99th Internorga highlights latest trends

Tischer, who is also a trend scout, briefed experts in catering, food services and hotel industries on the latest mega snacking trend. Take for instance the Enigma drink. A cocktail bar in Barcelona has created a slightly provocative container in the shape of an open head - with a jellied yoghurt heart floating inside for snacking. "This makes for lots of social media posts and perfect advertising." Snacks should be smartphone-friendly and fit into just one hand leaving the other hand free. Examples include sushi dogs, a trend from London, which is a mix of sushi and hot dogs and is available in Hamburg at Sushi Supply or pizza sandwiches from Mezzaluna. Nowadays, pizzas can be served with dips, says Tischer. "That way you can enjoy it to the end. The extra sauce makes the pizza even tastier and does not go to waste."

"Artificial intelligence (AI) can also do that", said Petra Vorsteher, joint founder of the AI-Hamburg and the AI.Group "AI leads to more accurate sales forecasts, so we only make what we're actually going to sell. That avoids food waste, makes better use of resources, optimises the availability of goods and reduces the workload on staff." This year, solutions and AI business models took centre stage in the AI Centre. "AI is no longer a pipe dream, it's a game-changer," added Ragnar Kruse, who founded the AI.Group with Vorsteher. "Thanks to affordable, easy-to-use solutions, AI can boost efficiency, optimise procedures and create positive experiences for customers and employees."

A growing number of frozen and convenience products are also easing the workload on catering staff. Sales in the global convenience food market are expected to rise from EUR 639 billion in 2025 to a good EUR 872 billion in 2030, according to Statista. In 2024, almost every other food exhibitor at Internorga manufactured frozen products. At this year's Internorga, Salomon Food World proved that cooking with pre-prepared food can be fun and prepared smash burgers at its stand - using ready-made patties that take only minutes. This American trend, in which the meat is flattened or smashed to make it crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, is not as new as the smashed fries trend, but is rapidly gaining popularity in Germany, said Jörg Landfried, who presented at the burger stand. Experiments are constantly being carried out to get the right flavour and even with melted gummy bears. Sounds strange but tastes like sweet ketchup and is a bit of a handful. This drawback means it has yet to conquer the convenience market.

The Swedish Scandic Hotels Group scooped the Internorga Future Prize 2025  for its sustainability strategy in the "Gastronomy & Hotels" category, Verrano won the "Food & Beverages" category with cold cuts made from fermented root vegetables and dishwasher manufacturer Hobart impressed in the "Technology & Equipment" category with its Smart Vision Control approach. The AI-based system improves dishwashing and cuts the amount of water used and energy consumption. Around 4,500 food companies employ 123,000 employees in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Founded in September 2024, the Hamburg Food Cluster links up the various stakeholders and raises Hamburg's international visibility as an important relevant food centre.
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