WorldFood Istanbul will take place on 15–18 December 2026 at its new venue, the Istanbul Expo Center. Six opening-day sessions will examine what the COP31 decisions mean for the food industry. Food technology will feature as a dedicated product category for the first time.

WorldFood Istanbul, the International Food Products and Technologies Exhibition, will bring food and beverage producers together with international buyers. Alongside business meetings, the fair will showcase developments in food production, technology, hygiene and safety.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Türkiye will coordinate the opening day of the FOOD Arena conference. With contributions from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the sessions will cover food security, climate adaptation, sustainable production and financing the transition.

Ilgaz Gürsoy and İrfan Donat will moderate the opening-day sessions. Ayşegül Selışık, FAO Assistant Representative in Türkiye, and Alp Önder Özpamukçu, Chair of the Food Retailers Association, will discuss how COP31 decisions could shape Türkiye’s food system. Other sessions will examine supply chain resilience, access to finance for small-scale producers and the cost of shifting to sustainable production. The closing session will focus on five priorities for action across the industry.

According to WorldFood Istanbul Director Semi Benbanaste, last year’s fair drew 1,345 exhibitors from 40 countries and 78,341 visitors. The VIP Hosted Buyer Programme brought more than 900 buyers from 100 countries to meet exhibitors. The fair hosted more than 39,000 business meetings, while orders and preliminary agreements generated €1.8 billion in business.