Over 330 exhibitors from 33 countries worldwide have travelled to Cologne for the show, which takes place between the 29 January to the 1 February.
Products exhibited range from ingredients and packaging to machines, plants, food safety and quality management.
For the first time, processing and packaging products for snacks are also on display.
The event is being held parallel to the International Sweets and Biscuit Fair (ISM), meaning the entire confectionery industry value chain will be represented.
Biggest yet
This year’s ProSweets will be the largest in its five year history. The number of exhibitors has increased and the overall exhibition space is up 10%.
The international scope has also expanded with 198 international suppliers in attendance, alongside 136 domestic exhibitors.
Suppliers from Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey and Switzerland make up the largest contingent.
The exhibitors
The fair welcomes a host of new exhibitors in each category. In the ingredients segment new exhibitors include Kahl and Denk Ingredients, while newcomers in the packaging and packaging machinery divisions include Sunrino and PFM.
Also new to the process category is Comas and Yamato, who join show regulars, such as Norevo and Palsgaard.
Many exhibitors have also increased their stand areas with Cavanna, Buhler and NETZSCH-Feinmahltechnik all boasting larger exhibition spaces.
Conference programme
This year’s supporting programme focuses on raw materials and ingredients.
The ProSweets Conference on Ingredients has been organised in collaboration with Herbertz Dairy Food Service and features presentation on applications for sweetener stevia and dairy ingredients.
The first session features four speakers, including John Fry from Cargill, who will discuss applications for stevia in the confectionery industry following the approval of the sweetener as a novel food in the EU.
The second session focuses on innovative dairy ingredients in confectionery items and includes presentations from Fraunhofer’s Wolfgang Danzl and Stacy Pyett from NIZO food research.
The conference takes place on 31 January in the afternoon.
Other events to look out for include a “Robotic-Pack-Line” show on confectionery packaging and a forum on the use of sensors in confectionery production, organised by DLG.