{"id":134037,"date":"2026-03-23T11:46:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T10:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irta.cat\/noticia\/inicio-alimentaria-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T08:11:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T07:11:55","slug":"irta-alimentaria-2026-kickoff","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/www.irta.cat\/en\/noticia\/irta-alimentaria-2026-kickoff\/","title":{"rendered":"We\u2019re kicking off Alimentaria+Hostelco 2026 with innovation and entrepreneurship taking centre stage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From left to right, Joan Manel Albacete<\/strong>, Director of Corporate Services at IRTA; Gl\u00f2ria Cugat<\/strong>, Deputy Director-General for Food Transfer and Innovation at the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia; Josep Usall<\/strong>, Director-General of IRTA; Joan Romero<\/strong>, Executive Director of ACCI\u00d3; and Sim\u00f3 Alegre<\/strong>, Director of Research and Innovation Development at IRTA. (source: IRTA, CC by 4.0)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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We are promoting a hub comprising more than 60 start-ups to bring together talent, research and business, and to accelerate innovation in the agri-food sector<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This morning we kicked off a new edition of Alimentaria+Hostelco<\/strong>, the leading international event for the food industry and the HORECA sector, which is being held at Fira de Barcelona\u2019s Gran Via venue until 26 March.<\/p>\n\n\n

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IRTA is playing a leading role by spearheading the Food & Hospitality Startups (F&HS) initiative, a key hub for entrepreneurship and innovation in the food and hospitality sector<\/strong>. Around 60 start-ups are taking part in this initiative, which we are running in partnership with ACCI\u00d3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our goal is clear: to bring together entrepreneurial talent, applied research and business to accelerate the transfer of innovation<\/strong>. Throughout the week, participating companies have access to networking events, B2B meetings and opportunities to present their projects to investors and key industry players.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Furthermore, we run this space with the support of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia and the backing of CaixaBank, in a space of over 600 m\u00b2 dedicated entirely to innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As our Director General, Josep Usall<\/strong>, points out, \u2018events such as Food & Hospitality Startups exemplify the value of open innovation<\/strong>, bringing together entrepreneurial talent, research and business to address the major challenges facing the agri-food sector. At IRTA, we work to foster these partnerships and accelerate the transfer of knowledge to the wider industry\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An agenda focused on the sector\u2019s major challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have put together a packed programme of events taking place over the coming days, focusing on some of the key challenges and opportunities facing the agri-food sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Monday, we launched the programme with the presentation of the report \u201cThe State of the Alternative Protein Ecosystem in Spain\u201d<\/strong>, featuring Carlos Campillos (The Good Food Institute), who moderated a panel discussion with leading companies such as Zyrcular, Novameat and Poseidona, and Anna Carab\u00fas, director of the Centre for Innovation in Alternative Proteins (CiPA) at IRTA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another highlight will take place on Tuesday afternoon with Pitching Day<\/strong> and the presentation of the Food & Hospitality Startups Awards<\/strong>, an opportunity to see first-hand the most innovative and promising proposals, with Josep Usall serving as chair of the judging panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finally, on Wednesday at 11 am, we will be hosting the event \u201cThe Price of Animal Health: Opportunities and Threats to Competitiveness\u201d<\/a><\/strong>, a round-table discussion moderated by IRTA which will bring together leading representatives from the sector, including Grupo Vall Companys, bon\u00c0rea, Grupo Costa and Grupo Vi\u00f1as, as well as Nat\u00e0lia Maj\u00f3, Director of the Animal Health Programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By taking part in Alimentaria+Hostelco 2026, we are reaffirming our commitment to innovation, knowledge transfer and supporting a more competitive and sustainable agri-food sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Innovation and entrepreneurship take centre stage on Monday at Alimentaria<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Durante la primera jornada, se ha dado la bienvenida institucional con la llegada de las autoridades y la sesi\u00f3n inaugural en el Pabell\u00f3n Catalu\u00f1a, con la participaci\u00f3n de Josep Usall, director general del IRTA, que nos destaca: “Alimentaria+Hostelco es un espacio que conecta la investigaci\u00f3n con el tejido empresarial para avanzar hacia un sistema agroalimentario m\u00e1s competitivo y sostenible. facilitar que el conocimiento llegue al sector y tenga un impacto real.\u201d y Joan Romero, director ejecutivo de ACCI\u00d3, reforzando el papel de la feria como espacio estrat\u00e9gico para el sector agroalimentario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the first day, the event kicked off with an official welcome as the authorities arrived and the opening session took place in the Catalonia Pavilion, featuring Josep Usall, Director General of IRTA, who emphasised: “Alimentaria+Hostelco is a platform that connects research with the business community to move towards a more competitive and sustainable agri-food system. \u201cIt helps ensure that knowledge reaches the sector and has a real impact.\u201d Joan Romero, Executive Director of ACCI\u00d3, also spoke, reinforcing the fair\u2019s role as a strategic platform for the agri-food sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La ma\u00f1ana ha estado especialmente marcada por la inauguraci\u00f3n del espacio Food & Hospitality Startups Arena 2026<\/strong>, con la participaci\u00f3n de representantes de la Generalitat, el IRTA, ACCI\u00d3 y Alimentaria Exhibitions, consolidando este espacio como epicentro de la innovaci\u00f3n y el emprendimiento<\/strong>. Paralelamente, se ha presentado el informe “El estado del ecosistema de la prote\u00edna alternativa en Espa\u00f1a”, en una sesi\u00f3n de mesa redonda que ha reunido a los principales representantes de las empresas del sector y con Anna Carab\u00fas, directora de CiPA y miembro de Protein.cat, que ha reunido empresas y expertos para analizar el presente y futuro de este sector emergente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The morning was marked in particular by the opening of the Food & Hospitality Startups Arena 2026<\/strong>, attended by representatives from the Catalan Government, IRTA, ACCI\u00d3 and Alimentaria Exhibitions, cementing this space as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship<\/strong>. At the same time, the report \u201cThe state of the alternative protein ecosystem in Spain\u201d was presented during a round-table session that brought together leading representatives from companies in the sector, alongside Anna Carab\u00fas, director of CiPA and member of Protein.cat, who gathered companies and experts to analyse the present and future of this emerging sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the day, a number of technical sessions were held, featuring researchers from IRTA, including those focusing on food technologies and product development, such as the session with Ingrid Aguil\u00f3, an IRTA researcher specialising in vegetable processing, who spoke about product development and culinary applications at the Espai Catalunya Hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This afternoon, the first startup pitch session took place at the F&H venue, organised around three main themes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n