Food Taipei becomes one of world’s few expos amid pandemic

在大流行中，台北美食展成為全球為數不多的展覽會之一

30th annual event showcases Taiwan's entire food supply chain, includes exhibitors from 16 countries


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 30th Food Taipei Mega Shows kicked off Thursday (Dec. 17) at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, becoming one of only a few such events to be held around the globe amid the raging coronavirus pandemic.

The expo, which features 1,880 booths from 925 companies and 16 nations, is a testament to Taiwan’s success in controlling COVID-19. Similar major expos planned in Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, and Singapore this year have been canceled, observed James Huang (黃志芳), chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

The expo features six exhibitions, including Food Taipei, Food Tech, Taipei Pack, Taiwan Horeca, Halal Taiwan, and Bio/Pharmatech Taiwan. It serves as a platform showcasing Taiwan’s food supply chain, which involves the production, packaging, and hospitality industries.

According to Cynthis Kiang (江文若), director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade, the country's food manufacturing sector generated NT$462.9 billion (US$16.45 billion) last year. It posted 4.3-percent annual growth in the third quarter of 2020, reaching NT$124.5 billion, despite virus woes.

Taiwan has a robust food sector thanks to fresh materials, quality production methods, and advanced machinery, CNA quoted Kiang as saying. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is working to introduce smart manufacturing to reduce costs, and online exhibitions will continue to take place to help drive sales.

Food Taipei Mega Shows will run until Sunday (Dec. 20). Exhibitors hail from Taiwan, Eswatini, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Belize, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Russia, and Belgium.