According to the organisers; IPACK-IMA is one of the most important international events in the industry of processing, packaging and material handling technology: a large system exhibition showcasing the very top technology, materials and solutions in all food and non-food sectors for industry professionals from every corner of the world.

PACK-IMA is scheduled from February 28th to March 3rd 2012 at the Fiera Milano exhibition center in Milan, Italy. The product displays of the 22^nd edition will be enriched with a new Package Printing segment, which joins the traditional exhibits. Package Printing further expands the scope of the event and enhances an already appealing event. A comprehensive showcase which enjoys the support of the Italian Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy, the Italian Ministry of Economic Development  and the UN food agencies, WFP and UNIDO.

The last edition, in 2009, featured 1,400 exhibitors and attracted 54,000 visitors from 116 countries.

IPACK-IMA 2012 will contribute to social development with an international convention dealing with technology as a means of ensuring food sustainability and safety: "More technology, safety and quality, less hunger”. The convention is part of a multi-year campaign which began in 2009 and which is developing with the unfailing support of the United Nations’ food agencies.

Innovative and organic materials, packaging to advertise and boost sales, institutional meetings: the IPACK-IMA 2012 calendar of side events is already impressive

Inside and beyond the exhibition, with an exceptional ability to attract and involve professional publics from every corner of the world: four months away from the official opening scheduled on February 28th 2012, the calendar of events and meetings planned during IPACK-IMA is nearing finalization and will involve all business communities represented at the fair.  

Nearly all industrial and professional trade associations will hold their institutional meetings at Fieramilano, including journalists from IPPO (International Packaging Press Organization) who have chosen IPACK-IMA as their exclusive reference exhibition.

Below is an outline of the most significant appointments on schedule at the Fieramilano exhibition center during IPACK-IMA.

The opening day, Tuesday February 28th, features an opening press conference taking stock of the exhibition itself as well as of market scenarios and the economic and technological prospective of the industries represented at the event.

Innovative materials will be under the spotlight, both as part of the product display and on the conference floor. Wednesday February 29th has been named by AIM – Italian Association of Micromolecular Science and Technology – as Technology Day dedicated to “Bio-plastics for food packaging, the new solutions” organized in cooperation with IPACK-IMA. The aim is to spread knowledge and awareness on bio-plastics used in food packaging, emphasizing the standards reached so far, its potential, critical areas, the relationship with current composting regulations and to promote a comparison with oil-derived plastics.

Top-of-the-agenda on Thursday March 1st is the international convention "Enhancing Food Safety and Food Security in Africa - Processing and Packaging Technologies from Farm’s Gate to the Consumer’s Table", developed in partnership with the UN Food Agencies. More details will be available in the appropriate area of the IPACK-IMA website www.ipack-ima.com once the speaker panel has been finalized. This is the culminating event of IPACK-IMA 2012 which extends the scope of the exhibition beyond Europe and defines its prospective in view of the   Expo 2015.

Let us now take a look at more technical meetings. Again on Thursday March 1st the stage will be given to the following issue: “Food Contact Materials (FCM)” for a discussion – organized by AIDEPI – on the role of food safety in connection to packaging and in particular to the new EU Regulation 10/2011 on plastic items and materials designed to come in contact with food products.

This issue is especially crucial since packaging technology and materials are acquiring an increasingly important role in the food industry, both in terms of safety and of quality preservation. For this reason the following day, Friday March 2nd, will also feature a particularly significant event: a meeting organized by the Italian Packaging Institute on issues connected with the “CAST Project”, developed in 2007 with the objective to experiment new integrated strategies and approaches to food safety involving both private and public institutions. The discussion is open to any company interested in the issue of compliance with provisions on food contact materials (discussion topics include the application guidelines of Regulation 2023/2006/CE) and will feature the participation of the National Health Authority, responsible for the scientific aspects of the “CAST Project”, and of key stakeholders involved in the food industry and in the various supply chains of the basic materials used in packaging production.

Again on Friday March 2nd the main event will be the meeting titled "Packaging for vending" promoted by CONFIDA – the Italian Vending Association – and featuring a debate on new distribution channels and packaging solutions for vending machines and the problems connected to it.

The complete and continuously updated list or all meetings and events on schedule is available on the exhibitions’ website  www.ipack-ima.com

www.ipack-ima.com