Koelnmesse and DLG Form Global Food Trade Fair Alliance

Koelnmesse and the German Agricultural Society, DLG, have signed a strategic alliance to develop and connect food and agriculture trade fairs across international markets. The partners formalised the cooperation in Cologne on September 10, 2026, through a memorandum of understanding covering existing events and potential new formats.

The alliance is designed to link agricultural production with food processing, packaging and technology more directly. Its scope includes food and food technology, alternative proteins and New Food, as well as dairy production and processing, with digitalisation, artificial intelligence and resource efficiency identified as cross cutting subjects.

The first named project is the expansion of Anuga FoodTec India Dairy in New Delhi. The event was held for the first time in 2026 and brings together dairy production, processing, packaging and technology, giving the partners a base from which to develop a broader international dairy platform.

Koelnmesse and DLG are using the working title Global Dairy Alliance for that effort. Their stated goal is to connect milk production, industrial processing, packaging and quality assurance more closely by combining existing events, technical networks and future formats.

A second strand will bring Anuga FoodTec into closer cooperation with DLG's Inhouse Farming Convention. The production focused event covers indoor and vertical farming, alternative proteins, new raw material sources and cellular agriculture, while Anuga FoodTec adds industrial processing, packaging, automation, food safety and resource efficiency.

The agreement builds on the organisations' existing relationship around Anuga FoodTec and the former ProSweets Cologne, now represented by ISM Manufacturing and ISM Ingredients. DLG contributes agricultural and technical networks, while Koelnmesse brings established food technology brands and an international trade fair footprint.

For exhibitors, the strategic logic is access to buyers and partners across a larger part of the value chain. Equipment suppliers may gain earlier contact with producers, while farming and ingredient businesses could connect more directly with processors, packaging specialists and technology providers through coordinated event formats.

The memorandum is a framework, not a completed portfolio of new trade fairs. Its significance will depend on which formats are launched, where they are located and whether the organisations deliver valuable audiences rather than simply adding more event branding. The New Delhi dairy initiative is the first concrete test of that strategy.