Held every two years in Barcelona, the Alimentaria food trade fair is one of the largest and most prestigious trade events in the food sector in Spain and across Europe. During the 50th anniversary edition, held from 23 to 26 March 2026, Poland was the partner country. The KOWR organised a large and prominent national stand in Barcelona.
The fair was attended by 94 Polish exhibitors, 29 of whom were showcasing their products at the national stand, promoting, amongst other things, beef, pork, poultry and processed meat products, fish products, dairy products, chocolate confectionery and sweets, products made from Szydłowska plums, gluten-free products, savoury and sweet snacks, dried vegetables and herbs, cereal wafers, breakfast products, oils, vinegars and ready meals. Throughout the four-day fair, Polish chefs supported the promotional activities of the businesses and the KOWR by introducing visitors to the national stand to the flavours and dishes typical of Polish cuisine during cooking demonstrations.
The official opening ceremony of the fair on 23 March this year was presided over by His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain and the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Luis Planas. The VIP tour, attended by King Philip VI, also visited the Polish national stand, where he was welcomed by Adam Nowak – Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Henryk Smolarz – Director General of the KOWR and Monika Krzepkowska – Chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Madrid.
At this year’s Alimentaria trade fair in Barcelona, Poland, as the partner country, had a unique opportunity to showcase its food and culinary culture more extensively at one of Europe’s most important trade fairs in the food industry. In addition to the national stand organised by the KOWR, visitors to the fair were also able to explore Poland’s food offer at the stands of the Butchers’ and Meat Processors’ Association, the National Poultry Council, the Łódzkie and Świętokrzyskie provinces, and the Polish National Foundation.
Polish products were also on display in the specially organised Buyer’s Lounge tasting area, where we showcased dairy products, confectionery and snacks. During the anniversary edition of the Alimentaria trade fair, Polish food products were given special prominence, which will boost their visibility among potential distributors and retailers from Spain and other countries.
Alimentaria is one of the most important events in the European food industry, held every two years. The previous edition, which took place in March 2024, involved around 3,200 exhibitors from 68 countries and a total of around 108,000 visitors from 120 countries.
Spain is the seventh-largest destination country for Polish agri-food exports (after Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Italy). In 2025, the value of agri-food exports from Poland to Spain stood at EUR 1.99 billion, an increase of 10% compared with 2024.
Last year, Spain mostly bought the following Polish products:
– tobacco and tobacco products; 26%;
– meat, offal and red meat products: 19%;
– poultry meat and offal: 16%;
– dairy products: 5%;
– grain and flour products: 5%;
– cereal grains: 4%;
– animal feed products: 4%;
– confectionery products: 3%.
A link to a catalogue of exhibitors participating in Alimentaria 2026 under the ‘Poland tastes good’ banner:
