Food & Catering Show

The Food Catering Show is a business-oriented trade show that brings together ingredients, equipment and materials for sites that "cook and supply in large volumes," such as institutional catering, bento, ready meals and delivery. Held at Tokyo Big Sight as a component show of HCJ together with HOTERES JAPAN and the Kitchen Equipment Show, it gives school lunch providers, medical catering for hospitals and senior care facilities, staff cafeterias, catered bento and deli businesses a place to compare products directly linked to daily menu planning and cost control in one visit. This article covers the dates, venue, exhibitor categories and how to register as a visitor, as well as what large-scale cooking sites should consider when evaluating purchases and how to think about novelties for proposals and giveaways to these businesses.

Food Catering Show at a Glance

The upcoming edition is the 48th, to be held in March 2027. The venue is Halls 1–6 of the East Hall at Tokyo Big Sight, and admission is free with advance visitor registration. Because visitors can also tour HOTERES JAPAN and the Kitchen Equipment Show at the same time, institutional catering and ready-meal businesses can gather information on ingredients and menus and compare the equipment and materials that support cooking and supply, all within the same show period.

Item	48th edition (2027)	Next edition (2028)
Dates	March 16 (Tue) – 19 (Fri), 2027	Not yet announced
Opening hours	10:00–17:00 (until 16:30 on the final day)	Not yet announced
Venue	Tokyo Big Sight East Hall, Halls 1–6	Not yet announced
Admission	Free (advance visitor registration required)	Not yet announced
Organizer	Japan Contract Food Service Association, Japan Bento Service Association, Japan Medical Food Service Association, Japan Management Association	Not yet announced

The fact that associations for institutional catering, bento and medical catering are among the organizers says a lot about the character of this show. Its visitors differ from shows centered on hotel and restaurant kitchens; it gathers sites that must reliably supply a large number of meals within a fixed budget. It is also the time when purchasing staff and dietitians who plan menus walk the floor with next fiscal year's menus and orders in mind.

What companies and products does it attract?

Eligible categories

The core exhibits are commercial ingredients and beverages, semi-prepared foods, frozen foods and retort pouches for institutional catering and bento, as well as bento containers, packaging materials and hygiene and cleaning products. At large-scale cooking sites, how much prep work can be reduced directly affects staffing, so there is demand for "ingredients that shorten the cooking process," such as pre-cut, pre-boiled or just-rehydrate items. Dried goods and dried vegetables, which can be stored at room temperature and make inventory easy to adjust, are also on display as ingredients that broaden menu options.

Fresh produce is subject to large price swings and unstable supply depending on the weather, which can make menu planning difficult at large-scale cooking sites. Ingredients prepared in long-lasting forms such as dried, frozen or retort-packed have more predictable prices and can be rehydrated or used only as needed, making it easier to handle changes in the number of meals. The practical value of this show is being able to compare products based on this kind of "ease of use."

Who Attends

Visitors are mainly contract catering companies serving schools, companies, hospitals and senior care facilities, ready-meal businesses making catered bento and deli foods, staff cafeteria operators, and delivery and catering businesses. By role, many are purchasing staff, registered dietitians and dietitians who design menus, and managers responsible for shops and facilities. It is a gathering of people who share the same challenges: daily menus, costs and juggling staff.

Even among food shows, while restaurant and hotel chefs look for inspiration for new menus, visitors to this show choose products based on whether they can "keep serving a set number of meals reliably on a set budget." Exhibitors who are ready to answer questions not only about taste but also about yield, work time, storage conditions and allergen labeling will find their business meetings becoming more concrete.

Component Shows Held Together as HCJ

The Food Catering Show is held concurrently with HOTERES JAPAN and the Kitchen Equipment Show as "HCJ." HOTERES JAPAN covers equipment and services supporting hotel and restaurant operations, while the Kitchen Equipment Show is a specialist show for commercial cooking equipment and infrastructure. Institutional catering and ready-meal businesses can tour not only ingredients but also the equipment supporting large-scale cooking and facilities for more efficient supply, all in the same venue.

At large-scale cooking sites, daily supply only works when ingredient selection meshes with the systems for cooking, storing and delivering them. With its component shows side by side, HCJ lets businesses that want to review menus and improve kitchen operations at the same time gather information all in one place.

Highlights for visitors and exhibitors

Comparing Ingredients Suited to Large-Scale Cooking

At the show, you can see, touch and compare semi-prepared foods that skip prep work and dried ingredients that can be used simply by rehydrating. For purchasing staff and dietitians, yield, rehydration and how well flavor holds up differ by manufacturer even for the same item, so being able to check samples on the spot provides information that feeds directly into menu design. Asking about price range, minimum order quantity and storage conditions all at once makes it easier to compare quotes later.

Information on Hygiene Management and Allergen Handling

Hygiene management and allergen handling are essential in institutional and medical catering. The show gathers exhibitors of hygiene and cleaning materials and ingredients with well-organized ingredient labeling and allergen information, so you can confirm directly whether they meet your site's standards. For staff planning menus for facility residents or schoolchildren, it is an opportunity to choose ingredients while confirming safety.

Finding Labor-Saving Solutions for Staff Shortages

Securing staff is an ongoing challenge at large-scale cooking sites. The show features ingredients that reduce prep work and materials that simplify tasks, and at the concurrent Kitchen Equipment Show you can also explore labor-saving cooking equipment. If you walk the floor thinking about which steps of your current menu could be shortened, you can take home concrete measures for maintaining supply with limited staff.

For companies considering exhibiting

Exhibitors are manufacturers, wholesalers and processors that want to deliver ingredients and materials to institutional catering, bento, ready-meal and delivery sites. Details on booth formats and booth fees can be confirmed with the organizing associations or through the inquiry desk on the official website. Since most visitors judge products by "number of meals," "budget" and "work time," summarizing not only taste but also yield, rehydration method, storage conditions and supply capacity on a single sheet helps move business meetings forward on the spot.

It is effective to make the samples you hand out at the booth something visitors can take back and test in their own kitchens. If registered dietitians and purchasing staff can actually rehydrate and use them after returning to their facilities and confirm yield and taste, it leads to the next quote or adoption review. Offering a form that can be tried in small quantities makes it easier to get a "we'll give it a try" at the first meeting.

Visitor registration and how to participate

Admission requires advance registration on the official website, and registered visitors receive the information needed for entry. You can avoid crowds at reception on the day and select the booths you want to visit from the exhibitor list before the show. Tokyo Big Sight is within walking distance of both Kokusai-Tenjijo Station on the Rinkai Line and Tokyo Big Sight Station on the Yurikamome Line. Since the show runs for several days, if several purchasing staff or dietitians are coming from afar, dividing up the booths to visit in advance lets you gather information efficiently.

Tips for Institutional Catering and Ready-Meal Businesses

At large-scale cooking sites, ingredients with predictable prices, little prep work and the flexibility to use only what is needed keep menus stable. Vegetables that are hard to handle fresh can be stored at room temperature and used simply by rehydrating once they are dried or powdered, making it easier to handle changes in the number of meals. Agriture processes dried vegetables, vegetable powders and dried vegetable soups, and can help design rehydration characteristics and cut sizes that are easy to handle in large-scale cooking, starting from the raw material selection stage.

Feedback from cooking sites gathered at the show becomes material for your next product. Take home requests such as "please shorten this rehydration time" or "I'd like to add one more color," prototype in small lots and then make your next proposal. This makes it easier to build a path toward adoption in institutional catering and ready-meal menus.

"Rehydratable Dried Vegetable Novelties" to Hand to Institutional Catering and Ready-Meal Sites

Visitors to the Food Catering Show choose products based on "whether it will really work in my kitchen" rather than on their impression of the taste. That is why a sachet they can take home and rehydrate in their own kitchen leaves a stronger impression than a verbal explanation. If you hand out dried vegetables or dried vegetable soups that are easy to handle even in large-scale cooking as trial samples, they become a starting point for staff to check yield and taste after returning to their facilities.

Why "Rehydratable Dried Vegetables" at This Show

Dried vegetables are light and easy to carry home at room temperature, and institutional catering and ready-meal staff can try them as they are in their own kitchens, which fits this show's visitors well. Packed in sachets, they are easy to hand out during business meetings, and visitors can experience their ease of use, such as "adding color just by rehydrating" and "reducing prep work," both on the spot and after taking them home. Agriture can prepare dried vegetables and dried vegetable soups in small lots (from 50 bags) and produce prototypes with cut sizes and rehydration characteristics designed for large-scale cooking. They can be used either as sachets for event visitors or as trial samples handed out in business meetings.

From Trial Samples to Regular Adoption in Institutional Catering and Ready-Meal Menus

Sachets handed out at the show can double as the first step toward adoption. Staff rehydrate them in their kitchens to check taste and yield, and if the results are promising, the next step is a prototype with specifications matched to the facility's number of meals. Because small lots are possible, you can also prepare several cut sizes and flavors to see which fit the site's operations. Rehydration time, color and packaging units can all be adjusted, making it easier to turn feedback from trial samples into regular adoption in institutional catering and ready-meal menus.

FAQ | Food Catering Show

Is there an admission fee?

Admission is free with advance visitor registration. Reception gets crowded on the day, so advance registration on the official website is recommended.

How is it different from HOTERES JAPAN and the Kitchen Equipment Show?

All are held concurrently as component shows of HCJ, but the Food Catering Show focuses on ingredients and materials for large-scale cooking and supply sites such as institutional catering, bento, ready meals and delivery. The inclusion of associations for institutional catering, bento and medical catering among the organizers is reflected in the difference in visitors.

When is the show in 2027?

The 48th edition will be held March 16 (Tue) – 19 (Fri), 2027 in Halls 1–6 of the East Hall at Tokyo Big Sight. Opening hours are 10:00–17:00, closing at 16:30 on the final day. Dates for 2028 and beyond have not been announced, so check the official website for the latest information.

Who attends the show?

Many visitors are purchasing staff at contract catering companies and ready-meal and bento businesses, registered dietitians and dietitians who design menus, and managers responsible for facilities and shops. What sets it apart from shows for restaurants is that products are chosen based on the number of meals, budget and work time.

Which ingredients are easy to handle at large-scale cooking sites?

Dried vegetables and dried vegetable soups, which can be stored at room temperature and rehydrated only as needed, have predictable prices and make it easier to handle changes in the number of meals. Because they reduce prep work, they also help with staffing.

Summary | Reviewing Purchasing for Large-Scale Cooking at the Food Catering Show

The Food Catering Show is a business-oriented trade show for institutional catering, bento, ready-meal and delivery sites, held March 16–19, 2027 in the East Hall of Tokyo Big Sight. Across the HCJ component shows, you can compare ingredients suited to large-scale cooking, check hygiene and allergen handling, and find labor-saving solutions for staff shortages all at once. If you are considering reviewing your purchasing, starting with dried vegetables that store at room temperature and are ready after rehydrating, and first testing samples in your own kitchen, makes it easier to plan menus and costs.

Official information: HCJ (HOTERES JAPAN / Food Catering Show / Kitchen Equipment Show) Official Website

Recommended reading

Commercial dried vegetables / Original vegetable novelties / NEXT TABLE Exhibition / Restaurant Industry Innovation Week Tokyo

Last updated: August 12, 2026