Food Development Exhibition 2026

"Food Development Expo (Hi Japan)" is a specialized trade show that brings together ingredients and raw materials for food R&D and product development, functional ingredients, contract manufacturing, and development, production and analysis technologies in one place. Built around Health ingredients (Hi), it focuses on food ingredients and manufacturing technology, and most visitors are R&D and product development staff at food manufacturers. This article covers the dates, venue, exhibitor categories and visitor registration, as well as how to connect with staff looking for ingredients for new products and how to think about novelties that hand out prototype samples in meetings.

Food Development Expo (Hi Japan) at a glance

The next edition is the 37th, held in October 2026. The venue is West Halls 1, 2 and 4 and the Atrium at Tokyo Big Sight, and admission requires advance visitor registration. The dates for 2027 had not been announced at the time of writing, so please check the official website for the latest schedule. As the name "Health ingredients (Hi)" suggests, it is less a trade show for finished foods and more a show of ingredients and technologies aimed at those who make food.

Item	37th	Next edition
Dates	October 14 (Wed) – 16 (Fri), 2026	Not yet announced (check the official website)
Venue	Tokyo Big Sight West Halls 1, 2, 4 & Atrium	Not yet announced
Admission	Advance visitor registration required	Not yet announced
Organizer	Informa Markets Japan Co., Ltd.	Not yet announced

Food trade shows fall into two types: business meeting shows that sell finished products, and ingredient shows that deal in raw materials and manufacturing technology. Food Development Expo belongs to the latter, a place where ingredient makers and contract manufacturers propose their ingredients and technologies to food manufacturers' development staff. For those searching for ingredients, it offers a cross-section of candidate raw materials for new products; for suppliers, it is a chance to talk directly with staff in the early stages of development.

What companies and products does it attract?

Product and technology categories for exhibitors

Exhibitors mainly offer food ingredients and raw materials, functional ingredients, contract manufacturing (OEM), and development, production and analysis equipment. A wide range of technologies supporting everything from development to mass production is also on show, including safety and hygiene technologies, packaging technologies and manufacturing technologies for powdered and liquid foods. What sets it apart from typical food business meeting shows is that the stars are not finished foods but the "ingredients" and "methods" that come before them.

Ingredients made by drying or powdering vegetables and fruit also fall into this category. Development staff come looking for candidates for new products, such as ingredients for coloring and flavoring or for blending into doughs and beverages, so the show is also a place to propose processed vegetable ingredients. Presenting not just a single ingredient but also recipes and prototype proposals using it helps visitors move their evaluation forward.

R&D and product development staff who attend

Visitors are mainly R&D and product development staff at food manufacturers. They go from booth to booth looking for ingredients for new products or improvements to existing ones, comparing them on taste, color, ease of use and supply stability. Their interests differ from those of finished-product buyers: conversations center on "how can we build this ingredient into our products," so meetings move forward when you can link an ingredient's characteristics to specific uses.

Because staff compare several booths and take the information back to their companies, things are rarely decided on the spot. That is exactly why handing over ingredient samples they can take home and test, together with materials describing uses and whether small-lot prototypes are possible, makes it easier for them to remember you during internal reviews.

Co-located shows and components

Food Development Expo consists of several specialized shows and special pavilions. The main components officially announced are as follows, and the advantage of attending as a combined show is being able to cover everything from ingredients to manufacturing, preservation and safety in one visit.

Component show / pavilion	Theme
Hi (Health ingredients)	Health-related food ingredients
FiT (Food Taste)	Ingredients related to taste and flavor
S-tec (Safety & Technology)	Safety and hygiene technologies
LL (Food Long Life)	Technologies related to preservation and shelf life
Special pavilions	Fermented ingredients / Upcycled ingredients / Tea raw materials from around the world / Pet food

The fact that the special pavilions include "upcycled ingredients" and "tea raw materials from around the world" shows that turning off-spec produce and unused raw materials into ingredients is one of the themes of this show. Drying and powdering vegetables to repurpose them as ingredients fits squarely in this context.

Highlights for visitors and exhibitors

Compare candidate ingredients for new products all at once

For development staff, the highlight is being able to compare candidate ingredients for new products all at once. They can check taste, color, form and ease of use with actual samples, so they can judge on the spot how usable something is in ways that materials alone cannot show. For exhibitors, whether they can show ingredient characteristics tied to specific uses is what determines whether a meeting leads anywhere.

Finding contract manufacturing and OEM partners

Companies offering contract manufacturing and OEM exhibit alongside ingredient suppliers. Finding an ingredient does not mean you can mass-produce with it in-house, so being able to look for partners to handle processing and manufacturing at the same venue is a big advantage. Finding a partner you can consult on everything from ingredient supply to prototypes and small-lot production speeds up development.

Learning about trends in development, manufacturing and analysis technology

During the show, information on ingredients and on manufacturing and analysis technologies comes together. Technologies related to safety, hygiene and preservation are on display at the same time, so you can survey product development from upstream to downstream in a short time. Research exhibitors in your areas of interest before the show and decide which booths to visit so you don't waste limited time.

For companies considering exhibiting

Exhibitors include companies supplying food ingredients and raw materials, contract manufacturing and OEM companies, and companies handling equipment and technology for development and production. Details on exhibition formats and booth fees are available from the organizer, Informa Markets Japan Co., Ltd., or through the contact desk on the official website. Since visitors are development staff, booths that show concretely "in which process of which products our ingredients can be used" work better than promoting finished products.

Prepare trial samples of the ingredients themselves along with a one-page sheet covering example uses, whether small-lot prototypes are possible and your supply capacity, and visitors can begin evaluating on the spot. Make the samples handed out at your booth something that can be taken back and tested in-house, and they will remember your company during the review stage after the meeting.

Visitor registration and how to participate

Admission requires advance registration on the official website. Once registered, you receive the information needed for entry and can research exhibitors before the show to choose which booths to visit. To reach Tokyo Big Sight easily, use Tokyo Big Sight Station on the Yurikamome Line or Kokusai-Tenjijo Station on the Rinkai Line. The registration opening date and on-site reception procedures vary from year to year, so please check the official website for the latest information. Hotels nearby fill up during the show, so if you are coming from afar for several days, book early.

[For Food Development Expo] Building connections with ingredient makers and development staff

Visitors to Food Development Expo are staff looking for ingredients for new products. Building connections here comes down to getting your ingredients onto their list of candidates rather than pitching finished products. Ingredients made by drying and powdering vegetables can become development candidates for coloring, flavoring, or blending into doughs and beverages, so showing them together with their uses helps staff remember you.

Agriture dries and powders off-spec vegetables, so the ingredients themselves can be handed out as trial samples and lead to discussions about adoption or joint development. Take home comments heard at the show, such as "We want this color" or "We'd like to try this vegetable," make small-lot prototypes, and go into your next meeting with them to make development discussions more concrete.

Hand out vegetable powders development staff can "mix into their own prototypes"

The people who come to Food Development Expo are development staff who want to test ingredients with their own hands for new products and improvements. Even after checking color and flavor at the venue, they cannot fully judge on the spot how an ingredient will work in their own doughs or beverages. That is why handing out vegetable powder in small pouches, in amounts that are easy to mix, lets staff try it in their prototypes as soon as they return to the office.

Include example uses to hand over the first step toward a prototype

Vegetable powder is an ingredient that can be used for coloring, flavoring and blending into doughs and beverages. Add example uses to the pouch, such as "Mix into baked goods dough" or "Use as a base for soups and sauces," and development staff can immediately picture how they would use it. Agriture can supply dried vegetables and powders upcycled from off-spec vegetables in small lots, and can also present them from the angle of reducing food loss.

Bring back prototype feedback and move on to joint development discussions

When someone at the venue says something like "We'd like to pair this vegetable with our dough," note that use and which of your ingredients they responded to. With those notes on hand, your follow-up proposal can start from a concrete prototype discussion. By adjusting color and particle size through repeated prototypes, you can grow the conversation into ingredient adoption or joint development starting from raw material selection.

FAQ: Food Development Expo (Hi Japan)

What kind of trade show is Food Development Expo?

It is a specialized show bringing together ingredients and raw materials for food R&D and product development, functional ingredients, contract manufacturing, and development, production and analysis technologies. Rather than a business meeting show for selling finished products, it is more of an ingredients and technology show aimed at those who make food.

When are the 2026 and 2027 editions?

The 37th edition in 2026 runs October 14–16 at Tokyo Big Sight. The 2027 dates had not been announced at the time of writing, so please check the official website for the latest schedule.

Is it different from ifia or HFE?

Food Development Expo is organized by Informa Markets Japan, a different organizer from other food ingredient shows. Several shows cover similar fields, so please check the name and organizer on the official website before exhibiting or visiting.

Who attends?

Mainly R&D and product development staff at food manufacturers. They come looking for ingredients for new products and improvements, so meetings progress more easily when you can propose ingredients by linking their characteristics to specific uses.

Can ingredient samples for handing out at the booth be made in small lots?

Yes. Agriture can supply vegetable powders and dried vegetables in small lots (from 50 bags), which can be used both as trial samples handed out at shows and as prototypes toward ingredient adoption.

Summary: Making ingredient connections for new products at Food Development Expo

Food Development Expo is a specialized show focused on ingredients, raw materials and manufacturing technology, held October 14–16, 2026, at Tokyo Big Sight. Visitors are mainly development staff looking for ingredients for new products.

For ingredient suppliers, the shortcut is to hand out vegetable powder with example uses in small pouches that development staff can mix into their own prototypes. Let them test compatibility at their desks, bring back the use cases you heard at the venue, and you can move on to discussions about ingredient adoption or joint development. Powders upcycled from off-spec vegetables are handouts well suited to this show as candidate ingredients for coloring and flavoring.

Official information: Food Development Expo (Hi Japan) official website

Official information: Food Development Expo (Hi Japan) official website

Recommended reading

Commercial dried vegetables and vegetable powders / Original vegetable novelties / Japanese Food Export EXPO / FOODEX JAPAN

Last updated: August 12, 2026