At Alimentaria FoodTech in Barcelona, Jesús Manuel Hernández and Darío Sánchez are meeting potential exhibitors and visitors on behalf of FIC 2028. The 2026 event is scheduled for 6-8 October at the Gran Via Fira de Barcelona. Organisers expect more than 330 exhibiting companies from 22 countries across approximately 15,000 square metres; international companies are expected to make up 26% of participants.
The directors are using the Barcelona event to introduce the 2028 Feria de la Industria Cárnica to companies and professionals who may attend the Guijuelo fair. For now, their focus is on building contacts before the next edition takes shape.
Alimentaria FoodTech covers machinery and technology, along with ingredients for the food and beverage sector. Its scope includes production, processing and preservation, bringing together several parts of the industrial food chain.
The Barcelona visit gives the FIC directors a chance to reach potential participants at a major international industry gathering.
Hernández and Sánchez have held meetings with possible future exhibitors and visitors. Those involved have not been named, and no signed agreements or confirmed registrations have been announced. The meetings aim to build links ahead of the Guijuelo event.
FIC 2028 is already being promoted, but contacts in Barcelona do not amount to a final exhibitor list. The fair's full line-up remains unknown, and no official FIC or Guijuelo municipal announcement has confirmed the 2028 dates, budget, targets or detailed programme.
Europa Press reports that the 2026 programme includes more than 140 experts and 38 startups. Its agenda covers automation and artificial intelligence, as well as digitalisation, food safety and sustainability. It also features technology and ingredients for producing, processing and preserving food and beverages.
Alimentaria FoodTech gives the campaign a wide base, reaching the food and beverage industry from raw materials through commercial distribution. That gives FIC representatives a chance to speak with companies involved in several stages of production, beyond meat processing.
The two fairs cover different markets, but their industrial interests overlap. Both touch on production, processing and preservation, giving the FIC team a useful setting to identify companies with relevant equipment and expertise.
The event's international reach adds to the chance. The previous edition drew more than 370 exhibitors and over 15,800 visitors from 30 countries, figures cited by the organisers and reported by Europa Press. They point to a broad pool of companies and professionals for the FIC campaign to approach.
The listed exhibitors also show the breadth of the technology network around the event. MIMASA, Handtmann, Weber, Hiperbaric, ULMA, Tetra Pak, Roser Group, CSB System and Bizerba are linked to equipment, automation, ingredients and production systems. Their presence reflects the sector's range, but does not confirm that any of them will take part in FIC 2028.
A related account of the Barcelona technology fair appears in an earlier FoodTech report, which offers more detail on the event's role in food production.
The business programme extends beyond exhibition stands. Alimentaria FoodTech includes 60 FoodTech Innovarena sessions, a Startup Corner and the FoodTech Awards Innova and Emprende. In 2026, organisers also added separate recognition for scientific achievements in food technology, giving researchers and developers of emerging technologies another way to connect with the industry.
For the Feria de la Industria Cárnica, the immediate result is contact-building, not new contracts or confirmed participants. Hernández and Sánchez have taken the FIC 2028 message to a broader food technology forum, where they are seeking future links for the Guijuelo fair. They are looking for exhibitors and visitors before the fair's own opening cycle begins; confirmed participation remains unannounced.
