BARCELONA, Spain, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Alimentaria, one of Europe's leading trade fairs for the food industry, is drawing record international participation in Barcelona from March 23 to 26, amid concerns over the impact of the Middle East conflict on the global food sector.

The event also marks Alimentaria's 50th anniversary, with organisers expecting more than 110,000 professional visitors, including nearly 30,000 from abroad - the highest level since the fair was launched in 1976.

Spanning 100,000 square metres across seven pavilions, the fair features more than 3,300 exhibiting companies from 70 countries, with international participation up 30 percent compared with the previous edition two years ago.

While the event brings together global food industry players to explore new products and business opportunities, uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict has weighed on sentiment.

"The conflict may cause problems with the supply of fertilizers, which could obviously affect the food industry. But right now we don't know for sure, and we wait to see what will happen and how the industry will face this," Anna Canal, project manager for Alimentaria, told Xinhua.

Nicoletta Negrini, CEO of the Negrini food company and vice president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Spain, echoed the concerns, warning that the conflict could undermine the food industry's growth.

"We will have to think about what will happen with this war, because it will increase the cost of transportation. We import all our products from Italy, and increase prices in agriculture, because of the increase in fertilizer," she said.

Despite these challenges, Canal emphasized the food industry's resilience, pointing to its capacity for innovation and adaptation. "Consumers change constantly, are more demanding and know more about what they eat. So the industry has to adapt to these needs," she said.

With a focus on innovation, the organisers said around 300 new food products will be launched at the fair and over 14,500 business meetings are expected to take place over the four-day event. More than 200 industry experts will participate in forums and seminars on topics including sustainability, digitalisation, and food safety. ■