Asia’s premier food and beverage trade event returns with a new Meat zone and expanded Halal offerings for 2026
Hong Kong to Host Premier Asian Food and Beverage Trade Event This August
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council has announced that the 2026 Food Expo PRO and the Hong Kong International Tea Fair will run concurrently from August 13 to 15 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The twin events, which together attracted some 18,500 buyers from 64 countries and regions in their 2025 edition, are positioned as the leading business-to-business food and beverage platform in Asia, offering manufacturers, distributors, and buyers from across the region a concentrated opportunity to build relationships and discover new market entrants. The 2025 edition drew buyers from Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and a range of ASEAN countries including Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. That breadth reflects the city’s enduring role as a commercial gateway between global producers and Asian consumers.
New Meat Zone Targets Rising Demand for Premium Proteins
A significant addition to the 2026 Food Expo PRO is the introduction of a dedicated Meat product zone, which organisers say is designed to spotlight the dynamic global meat sector and meet rising demand for premium, diverse, and innovative offerings. The zone will showcase chilled and frozen meats, processed meats, specialty items, and value-added solutions from both global and regional suppliers. The focus will be on connecting exhibitors with professional buyers seeking opportunities in premium proteins, sustainable sourcing, and market trends across the Greater Bay Area and beyond. Organisers have positioned the Meat zone as a response to shifts in consumer preference and the growing appetite among the region’s rising middle classes for higher-quality protein products. The zone also reflects a strategic effort to diversify the fair’s product mix beyond its traditional strength in packaged and shelf-stable goods.
Halal and Food Technology Zones Continue to Expand
The 2026 edition will build on two areas that debuted in recent years and have grown significantly in scope. The Halal food and beverage label, introduced in 2024, had expanded by 2025 to feature more than 120 food suppliers showcasing certified Halal products ranging from snacks and condiments to seafood. A dedicated seminar will guide attendees through the regulatory landscape and the growing commercial importance of Halal certification, particularly for producers targeting the large and fast-growing Muslim consumer markets across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The Food Science and Technology zone, which highlights alternative and future food products, will also return, reflecting the industry-wide push toward innovation in everything from plant-based proteins to lab-grown ingredients. A Coffee zone, launched last year, will again spotlight coffee products, accessories, and machines, with demonstrations and seminars covering the entire coffee value chain.
Tea Fair: The Asia-Pacific Hub for the Tea Trade
Running concurrently, the Hong Kong International Tea Fair is described by its organisers as Asia’s premier marketplace for the tea industry. The 2025 edition, which adopted a business-to-consumer format on its final day, attracted half a million visits across the four concurrent fairs, and the 2026 edition will again open to the public throughout the three-day exhibition period. Hong Kong has long served as a central node in the international tea trade, benefiting from its position as a logistics hub and its deep cultural relationship with tea, from traditional Chinese tea ceremonies to the city’s iconic milk tea culture. The fair reflects both dimensions, blending high-level trade activity with public education and cultural programming.
Cultural Programming and Competition Highlights
The 2026 Hong Kong International Tea Culture Forum will provide an international platform for dialogue on tea culture and global industry development. The China and Greater Bay Area KamCha Competition, which highlights Hong Kong-style milk tea, will hold its Hong Kong Final during the fair, celebrating the city’s unique culinary heritage. Other events include a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Youth International Tea Art Competition, tea tasting sessions, and tea art performances that offer visitors an immersive experience. An International Tea Event Space Design Competition will again invite participants to submit creative tea-serving space concepts, with shortlisted designs judged and displayed during the fair. Winning teas from the fair’s competition across six categories will be available for free tasting, bringing the trade event into direct contact with public consumers.
Hong Kong’s Enduring Strength as a Food Trade Platform
Food Expo PRO represents one of the most concrete expressions of Hong Kong’s commercial value to the region. Whatever the political pressures the city has faced in recent years, its infrastructure for international trade events remains world-class, and its access to both mainland Chinese buyers and global suppliers is unmatched in the region. The HKTDC operates dozens of trade shows annually and has adapted its model in recent years to blend physical attendance with online matchmaking through its Click2Match platform, which will be open from August 6 to 22 for participants who cannot attend in person. For food and beverage producers looking to enter or expand in Asian markets, few events offer the concentration of relevant buyers and the logistical ease of doing business in Hong Kong that these two fairs provide each year. The concurrent International Conference on the Modernisation of Chinese Medicine and Health Products will also take place at the convention centre on August 13 and 14, adding another dimension to what promises to be a richly varied week of trade activity.
Yuen Ting
Data, Research & Investigative Support Journalist, Apple Daily UK
Contact: yuenting@appledaily.uk
Yuen Ting is a data and research journalist with expertise in data verification, investigative support, and evidence-based reporting. She completed her journalism training at a leading UK journalism school, focusing on data journalism, statistical literacy, and investigative methodologies.
Her professional experience includes work with Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications, where she supports and authors reporting on public records, demographic trends, election data, and institutional accountability. Yuen Ting’s work emphasizes accuracy, reproducibility, and transparent methodology.
She has newsroom experience collaborating with reporters and editors on complex investigations, ensuring claims are supported by verified data and primary documentation. Her role strengthens editorial trust by reinforcing factual foundations behind major stories.
Yuen Ting’s authority stems from her technical expertise and consistent application of verification standards within reputable news organizations. At Apple Daily UK, she delivers trustworthy data-driven journalism that enhances transparency, credibility, and institutional reliability.
