El Banc dels Aliments Barcelona has developed an effective model for recovering surplus food from Alimentaria, one of Europe’s largest international food and beverage trade fairs. Oriol Dolader, Head of Logistics at the El Banc dels Aliments, recently shared the organisation’s experience and practical lessons learned during our June Morning Insight session.
Alimentaria 2026 brought together around 3,300 exhibiting companies from 70 countries across seven exhibition halls. During the fair, the food bank’s team contacted exhibitors, provided practical information on donation requirements, distributed labels and packaging materials, and coordinated the rapid collection of remaining products before the stands were dismantled.
Combining Food Recovery with Advocacy Work
On the final afternoon, 138 volunteers helped collect 18,330 kilograms of food. The recovered products were distributed through 38 charitable organisations, reaching approximately 20,000 people in need. The operation included ambient, refrigerated, and frozen products, requiring carefully planned collection routes, access points, vehicles, and temperature-controlled equipment.
The food bank also used its presence at the exhibition to build relationships with the food industry. The team visited more than 1,000 exhibitors and contributed to several roundtable discussions on food waste prevention, social innovation and the implementation of Spain’s new food loss and waste legislation.
Fairs and Exhibitions Offer Opportunities for Food Banks
This initiative from Barcelona demonstrates how trade fairs, festivals, sporting events, and other large-scale gatherings can be important opportunities for food redistribution. The success depends on early engagement with exhibitors, clear food safety and labelling procedures, close cooperation with event organisers, detailed logistical planning, and the mobilisation of a large volunteer team. This model of operation can inspire other food banks seeking to develop partnerships with exhibition organisers and recover surplus food from major events.
