Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad promotes Pakistan
Paris: Pakistani Ambassador to France Asim Iftikhar Ahmad this week urged Pakistanis to explore the flavors of Pakistan at the now concluded Sial Paris 2024.
“Get ready to explore the flavors of Pakistan at #SIALParis! From 19-23 October, visit the Pakistan Pavilion in Hall 3 & 4 to discover premium quality food products, traditional delicacies, and innovative food solutions from our finest exporters,” he had posted om X.
In fact, Sial Paris 2024 was home to a meaningful “boost in innovation”, says Emeline Fordos, director of client innovation at ProtéinesXTC, which partners with Sial on its Innovation showcase – a dedicated area that aims to spotlight 500 pioneering examples of NPD.
The uptick in activity follows a “decrease of around 13% in 2021”, says Fordos. Here, at least, innovation is alive and kicking, despite the challenges of global volatility and the cost of living crisis.
In Sial’s wider Innovation space, Turkey’s The Boba Co exhibited a shelf-stable bubble tea cup, and Lithuanian supplier Omg Bubble Tea showed its Sour Bubble Gum drink, containing lychee-flavoured boba in its lid.
Romania’s entry for the Ecotrophelia competition was FungiYo: a trio of vegan, spreadable pastes made from pleurotus mushroom stems and aquafaba that double up as “ready-to-eat meals”.
The two savoury pastes are billed as a starter and a main, while the final sweet paste is designed to be a dessert. Crucially, the range is designed to “not taste like mushroom stems at all”.
Meanwhile, Netherlands-based mushroom processor Scelta exhibited its mushroom-based fat substitute, Fungible, at Sial Innovation. Containing 50% mushroom, the product can be used in plant-based meat alternatives instead of ingredients like sunflower oil to reduce saturated fat content.
French supplier Kelly Loves, meanwhile, showed its range of fusion frozen gyoza. It put a twist on the traditional Japanese snack with Korean-inspired fillings such as Bulgogi Beef, Chicken & Kimchi, and Japchae.
