• 500+ exhibitors and 1,500+ brands across ingredients, processing, automation, and packaging
• 15,000+ food and beverage professionals expected from 50+ countries, creating new sourcing, partnership and business opportunities
• 80+ speakers and 30+ knowledge sessions exploring food innovation, formulation, automation, packaging and future-ready manufacturing
• India’s food-processing capacity expanding rapidly, with 34 lakh metric tonnes of additional annual processing and preservation capacity under the PLI scheme

MUMBAI, 27^th AUGUST, 2026 | GPN, SACHIN MURDESHWAR:  The 20^th edition of Fi India and the 8^th edition of ProPak India commenced at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, bringing together the ingredients, processing and packaging value chain from 26th to 28th August 2026. This milestone edition arrives at a pivotal moment for India’s food manufacturing sector, which is experiencing sustained expansion across the entire value chain.

India’s food additives and ingredients industry is forecast to grow to US$15 billion by 2031, while the packaging industry is on course to reach US$92 billion by FY2030, registering a CAGR of 9%. These trends are complemented by a packaged food and beverages market projected to cross US$150 billion by 2030, reflecting the increasing depth, diversification and investment potential within India’s food value chain.

The three-day exhibition commenced with a grand inaugural ceremony attended by key dignitaries and senior industry leaders, including Dr Prabodh Halde, Head-Technical Regulatory Affairs, Marico Ltd & West Zone Chairman of All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA); Kaushik Desai, Secretary General – Health Foods and Dietary Supplements Association (HADSA); FT Ritesh Mathur, President, AFSTI Mumbai chapter; Praveer Srivastava, Executive Director, Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA); Mr. Nilesh Lele, President, Chamber for Advancement of small and Medium Business (CASMB); AVPS Chakravarty, Global Ambassador World Packaging Organisation (WPO); Mr. Rajesh Kumar Gera, Director, SIES School of Packaging; Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India; Mr. Rahul Deshpande, Sr. Group Director, Informa Markets in India and Jayesh Kanaskar, Commercial Director, Pharma & Food Shows, Informa Markets in India.

Scale Across the Food Manufacturing Value Chain

With 500+ exhibitors and 1,500+ brands across the two shows, Fi India and ProPak India bring together a comprehensive cross-section of the food manufacturing value chain. Fi India features 350+ exhibitors and 1,200+ brands, while ProPak India hosts 150+ exhibitors and 300+ brands across processing, packaging and manufacturing technologies. More than 15,000 industry professionals, with participation spanning over 50 countries, are expected at the 2026 edition, strengthening opportunities for sourcing, partnerships and business exchange.

Dr Prabodh Halde, Head-Technical Regulatory Affairs, Marico Ltd & West Zone Chairman of All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA), said “India’s food ingredients and additives market has grown into a significant domestic opportunity, currently valued at around ₹85,000 crore, with natural ingredients—including nutraceuticals—accounting for an estimated 30–35% and growing at a double-digit pace. The next phase of growth, however, must focus on greater value addition, stronger exports and closer integration across farmers, processors, research institutions and industry. Food processing is critical to improving farm incomes; for instance, turmeric that may command around ₹250 per kg as a raw commodity can generate value of up to ₹800 per kg when processed into high-value curcumin for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications. The sector also has significant employment potential, with approximately 10 jobs generated for every ₹1 crore of investment in food processing and ingredients. With India’s abundant agricultural resources and growing domestic demand for healthier and natural products, strengthening processing and innovation capabilities can create greater value for farmers, expand exports and make food ingredients and processing an important engine of India’s economic growth.”

Mr. Praveer Srivastava, Executive Director, Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA), said “India is witnessing a clear shift from calorie-consciousness to nutritional consciousness, with protein emerging as a key driver of food choices. The plant-based food sector is growing at around 18% CAGR, significantly ahead of the 7–8% global growth rate, while the plant-protein ingredients market is currently valued at approximately ₹4,500 crore and is expected to double over the next five years. However, nearly 90% of plant-protein ingredients are currently imported, highlighting a significant opportunity for domestic manufacturing and value addition. The branded dairy and meat-alternative segment, currently valued at around ₹500 crore, has already recorded around 64% growth over the past three years. Beyond nutrition, plant-based foods can play an important role in building more sustainable food systems, particularly as India works towards its net-zero target for 2070. With plant-based protein identified as one of the growth engines by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, greater policy support can help build domestic capabilities and reduce import dependence. This is especially important for a capital-intensive industry, where setting up an ingredient-extraction facility with a capacity of around 10–15 tons per day can entail a minimum investment of ₹200–250 crore. With India’s abundant raw-material base, strengthening the domestic ecosystem can drive import substitution, attract investment and eventually position India as a global supplier of plant-based food and ingredients. Platforms such as Fi India play an important role in bringing this evolving ecosystem together, connecting ingredient producers, food businesses and other stakeholders to accelerate innovation and industry growth.”

Highlighting the rapid growth and rising strategic importance of the packaging industry, Mr. Chakravarthi AVPS, Global Ambassador, World Packaging Organisation (WPO), said, “The global packaging industry has already crossed $1.2 trillion, with India racing toward $100 billion, reflecting how packaging now sits at the very start of innovation, not as an afterthought, but as the product’s first handshake with the customer, shaping shelf life, safety, and consumer trust. Since its Delhi debut in 2018, ProPak India has grown into one of South Asia’s most significant industry platforms, reflecting how India’s manufacturing story is galloping forward. Two shifts define this moment: sustainability, where circular economy and eco-friendly materials are now boardroom priorities, and smart automation, with AI-driven quality checks and robotics transforming factory floors, as India moves from importing this technology to designing and manufacturing it for the world.”

Mr. Kaushik Desai, Secretary General, Health Foods and Dietary Supplements Association (HADSA), said “Food is moving beyond calories towards active nutrition, functional benefits and healthy ageing, with advances in precision fermentation, gut-health ingredients, natural colours and preservatives, clean-label formulations, biotechnology and AI-enabled product development. Personalised nutrition, supply-chain traceability, carbon-footprint reduction and circular-economy models are also shaping the next phase of growth. With its rich biodiversity, agricultural strength and traditional knowledge, India has the potential to emerge as a global hub for health ingredients by combining Ayurveda with modern science. Achieving this will require greater collaboration across industry, regulators and research institutions, backed by scientific rigour, regulatory compliance, quality, sustainability and consumer trust. The technical sessions at Fi India, including HADSA’s ‘From Nature to Next-Gen Foods’ programme, further provide an avenue to advance these conversations and translate innovation into healthier, more sustainable food solutions.”

Mr. Rajesh Kumar Gehra, Advisor and Chief Strategist, SIES School of Packaging, Packaging Technology Centre, spoke on the sustainability push reshaping India’s food processing and packaging industry. He said, “India’s food processing industry is projected to become a $600 billion opportunity by 2030, and with new government regulations, this industry can no longer avoid addressing what happens to packaging once the product is gone. Recycled PET capacity for direct food contact stands at 7.5 lakh tons per annum today and will reach 11 lakh tons in the next two years, as mandated recycled content rises from 30% in 2025 to 40% now, and eventually 50 to 60%. PET consumption itself has grown 10 to 12% annually and is projected to grow 14 to 16% going forward, with automatic sorting machinery now being developed in India at less than half the cost of imported alternatives. A recycled content mandate is not a burden to be endured, it is a design brief to be answered, and industries that treat sustainability as part of their cost structure are the ones that will prosper.”

Highlighting the convergence of food innovation and manufacturing, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India, said, “India’s food manufacturing ecosystem is entering a more advanced phase of growth, where the opportunity is no longer defined only by rising consumption, but by the industry’s ability to innovate, add value and manufacture at scale. As consumer expectations evolve and product categories become more diverse, manufacturers are increasingly looking at the entire value chain—from ingredients and formulation to processing, automation and packaging—to build greater efficiency, consistency and competitiveness.

The scale of this opportunity is also reflected in the rapid expansion of India’s food-processing capabilities. Government data shows that exports of agricultural processed food products supported under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme grew at a CAGR of 13.23% between 2019–20 and 2024–25, while food-processing and preservation capacity expanded by 34 lakh metric tonnes per annum. These developments point to a food manufacturing ecosystem that is increasingly focused on scale, efficiency, value addition and global competitiveness, creating greater demand for advanced processing, production and packaging solutions.

Fi India and ProPak India bring these capabilities together across the food manufacturing value chain—from what goes into a product to how it is processed, produced and packaged. The breadth of participation at this year’s editions reflects the evolving capabilities of India’s food manufacturing ecosystem and its potential to strengthen domestic manufacturing while further positioning India as a competitive player in global food supply chains.”

Fi India Showcases Ingredients Driving New Food Categories

Fi India 2026 brings together a comprehensive ingredients’ portfolio across additives, food colours and flavours, natural ingredients, nutraceuticals, plant extracts, proteins, starches, dairy ingredients, sweeteners, herbs and spices and other specialised food ingredients. The mix reflects widening ingredient requirements across nutrition, beverages, bakery, dairy, convenience foods and health-focused categories.

Among the participating companies are KP Manish Global Ingredients, Ace International, Brenntag Ingredients India, Azelis (India), IMCD India, Norex Flavours, Novasol Ingredients, Godrej Industries, Asha Ram & Sons, Drytech Process India, UniBourne Food Ingredients, Sonarome / Robertet India, and Spice Board India among others.

The show floor is complemented by the Innovative Product Showcase, Global Trends Zone, Fund Quest, B2B Matchmaking and CXO Roundtable, along with dedicated MSME, China and International Pavilions. Fi India is also hosting a two-day knowledge programme with 40+ speakers across 15+ sessions, covering food regulations, formulation and ingredient innovation, gut health, sustainability and emerging technologies. Official event features also include live demonstrations and the Fi India Awards.

ProPak India Tracks the Evolution of Processing, Automation and Packaging

Running alongside Fi India, ProPak India gives manufacturers access to technologies across processing machinery, finished packaging materials, automation, coding and marking, filling lines, form-fill-seal systems, packaging equipment and converting, and supply-chain solutions. These categories represent the core technology requirements for modern food manufacturing operations.

The exhibition includes companies such as Serac Packaging Solutions, Vibgyor International, Goma Engineering, Harikrushna Machines, Mehta Hitech Industries, Wraptech Machines, Starpac India and Clearpack Automation, among others.

The 2026 edition also brings a dedicated Taiwan Pavilion, adding another international technology showcase to the event. Visitors can also access B2B meetings, a Start-Up Pavilion and live technology demonstrations, allowing manufacturers to evaluate equipment and solutions directly against production requirements.

A conference programme featuring 40+ industry experts across more than 20 sessions will examine packaging innovation, manufacturing excellence, automation, regulatory developments, resource efficiency and future-ready production systems.

Fi India and ProPak India are supported by leading industry bodies including the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists of India (AFSTI), Indian Beverage Association (IBA), Chamber for Advancement of Small and Medium Businesses (CASMB), Health Foods and Dietary Supplements Association (HADSA) and the All India Food Processing Association (AIFPA).