Visiting Anuga 2025 in Cologne has been a transformative experience for us. For five days, we explored international pavilions, sampled products, read labels, attended presentations, and engaged in strategic conversations with manufacturers and innovators from around the world.
This visit reaffirmed something that’s already part of our DNA: food development is the driving force redefining the global industry. And as an active part of this change, we left Anuga with more clarity, more inspiration, and more determination to keep leading innovation through our specialization as a provider of breadcrumb and coating solutions for the sect
Sustainability: The Standard in Food Development
One of the strongest messages from Anuga was that sustainability has shifted from being a differentiating value to becoming a cross-cutting requirement in food development. It’s no longer an “extra,” but the foundation on which new products are designed. We saw sustainability applied across several layers:
- Reduction of resource use and more efficient formulations
- Sustainable proteins: less meat, more plant-based and hybrid alternatives
- Circular, recyclable, or biodegradable packaging
- More responsible and traceable processes through technology
As a company committed to quality and food safety, we are convinced that this path is non-negotiable: the food development of the future will be sustainable—or it will not be.
Less Meat: The Era of Hybrid Products
One of the most relevant innovations we saw at Anuga was hybrid products, which combine animal and plant proteins to achieve the perfect balance between taste, sustainability, and health.
Real examples analyzed at the fair included:
- Breaded fillets with 50% chicken breast and 50% white beans
- Hybrid seafood products with 30% fish and 70% plant protein
- Formulations naturally integrating legumes, cereals, and vegetables
What do these products offer?
- Lower environmental impact
- Improved nutritional profile (less fat, more fiber)
- Reduced raw material costs
- Excellent textures thanks to breading
- High protein levels
- Clean label and visible Nutri-Score A or B
For us, this confirms a clear reality: consumers don’t always want to eliminate meat—but they do want to reduce it intelligently. Food development is providing balanced, effective solutions that work.
The Maturity of Plant-Based Foods
In previous editions, plant-based was seen as an experimental alternative. At Anuga 2025, we witnessed a huge qualitative leap: it’s no longer about imitating meat, but about creating plant-based products with their own identity, authentic flavor, and high nutritional value.
We clearly saw this in developments such as:
- Reinvented tofu with crispy textures, marinades, and snack or finger food formats
- High-protein, additive-free plant-based products ready to cook
- Premium plant-based solutions with gourmet positioning, no longer low-cost
- New combinations of plant ingredients with technological functionality to improve texture, color, and bite
These alternatives no longer aim to look like meat — they aim to be just as desirable. For this, they require specific coatings that adapt to their plant structure while maintaining crispiness, adhesion, and stability during frying or baking.
As specialists in breadcrumbs and coatings, we understood the challenge perfectly — and the opportunity too.
Healthy Reformulation in Food Development
A clear trend across the fair was the reformulation of traditional products to make them healthier without losing flavor or consumer experience.
We saw breaded products with reduced sodium, enriched flours with improved nutritional profiles, recipes with less fat and more fiber or protein, visible Nutri-Score labels as a selling argument, and messages like “Made healthier for you” displayed directly on the product.
It’s time to evolve what already works, making it more responsible and competitive.
In Food Development, Breading Still Reigns Supreme
Despite the rise of plant-based and health-driven trends, breading remains the absolute protagonist in frozen foods, as it plays a key role in many of these innovations. It continues to be a fundamental element of the final product experience.
We saw breaded products very much aligned with our range of solutions, confirming that we’re moving in the right direction:
- Crunchier and lighter
- With different grain sizes and textures
- Adapted to plant-based, hybrid, or animal proteins
- Improved performance in oven, fryer, or air fryer
- Clean label or natural ingredients
- Innovative formats: mini kievs, pops, sticks, premium snacks
In many cases, these breaded products were featured in the top innovation areas of the fair.
Transparency and Clean Label
At Anuga, it became evident that communication has changed: ingredients are no longer hidden—they’re highlighted. Claims such as “High Protein,” “Less Sodium,” “Made from Plants,” “Clean Label,” “No Artificial Additives,” or visible Nutri-Score ratings show that transparency has become a commercial tool.
Consumers trust brands that tell the truth. That’s why, for us, it’s essential to work with clear, natural, and safe formulations, where breadcrumbs not only provide texture but also real nutritional value.
Digitalization and Traceability: Innovation is Also About Process Optimization
At Anuga, we confirmed that innovation doesn’t just happen in the final product—it also lies in how it’s made. The industry is moving toward smarter processes that include:
- Automation and inline control
- Total ingredient traceability
- Greater energy efficiency
- Technology to enhance food safety
Food development is no longer just product R&D—it’s also process R&D, enabling better production with fewer resources and maximum reliability.
Networking and International Inspiration
Beyond trends, Anuga offered something equally valuable: connection.
We spoke with professionals from various countries, shared challenges, explored different cultural perspectives, and analyzed how food development adapts to each market.
Our Role in Food Development
This edition of the fair not only confirmed where the industry is heading—it also confirmed that we’re in the right place.
All these trends share a common denominator: the industry needs coating, texture, functionality, and technical adaptation solutions.
And that’s exactly what we do. As a specialized breadcrumb supplier:
- We develop coatings adapted to animal, plant-based, or hybrid proteins
- We adjust grain size, absorption, and performance for frying or baking
- We create healthier solutions (less sodium, clean label, improved flours)
- We co-create the final product with our clients
- We innovate sustainably and responsibly
- We deliver real technical value and industrial expertise
We don’t just sell breadcrumbs — we drive our clients’ food development.
If our visit to Anuga reinforced one core idea, it’s this: food development isn’t a passing trend — it’s the strategic axis that will define the industry’s competitiveness in the years ahead.
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