London to host 40th World Nut & Dried Fruit Congress on May 22-24

Posted on by

The 40th World Nut and Dried Fruit Congress, organized by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC), will be held in London from May 22-24.

Up to 1,300 professionals from more than 60 countries will gather at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London for the event, which will return to London after 26 years. About 50 leading Indian nuts and dried fruit manufacturers will also attend the meeting.

Attendees will debate and discuss industry knowledge covering topics such as product and market trends, nutrition, and the latest scientific discoveries in nut and dried fruit consumption.

UK stats

Citing figures, INC board member Pratap Nair said the UK is the 15th largest consumer of tree nuts in the world, with domestic consumption estimated at 75,000 tonnes per annum (kernel basis, excluding in-shell pistachios).

The most consumed nuts in the UK are cashews (30 per cent), followed by almonds (26 per cent), walnuts (15 per cent), hazelnuts (13 per cent) and pistachios (6 per cent).

For dried fruit consumption, the UK is the eighth consuming country worldwide, with raisins accounting for 92,600 tonnes/year, accounting for 78 percent of the total dried fruit consumption.

Strong consumption in India

Contrary to the global scenario, Nair said, Indian consumption of dried fruits and nuts remains strong. One of the reasons is that the Indian economy is not affected by the Ukraine war and is growing at 7 percent.

Moreover, the rise in disposable income and the growth of the middle class are both contributing factors. The fact that nuts are a A healthy addition to the diet Now known in India which has led to increased consumption.

“We can expect an annual increase of 7-8 percent in consumption in India over the next ten years,” Nair added.

Over the past decade, nut consumption has grown at a rate of 5 percent annually. In terms of product category, obviously flavored nuts, nut-based spreads, are clearly growing.