The Global Food Marketplace (French: Salon International de l’alimentation, or SIAL) is a trade fair held every two years, which specializes in the

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing takes many forms, from grinding grain into raw flour, home cooking, and complex industrial methods used in the mak ...

industry. This event was first held in 1964 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

History

The SIAL was established in 1964 by several groups, including the Confédération Générale de l'Alimentation en détail (General Confederation of the Retail Food Trade), and at the instigation of public authorities (Ministry of Agriculture (France), Ministry of Agriculture,

Paris Chamber of Commerce The Paris Chamber of Commerce ( or ''CCIP'') is a chamber of commerce of the Paris region. It defends the interests of companies of the city of Paris, and provides services to these companies. Since 2013 it has been a division of the Paris Île ...

). Twenty-six

countries A country is a distinct part of the Earth, world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, List of states with limited r ...

participated in the first fair, which was held at the Center of New Industries and Technologies (French: Centre des nouvelles industries et technologies, CNIT) in

La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France's Paris metropolitan area, west of the city limits. It is located in Île-de-France region's Departments of France, department of Hauts-de-Seine in the Communes of France, communes of Courbe ...

, as part of International Food Week. The second SIAL was held in 1966, also at the CNIT. The trade show was held at the Versailles Gate Exhibition Centre from 1968 to 1984 and at the North Paris-Villepinte Exposition Park since 1986. In 2014, SIAL Paris marks a new stage by integrating the Salon International du Process et du Conditionnement Alimentaire (IPA show), which will be represented within the Equipment, Technology and Services sector.

Characteristics

SIAL Paris has given rise to six other trade fairs, all members of the SIAL Group network, in China, in United Arab Emirates, in Canada and in Brazil. In 2014, SIAL Group launches a new trade show in the Philippines called SIAL ASEAN. Within the scope of SIAL Innovation, the agencies XTC and TNS Sofres present a comparative analysis of food-related trends and innovations. The study conducted by TNS Sofres puts the attitudes of consumers in seven countries (France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Russia, United States and China) in perspective, with regard to the trends identified by XTC.

Visitors

The fair's visitors come from various sectors of the food processing industry, such as distribution, trade, food services, viticulture, etc. Approximately 70% of the visitors visit the fair in search of new products and suppliers. The top 15 visiting countries are: *

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Exhibitors

The majority of the participants are suppliers of finished food products. They exhibit individually (direct exhibitor) or collectively (for example, in a national pavilion). This second option represents 61% of the fair's surface area. 79% of the exhibitors are from national (with less than 250 employees) and international

small and medium enterprises Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organizat ...

and 21% are from large groups. The number of international exhibitors has grown from in 1992 to in 2010. The exhibition sectors : * Beverages * Cured meats * Tinned and preserved products * Grocery products * Fruit and vegetables * Organic products * Seafood * Health products and

food supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources, or that are synthetic ( ...

s * Gourmet foods * Frozen foods * Bakery, pastry and confectionery * Delicatessen products * Dairy products * Poultry and game * Meat * Wine * National pavilions and regions of the world * Regions of France * IN-FOOD/Semi-processed food products, ingredients and outsourcing * Equipment and technologies

Sustainable development and solidarity

Each time the fair takes place, almost 50 tons of products are collected and redistributed to French Red Cross centers in

Seine-Saint-Denis () is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bobi ...

. In addition, the fair processes

organic waste Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane, compost, humus, and simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, ana ...

. In 2012, a partnership is set to be formed with Utopies, with the aim of emphasizing

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

Editions of SIAL abroad

* The first edition of SIAL Brazil took place June 25 to 28, 2012 in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

. * SIAL Middle East is an annual fair, established in 2010, which takes place in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. * Established in 2001, SIAL Canada is an annual fair, which takes place in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

in even-numbered years and in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in odd-numbered years. Next Dates: May 2 to 4, 2017 * Established in 1999 in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, the annual SIAL China fair has taken place in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

since the year 2000. * The first edition of SIAL ASEAN took place June 11 to 13, 2014 in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Organization chart of SIAL

In addition to its managing director, SIAL has a supervisory board and a board of directors. Comexposium, a subsidiary of the CCIP and of the UK

private equity firm A private equity firm or private equity company (often described as a financial sponsor) is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of a Startup company, startup or of an existin ...

Charterhouse, and SOPEXA are the principal shareholders of SIAL.

References

{{Portal, France, Food Festivals in Paris Food and drink festivals in France 1946 establishments in France