For ten days, Grüne Woche turned the Berlin exhibition grounds into the number one dialogue platform for politics and the industry. This year, the leading international trade fair for agriculture, food and horticulture was dominated by the national farmer protests. Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, eight federal ministers and numerous politicians took the opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with representatives from agriculture and food at Grüne Woche. The focus continued to be on international food security, the future of agriculture, culinary trends and sustainable innovations. A total of around 275,000 visitors attended the Grüne Woche in Berlin. Despite the rail strike, the trade fair therefore only recorded a slight decline in visitor numbers compared to 2023, when around 300,000 guests came to the exhibition grounds.

"Grüne Woche was a strong start to a year full of events," says Dr Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH. "In 2024, Messe Berlin will attract numerous national and international guests to the capital with four more leading trade fairs and events."

Grüne Woche as an economic driver

Visitors to the trade fair showed a keen interest in buying. They spent over 150 euros per person at Grüne Woche. This represents an increase compared to the last event in 2023. Over 1,000 coaches from all over Germany travelled to Grüne Woche. Around 2,000 media representatives from 28 countries were accredited this year. The city of Berlin also benefits from the additional income generated by day visitors - particularly in the hotel, catering and retail sectors.

The place to be for politics, the industry and the Chancellor

In light of the current farmers' protests, chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz sought direct contact with agriculture and the food industry at the exhibition centre. During a tour of the trade fair, he took the opportunity to speak personally with bakers, young farmers and other representatives of the agricultural sector and listen to their concerns. At the end of his visit, he promised to continue the dialogue and reduce bureaucracy.

Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, praised the Grüne Woche as a platform for dialogue:
"The Grüne Woche is the showcase for agriculture, horticulture and the food industry. Over the past ten days, people have been networking, discussing and discovering new things in the exhibition halls. There has not only been a lot of discussion within the industry and with politicians, consumers have also been able to talk to the people who produce and process our food. This is our joint opportunity to strengthen mutual understanding and make progress in dialogue. It is important to me that we carry the spirit of the Grüne Woche forward and use the current debate to further develop the German agriculture and food industry in a sustainable and future-proof way."

The German government was once again well represented at this year's Grüne Woche. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Ministry for the Environment were on site at the trade fair with their own special shows.

A total of eight federal ministers attended Grüne Woche 2024 in person: Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, Christian Lindner, Federal Minister of Finance, Lisa Paus, Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister for Education and Research and Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital and Transport. Numerous minister-presidents of the federal states and leaders of the parties represented in the Bundestag took separate tours to find out more. The high-ranking guests also included Janusz Wojciechowski, European Commissioner for Agriculture.

GFFA 2024: Premiere for Agriculture Ministers' Conference at Berlin Exhibition Centre

The 16th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) took place in the CityCube Berlin under the motto "Together for a world without hunger". Around 2,000 international representatives from politics, business, science and civil society took part from 17 to 20 January and discussed innovative projects and solutions together.

The political highlight of the GFFA was the 16th Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference, at which Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir met with his counterparts from around 65 countries and representatives of more than ten international organisations. In their final communiqué, the agriculture ministers pledged to drive forward the urgently needed transformation towards more resilient and sustainable agricultural and food systems.

Grüne Woche as a dialogue platform for the food and agricultural sectors

The food and agricultural sectors draw a positive conclusion from this year's Grüne Woche:

Joachim Rukwied, President of the German Farmers' Association:
"We have experienced an intensive Grüne Woche, with many encounters, numerous political discussions. Visitors were also able to taste, try and experience food - and learn about many innovations in food production. You could really feel how important enjoyment is for consumers."

Christoph Minhoff, Managing Director of the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries:
"The interest of consumers and politicians in food from Germany continues unabated. At Grüne Woche, they were able to familiarise themselves with all stages of production and see for themselves the great variety and high quality of the products on offer. The trade fair also shows that the recommendations from the German government's nutrition strategy and the Citizens' Council on Nutrition are already being put into practice in many areas."

High level of satisfaction among exhibitors and guests

In the representative visitor survey, around 9 out of 10 people who visited the trade fair privately were (very) satisfied with their visit and would visit Grüne Woche again. An equally high proportion rated the range of products and services positively. The special shows such as the Flower Hall were well received by visitors.

The feedback from exhibitors is also positive: around 9 out of 10 exhibitors are already planning to exhibit at Grüne Woche 2025, with over 90 per cent of the most important exhibitor goals of "presenting the company" and "informing end consumers" being achieved. Grüne Woche also scores highly as a test market for the launch of new products.

The response from regional exhibitors from the federal states was particularly positive. They were able to score points with the food retail trade with their diverse regional specialities. Several hundred buyers visited Grüne Woche to find products for future product range expansions and to hold numerous sales talks.

Successful start for the young generation hub training hall

15,000 schoolchildren turned the exhibition centre into Germany's largest school class. As part of the young generation school programme, they were able to find out about current topics relating to agriculture, nutrition and horticulture. Lots of dust and noise awaited the teenagers at the successful première of the new young generation hub training hall. Numerous exhibitors had prepared a practical hands-on course for 90 skilled trades.

Startup-Days and Regional-Star: Strong ideas for a sustainable future

Two specialist awards honoured innovative achievements in the agricultural and food sector at Grüne Woche. As part of the Startup-Days, ten young companies pitched promising products and business ideas from the agricultural technology and food sectors. VANOZZA was the winner with its vegan cheese. The young talent award went to Hivesound with an AI-controlled monitoring system for beehives.

Every year, Grüne Woche and the trade magazine Lebensmittel Praxis, together with media partner top agrar, honour sustainable regional concepts from the food trade with the Regional-Star Award. In the Innovation category, the company "Antonius gemeinsam begegnen" in Fulda won with its Emma spreads. In the retail cooperation category, the prize went to the "E-Center Schneider" from Bayreuth. First prize in the processing category went to "Edeka Südwest Fleisch" from Offenburg. First place in the industry competition in the marketing category went to "Rewe Stenten" from Aachen with the "Aachen Liebe" campaign.

Next date: 17 to 26 January 2025

The 89th Grüne Woche will take place at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds from 17 to 26 January 2025. It is organised by Messe Berlin GmbH. The conceptual sponsors are the German Farmers' Association (DBV) and the Federation of German Food and Drink Industries (BVE).

About Grüne Woche

Grüne Woche is one of the most traditional trade fairs nationwide and one of the best-known events in Germany. Founded in 1926 in the Berlin of the Golden Twenties, it is unique as the leading international trade fair for food, agriculture and horticulture. Exhibitors from all over the world present an extensive range of products on ten event days. In addition, Grüne Woche gives current social issues such as climate protection, circular economy, resource conservation and sustainable land use a stage. The 88th edition of Grüne Woche took place from January 19to 28, 2024. Grüne Woche is the starting point for the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA for short). The GFFA is the leading international conference on key issues for the future of the global agriculture and food industry. The highlight is the meeting of more than 70 ministers of agriculture.

About Messe Berlin

Berlin has been a trade fair destination for 200 years, and has been one of the most important such hubs for many decades. Messe Berlin – the state’s own trade fair company – conceives, markets and organises hundreds of live events every year. It strives to be an outstanding host for visitors at all events, generate optimal business stimuli, and provide fair conditions for everyone. This concept is reflected in the company slogan: Messe Berlin – Hosting the World.

Press photos can also be found on the Internet: Press photos Grüne Woche

Grüne Wocheblog with regular information on the latest topics from the worlds of food, farming and horticulture

For more information:
www.gruenewoche.com
X: @gruenewoche
facebook.com/Grüne Woche
Instagram/gruene_woche/
youtube.com/user/GrueneWoche
Grüne Woche | LinkedIn