International food and beverage trade fairs 2025-2026: grants for companies

Key data

Spanish companies in the agri-food sector that use international trade fairs as an internationalization channel should review the new conditions of the FIAB agreement. The Resolution of May 12, 2026 from the General Directorate of Food publishes an amendment that modifies the current agreement with the Spanish Federation of Food and Beverage Industries (FIAB) for external promotion through trade fairs and exhibitions in 2025 and 2026.

This type of agreement is one of the main instruments of public support for the internationalization of the Spanish food sector, one of Europe's largest agri-food exporters. Participating in international trade fairs under this agreement allows companies to reduce external presence costs and access markets with institutional backing.

What does this regulation establish?

The amendment modifies the collaboration agreement between the General Directorate of Food and FIAB to finance and coordinate the participation of sector companies in international trade fairs and exhibitions. According to the published resolution, the changes may affect:

• Economic conditions: possible variations in public financing amounts or in the distribution of costs between parties.
• Deadlines: modifications to the calendars for applications, justification or execution of promotional actions.
• Covered events: update of the list of international trade fairs and exhibitions included in the agreement for 2025 and 2026.

The resolution does not detail the specific amounts or the specific list of modified trade fairs in its publication. To know the exact scope of the changes, it is necessary to consult the full text of the amendment in the BOE (BOE-A-2026-10969).

The public-private collaboration framework between the Ministry of Agriculture and FIAB aims to strengthen the external competitiveness of the Spanish agri-food sector in international markets, using trade fairs as a platform for visibility and customer acquisition.

Economic and operational impact

For companies in the sector, this agreement has a direct impact on internationalization costs. Participating in international food trade fairs (such as Anuga, SIAL, Gulfood or similar) involves significant investments in stands, travel, logistics and promotional materials. The FIAB agreement allows companies to reduce or co-finance part of these costs with public funds.

The changes introduced by the amendment may have the following operational consequences:

• Internationalization budget: if economic conditions vary, companies that already had their participation planned must recalculate the actual net cost of attending the planned trade fairs.
• Trade fair agenda planning: if covered events change, some planned trade fairs may no longer be included or new opportunities not previously considered may be added.
• Application deadlines: a modification in deadlines may mean that companies that have not updated their information lose the window of access to grants.

Since the resolution does not specify the concrete amounts of the modification, the exact economic impact must be assessed by consulting the full text of the amendment.

Who does it affect?

• Food and beverage manufacturers that participate or want to participate in international trade fairs with FIAB agreement support.
• Agri-food exporters that use international exhibitions as a channel for acquiring distributors or customers abroad.
• Companies associated with FIAB or that collaborate with the federation in external promotion actions.
• SMEs in the food sector that depend on public co-financing to afford their presence at international trade fairs.
• Export directors and internationalization managers that manage the trade fair agenda and external promotion budget.
• Internationalization advisors and consultants that accompany agri-food companies in their strategy to access foreign markets.

Practical example

A medium-sized vegetable preserves company based in Murcia that regularly participates in international food trade fairs under the FIAB agreement has planned its attendance at two exhibitions in 2026. When the amendment is published, the export manager must:

1. Verify that the two planned exhibitions are still included in the list of events covered by the modified agreement.
2. Check whether the economic co-financing conditions have changed compared to the original agreement, which would affect the budget already approved internally.
3. Review the new application deadlines to ensure that the company has not missed the window of access to grants.

If any of the planned exhibitions is no longer covered or conditions have worsened, the company will have to decide whether to assume the full cost, look for alternatives within the new list of trade fairs or redirect the budget to other internationalization actions.

What should companies do now?

1. Consult the full text of the amendment in the BOE (BOE-A-2026-10969) to know exactly what conditions have changed: amounts, deadlines and covered events.
2. Contact FIAB to obtain direct information on how the changes affect your company and what steps to take to formalize participation under the new conditions.
3. Review the trade fair agenda planned for 2025-2026 and verify that the planned exhibitions are still included in the modified agreement.
4. Update the internationalization budget if the economic conditions of the agreement have changed, to avoid unforeseen deviations.
5. Check the new application deadlines and ensure you meet them to avoid losing access to external promotion grants.
6. Evaluate whether the company meets the participation requirements updated by the amendment, especially if it is the first time accessing the agreement.