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Changing consumer expectations in the bakery industry are driving the milling sector toward a new production paradigm. In today’s market, where every product category—from bread and pizza to croissants and industrial bakery products—requires different functional flour characteristics, competitiveness is no longer determined by production capacity alone. Instead, it is defined by technology, data management, artificial intelligence, skilled human resources and personalized quality management. Speaking at the IDMA Global Grain & Milling Forum, Erhan Özmen, Chairman of the Board of Özmen Flour, said that the future of milling will depend on how quickly the industry adapts to the transformation taking place across the bakery sector.

Welcoming more than 8,000 professional visitors from over 120 countries, IDMA Istanbul 2026 brought together the global grain, feed and food processing industries in Istanbul. Held at the Istanbul Expo Center, the exhibition hosted more than 200 brands and created a platform for thousands of B2B meetings, paving the way for nearly $1 billion in new trade and investment opportunities. Running alongside the exhibition, the IDMA Global Grain & Milling Forum added a strong strategic dimension to the event with discussions on food security, global grain trade, digitalization, artificial intelligence, storage, logistics and sustainability.

Bringing together agriculture, food, art, economics and science around the same table for three days, the BBM Kitchen Talks left their mark on IDMA Istanbul 2026 under the theme “The Pleasure Collection of Civilization.” Bringing together renowned speakers, industry leaders, academics and professionals on a common platform, the event combined knowledge sharing, gastronomic experiences and industry interaction, becoming one of the most popular attractions of the exhibition. Alongside the talks, freshly prepared pizzas, simits and other bakery products transformed BBM Kitchen from a simple event space into one of IDMA’s social and intellectual hubs.

East Africa’s food security increasingly depends on whether grain can move safely, efficiently and affordably across trade corridors, Gerald Makau Masila, Executive Director of the Eastern Africa Grain Council, said at the IDMA Global Grain & Milling Forum in Istanbul. Masila said the region imports 90–95% of the wheat it consumes and remains highly exposed to disruptions in the Black Sea, Red Sea and Suez routes. He also underlined major opportunities for Türkiye and Africa to deepen cooperation in milling technology, flour, pasta, grain handling and investment.