Barcelona beckons for experts and exhibitors attending Free From Food/Ingredients 2015 - Europe's fastest growing Free From trade exhibition. A fantastic shop window for some of the finest Free From products from around the globe - including the UK, USA, Italy, Germany as well as The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and Israel - and all under the one roof. With a month to go until Free From Foods/Ingredients 2015 on June 4th and 5th, and with buoyancy in the fast growing category - a buzz is building.

Ask the experts
As well as international trading and networking opportunities - the exhibition will feature a cast of expert speakers in the Conference Centre. They include Hamish Renton, who runs a successful boutique marketing business specialising in Dairy, Free From, Foodservice, Retail and FMCG - and importing in to the UK. Hamish is also a founder member of the show. His talk - The Perfect Storm - will focus on the global Free From market 2015 - 2016

Speaking about the category, he said: "The Free From category is growing all over the world with most countries seeing positive growth last year. In terms of the future of Free From, new EU labelling laws which came into action in December 2014 are likely to be a growth driver. Foodservice outlets will become more aware of their Free From offerings and the need to cater to these customers. With the foodservice market for gluten free foods worth an estimated £100m, this is good news for outlets willing to cater to this audience. Increasing retailer presence, particularly in own label, is also good news for the category as more competition is likely to help drive prices down, drawing more mainstream consumers in. High levels of NPD will also benefit the market by attracting more consumers wanting to try new products and flavours."

Other speakers include David Jago, from Mintel - on trends and opportunities in the growing market of gluten free foods; Arjan Stephens, from breakfast cereal specialist Nature's Path - on successes, learnings, and values of an independent, family run company; Sarah Sleet, from Coeliac UK - on gluten free certification. And Bruno Almeida, from the Portuguese Diabetes Association, on the healthy and sugar free market in Portugal.

Meet our exhibitors
The stage has been set and dozens of exhibitors - from manufacturers and suppliers to producers and experts specialising in all areas of Free From - are waiting for curtain up in June. They include:

Noglut (Belgium) - stand H19
Noglut is born out of 153 years of authentic Belgian delicacies and years of research into food allergies. Noglut specialises in patés, ready to eat meals and an organic meat range, Emile Jacques - all gluten free. Noglut also produces an organic, gluten free, vegan range, The Vegan Frog - and will be introducing a new kebab at the show - www.noglut.eu

Kentaur (Switzerland) - stand D01
A family-run business which has been producing gluten free breakfast cereals, including puffed wheat and cornflakes, since 1992. One of their specialities is combining gluten free and organic. They also produce crumbs for muesli bars and coatings - www.kentaur.ch

Gilro - (Israel) stand G15
Producers of quality gluten free ice cream, cones and wafers since 2007. They launched the first gluten free production line for ice cream cones and are now the largest suppliers in North America and Australia - www.gilro.co.il

Big Oz - (UK) stand B11
A family-run company which specialises in gluten free snacks, cereals and flours. They have just launched an Organic Extruded products range, which features new product developments - including Chocolate Coated Buckwheat Flakes with Raspberries, 5 Grain Super Cereal and Hi Fibre Flakes - www.bigoz.co.uk

Oskri (USA) - stand F17
Oskri is a gluten free snack bar manufacturer which has more than 15 years of experience in making snack bars for retail. The Oskri line uses only natural ingredients and no preservatives.Oskri's line of gluten free snacks include coconut, sesame, almond and cashew bars as well as granolas, crunches and pyramid snacks - www.oskri.com

Slendier - (Australia) stand C43
The Slendier Calorie Clever range is an assortment of pasta, noodle and rice alternatives which include six pre-cooked, Konjac-based products - Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Noodles, Rice Style, Organic Fettuccine and Lasagne Sheets. The range is grain free, gluten free, fat free and high in fibre - www.slendier.com

Seitz Glutenfrei - (Germany) stand D07
One of the oldest pasta manufacturers in Germany - and since 1995 the only manufacturer of gluten-free pasta in Germany. They will be launching a number of new products at the show including Kids Pasta Dinosaurs, Brown Rice Penne, Buckwheat Fusilli and Kettle Chips - all gluten free and organic - www.seitz-glutenfrei.de

Ronald Holman, exhibition director, said: "We are very much looking forward to the doors opening on our third edition Free From Food/Ingredients show, and welcoming visitors from around the globe. They can expect a packed schedule of speakers, focusing on issues relevant to the category - and a fantastic array of Free From products just waiting to be discovered. Excitement is starting to gather and we can't wait to build on the success of our previous two events - and show that the Free From category is important and deserves its very own dedicated exhibition."

ENDS

Editors Notes
Free From Food/Ingredients 2015 takes place on June 4th and June 5th at Hall 1, Gran Via, Fira Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. The exhibition opens each day at 10am and closes at 5pm.

Exhibitors come from across Europe, including the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, USA and The Netherlands.

For further information, contact Claire Dunn, at claire@monkhousefoodanddrink.co.uk, or 01939 290399