Articles
Foodexpo is the industry’s vibrant meeting point
arrow_backTo the overview17 March 2026
- Textile Town
- Bakers Alley
- Barista Boulevard
- Furniture Avenue
- Beverage Avenue
- The Industrial Corner
- Butchers Road
- Gourmet Square
- Green Path
- Harbour Street
- Tech Corner
- Startup Street
- The Marketplace
- The Milky Way
- WineExpo
Relations, knowledge sharing and professional communities are all essential parts of Foodexpo, which offers the various professional groups within the food industry an opportunity to meet, network and reflect in one another. Foodexpo takes place at Messecenter Herning 22 - 24 March 2026.
As the food industry’s vibrant meeting point, Foodexpo is the place where actors from across the sector meet across professional disciplines, where they network and share experiences, gain new knowledge and inspiration, and nurture the community of the industry.
All of this is realised through a wide range of events that create optimal conditions for networking and knowledge sharing. For example, Foodexpo hosts the event “The Green Canteen Menu of the Year”, which is organised in collaboration with Danish Agriculture and Food Council and held in the fair’s new zone, Green Path. Here, canteens from all over the country compete, while kitchen professionals can meet like minded colleagues, exchange experiences about green transition, find inspiration to create attractive and flavourful green menus, and not least network with the industry. The location of the event at Foodexpo is far from coincidental.
- Foodexpo is where the entire industry already meets: producers, wholesalers, decision makers and chefs in the same room. When the competition takes place here, it does not become an isolated contest, but part of the broader conversation about where canteen food is heading, how we include more Danish plant based ingredients and perhaps most importantly: raising the bar high enough that others want to follow, explains Anders Nicolajsen, Chief Consultant of Gastronomy and Foodservice at Danish Agriculture and Food Council. He elaborates on what it means for canteens to meet and compete:
- When canteen professionals meet in person, something happens with the pace of development – they become both inspired and challenged. The competitive aspect sharpens the focus, and the canteens tell us that many of their chefs enjoy testing their skills against one another. They see each other’s approaches, ingredient choices and priorities up close, and that raises the bar for everyone and creates genuine ‘con colleagues’. It also creates a shared professional space where green transition is not just a strategy on paper but something that is carried out with their own hands and experienced by guests.
Anders Nicolajsen adds that audiences can expect to experience high professional standards and strong green energy on stage – not least because, in his words, green cooking no longer simply means reducing the amount of meat, but is about quality, craftsmanship and guest appeal.
The importance of community
Also on The Green Stage, a rich programme awaits that underscores Foodexpo’s ambition to be a place where, for example, representatives from public kitchens can reflect in one another’s experiences, discuss concrete challenges, find solutions and inspiration, and not least strengthen their professional community.
Among the speakers is Karin Thøgersen, who is the food and nutrition lead in the integrated institution Børnesymfonien in Tranbjerg. She plans to deliver a practice oriented presentation about the green kitchen in childcare institutions and will share concrete ideas and experiences related to food courage, collaboration and job satisfaction – green approaches and conscious choices that can make a difference for children, the climate and the professional development of kitchen staff.
- Many food professionals work alone in their kitchens. We are surrounded by other professional groups but often stand without a colleague from our own field daily, which is why it is crucial that we meet and share experiences. When we exchange solutions, production methods and ways of collaborating, we lift each other professionally. In my role as union representative, I clearly see how important community is for quality, well being and professional pride. We find strength in one another’s experiences – and the courage to evolve, says Karin Thøgersen, and continues:
- When we meet in person, something arises that you cannot read your way into. The dialogue, the nuances and the spontaneous ideas create energy and motivation. You can ask questions, share doubts, laugh together and feel that you are not standing alone. That brings both inspiration and job satisfaction – and it is often in the conversations between presentations that the most valuable ideas emerge.
Karin Thøgersen looks forward to highlighting quality, care, sustainability and community, and she hopes that the audience will take home practical ideas and renewed professional pride, strengthened courage to take small steps in a greener direction, and a sense of not standing alone.
The potential of informal spaces
You are also not alone at the fair’s After Hours Bar on Beverage Avenue, where exhibitors, partners and visitors can meet across the board in an informal networking space.
- Relationships are not created only at the stands but also in informal settings where ideas are exchanged and where new collaborations may even arise. That is the purpose behind our After Hours Bar, which is also a testament to our desire to bring the industry together socially – which is also very important, emphasises Foodexpo Project Manager Pia Agerbo Bjerg, MCH A S.
Foodexpo takes place in Messecenter Herning 22 - 24 March 2026. Read more at foodexpo.dk and request press accreditation here.
