23 to 26 March 2026 at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, consolidating its position as a trade fair platform for the entire retail and foodservice value chain. The 2026 edition will bring together the entire food industry, strengthening the HORECA sector and further enhancing its international reach with more than 30% of the exhibitors coming from foreign markets.
The next edition will mark Alimentaria’s 50th anniversary. The event was launched in 1976 as Spain’s first major trade show dedicated exclusively to the food industry. Half a century later, it will occupy 100,000 m² distributed in seven pavilions, with notable growth including a 41% increase in international participation compared with the previous edition.
Of the more than 3,300 participating companies, nearly 1,000 come from 70 countries, representing more than 30% of the total and confirming the event’s growing international standing. Europe (with Poland as the Country of Honour), Asia and Latin America concentrate an outstanding business representation, reinforcing the strategic nature of the show as a meeting point for the global food industry.
In addition, to help open up new markets and maximise commercial opportunities, the organisers, in collaboration with ICEX, have invited 1,500 major buyers and importers from 100 countries, as well as 1,200 domestic buyers, with more than 14,500 business meetings expected. Confirmed international companies include KeHE, Bidfood, Bergfood, Cotswold Fabre, Sonae, PriceSmart, Walmart, GPA, La Comer, BigBasket and Alkosto.
All regions of Spain will also be represented, led by Catalonia, Castile and León, Andalusia, Madrid, the Valencian Community and Murcia, reflecting the strength and geographic diversity of the country’s food industry. The event will bring together both large corporations and SMEs and family-owned businesses. It also continues to benefit from the loyalty of companies that have supported the show throughout its 50 years of history, including bonÀrea, Coca-Cola, Dani, Danone, Damm, Elgorriaga, Helios, Lacasa, Noel, Santiveri and Ybarra, an example of the solidity and continuity of Spain’s food industry.
Antoni Llorens, president of Alimentaria, said: “This is a historic edition. Alimentaria has established itself as a unique platform for the food industry to drive business, knowledge and global reach”.
The event will be structured into different specialised sectors. Intercarn will once again be the largest show, with 350 companies occupying 15,000 m², 25% of the total space. The line-up will also include areas such as Organic Foods and La Plaza Eco, Alimentaria Trends and Fine Foods, focused on innovation and added value; Grocery Foods, which brings together the most transversal offer of the fair; Coffee, Bakery & Pastry, which in its second edition will double its space; as well as Interlact, Lands of Spain, Snacks, Biscuits & Confectionery, Expoconser, Restaurama and International Pavilions.
Innovation and knowledge, strategic pillars
Innovation will once again be one of the driving forces behind Alimentaria+Hostelco 2026 with The Alimentaria Hub as the epicentre of knowledge, trends and the sector’s transformation. This space will bring together more than 200 national and international experts in forums and seminars on sustainability, digitalisation, food safety and new consumption habits.
With more than 300 innovations on display at Innoval, as well as the 60 companies participating in Food & Hospitality Startups, the show is reinforcing its role as a driver of entrepreneurship, technology transfer and a launchpad for disruptive solutions, from functional foods and vegetable proteins to AI applications for personalised nutrition.
Strong commitment to the HORECA channel
HORECA and foodservice will play a leading role with more than 20,000 m², 600 companies and around 200 activities designed for professionals linked to catering, hospitality and institutional foodservice.
Pere Taberner, president of Hostelco, highlights that “the growth of the space dedicated to the HORECA channel and foodservice reflects the dynamism of a key sector for the food and hospitality industry”.
The event will launch a programme combining innovation, digitalisation, gastronomy and trend analysis in activities aimed at professionals in foodservice, catering and equipment.
The Horeca Hub will once again serve as a major multidisciplinary meeting point, and will host Imagine Foodservice Europe, organised together with Marcas de Restauración, where international experts will address the main challenges facing the sector and the value of branded catering. The Horeca Hub will also host The Shift, the new strategic knowledge space that brings together case studies, market analysis and high-impact content to examine the factors shaping the future of foodservice.
The Bakery & Pastry Hub and The Coffee Stage spaces will highlight innovation in bakery, pastry, chocolate, ice cream and coffee, with the participation of renowned professionals such as Antonio Bachour, Lluc Crusellas, Miquel Guarro, Nikita Harwich or Ramón Garriga. They will also host specialist activities such as The Coffee Opportunity, designed to promote a more strategic view of coffee within the HORECA channel, and the Best Bread Award, organised in collaboration with Alimentos de España.
Alimentaria’s First International Cooking Championship, sponsored by #alimentosdespaña and endorsed by WorldChefs, the Horeca Awards, the first Championship of Student Baristas of Forum Café, and the finals of Chef of the Year and Waiter of the Year will also be held in this edition.
The event once again has the full support and endorsement of the main institutions and sector associations, including ICEX Spain Export and Investment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the Spanish Federation of Food and Beverage Industries (FIAB), the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors (AECOC), the Spanish Hotel and Catering Business Confederation (CEHE), the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT-ITH), among many others.
Madrid, 9th March 2026
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