Four food festivals offer a full taste of Japan

Food - in all its numerous and varied forms - will be taking over the menu at the Tokyo Big Sight convention centre for the duration of the upcoming FABEX 2010, which will run in early April in conjunction with the Second Wine and Gourmet Japan, the Japan Meat Industry Fair 2010 and the Dessert, Sweet and Drink Festival 2010.

Marking its 13th year, FABEX - the shortened version of The World Food And Beverage Great Expo 2010 - is Japan's only specialized trade show dedicated to restaurants and takeaway food and the main theme of the event this year is proposing solutions in the field of food technology and creating dietary security.

The four concurrent events will take over the entire East Hall of the convention centre and organizers are anticipating more than 500 exhibitors and some 60,000 visitors from across the world.

The event is being coordinated by the Japan Food Journal, the country's leading food industry periodical, and will showcase recent trends across the sector - including highlighting regional foods and domestic raw materials, offering advice on the development of new menus, reducing losses caused by waste and labor-saving tactics.

A key concern that will be addressed at the Dessert, Sweet and Drink Festival will be the development of new products to win back a clientele that has drifted away in recent years - perhaps lured into a more healthy lifestyle - as well as campaigns to ensure quality and safety among products.

The Second Wine and Gourmet Japan event is being organized by Koelnmesse, which runs Anuga, the world's largest annual food industry trade show in Cologne. The Japanese event will this year include a business-to-business platform to promote deals between producers and sellers of high-quality foods and beverages, as well as ingredients, both domestic and imported.

The event is also open to companies looking to promote containers and packaging, as well as manufacturers of equipment, instruments and materials.

FABEX
April 7-9

Venue: Tokyo Big Sight, East Exhibition Hall, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0063.

Hours: Open 10 am to 6 pm

Admission: Free for anyone who registers in advance and Y3,000 (€24.32) at the door.

For further information: http://www.fabex.jp/modules/pico01/index.php?content_id=24
Tel. +81 3 3523 2755.

JR