FIAB’s R+D+i Director analyses the current situation of technological innovation in the food industry and the role of Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 as a key space for connecting technological supply and demand. Digitalisation, sustainability, water efficiency and human-robot collaboration are the main challenges and opportunities of the foodtech ecosystem, from large industry to SMEs.
How do you assess the current moment of technological innovation in the Spanish food industry and what role will Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 play in this context?
The Spanish food industry has traditionally demonstrated a great capacity to incorporate technological advances into its processes. At the moment, digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence, in all their applications, are among the technologies most in demand by the sector.
In this context, Alimentaria FoodTech 2026 will consolidate itself as a strategic meeting point, where food and beverage companies will be able to learn first-hand about technological solutions, equipment and process developments that respond to their current needs and the challenges of the immediate future.
From the Food for Life Spain platform, of which you are the general manager, what are the main challenges of the industry today in terms of sustainability and water efficiency?
The food and beverage industry is continuously working on the incorporation of technological solutions that improve the sustainability of its processes. In this area, two major priorities stand out: the reduction of food losses and waste, and the development of processes and products with a lower environmental footprint. In relation to water efficiency, the reuse of process or treated water at the end of the line, as well as the recovery of nutrients and other compounds of interest, are of particular importance. Lines of research aimed at the recycling of wastewater and liquid streams for the production of aquatic biomass or other biological resources, with a high potential for application in the sector, are also making strong progress.
How are artificial intelligence and advanced robotics influencing the design of the production plants that we will see at the fair?
The commitment to advanced automation is already a reality in the food industry, especially in areas such as logistics, production and intralogistics. Technologies such as human-robot collaboration, mobile manipulators or digital twins are transforming the design and operation of production plants.
In addition, artificial intelligence is applied to optimise business management and improve the shelf life of food products, providing greater efficiency, control and anticipation throughout the value chain.
What technological solutions are helping the industry to optimize the use of raw materials, energy and other resources?
Technological solutions are very diverse, as we find many value chains, each with its own specificities. The commitment to technologies that have already been successfully applied to other sectors is recurrent in the case of the food industry. Currently, our sector’s commitment to technologically advanced solutions is clear, as the speed of innovation, also in process, is unstoppable.
As a member of the jury of the Alimentaria FoodTech Innova and Emprende awards, what criteria have been key to selecting the projects for this edition?
In the case of the Innova awards, projects are evaluated based on their contribution in areas such as processes and transformation, food safety, hygiene and quality, sustainability and the circular economy, digitalisation, as well as health and well-being. For their part, the Emprende awards focus on emerging business solutions, startups, EBTs and spinoffs, with an impact on areas such as food transformation and preservation, sustainability, circular economy, health and well-being, and the relationship with the primary sector, especially in the field of SmartAgro.
FIAB collaborates with Alimentaria FoodTech as a representative of the Spanish food and beverage industry. What role can a fair like this play in bringing new technologies closer to the real needs of companies?
Alimentaria FoodTech has always been a very important fair for companies in our sector. In it you can find technological solutions such as very advanced process machinery, packaging solutions and a wide range of ingredients sector. In addition. The technological environment proposed at the fair is always conducive to being able to have quality networking during the celebration of the fair and to be able to find partners and allies necessary for the introduction of new technology to our companies
Barcelona, September 30th of 2026
