The biggest names shaping India’s Food, Retail & HoReCa businesses are coming together at India Food Forum 2026. Spread across two days – 22–23 September 2026 at Jio World Convention Centre
by Prashant Kapadia/NHN
Mumbai : India Food Forum 2026 will tackle the questions that are defining the next phase of India’s food economy.
Now in its 19th edition, India Food Forum brings the entire food business ecosystem under one roof, from leading food and FMCG brands and modern retailers to independent grocers, restaurant businesses, chefs, entrepreneurs, technology players and supply-chain innovators. Expect two days of high-stakes conversations, powerful connections, new ideas, emerging brands, industry intelligence and celebrations of excellence.
BIG NAMES, BIGGER CONVERSATIONS
The event will feature some of the industry’s most influential voices taking stage, including Damodar Mall, Sanjeev Kapoor, Anjan Chatterjee, Anil Chugh, Hemant Malik, Prashant Peres, Rajneet Kohli, Rahul Nayak, Vipin Kataria, RS Sodhi, Seshu Kumar Tirumala, Sandeep Varaganti, Sanjay Sharma and many more.
Some of the important questions that Food Retail & HoReCa leaders are expected to tackle include:
How is the Great Consumer Reset changing food consumption?
Where will India’s next million food consumers come from?
Can brands and retailers turn partnership into the next engine of growth?
How is quick commerce changing the rules of grocery?
Can AI transform sales, distribution and retail execution?
Where are the next foodservice growth destinations?
And how can the industry deliver Health, Sustainability & Scale — together?
2 DAYS, 1 POWER-PACKED AGENDA
Day One, lead by Damodar Mall, CEO, Grocery, Reliance Retail, puts Food & Grocery Retail in the spotlight, with conversations spanning the changing consumer, Bharat’s food growth story, AI-powered route-to-market, the new food consumer, quick commerce and the evolving brand–retailer equation.
Sessions that set the tone for the conference include:
The Great Consumer Reset
Winning the Next Million Consumers
AI-Powered Route-to-Market, The FMCG Growth Dilemma
From Shelf to Scale
The big conversation on Retail in the Age of Quick Commerce
Day Two turns the spotlight to Foodservice and HoReCa, chaired by Padma Shri Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, with conversations on the future of Indian cuisine, protein, purpose-led growth, food entrepreneurship, new food destinations, emerging consumption occasions, social dining and brand–retailer partnerships.
MORE THAN A JUST A CONFERENCE
The event of the year, India Food Forum is where the business of food comes alive, where you can discover new products and innovations in the Food Retail space, meet the people making the decisions, explore emerging brands and concepts, build partnerships across the food ecosystem and exchange ideas with peers and industry leaders.
India Food Forum’s highlight exhibition will showcase food and grocery retailers, their success stories, foodservice brands and their cuisine innovations alongside technology and business solutions, product launches, keynote presentations, brands built on sustainability – all this while showcasing emerging brands, investors and channel partners together around brand-building, scalability, innovation and growth.
The Chefs Conclave on Day 2 – Rooted Or Reinvented? Where Is Indian Cuisine Headed?- will feature top Indian chefs across cuisines discussion how much should change, what must remain sacred, and whether the future of Indian food lies in going back to its roots—or breaking new ground.
2 NIGHTS, 2 AWARD CEREMONIES, ONE FORUM OF EXCELLENCE
There are some moments that bring an entire industry together after the business is done. India Food Forum captures these beautifully during its awards celebrations on both days.
On 22 September 2026, the Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Awards will celebrate distinctive names in food and grocery retail, while 23 September 2026 will see the Pepsico IMAGES Food Service Awards honouring excellence across the food service industry.
With 300+ brands already in the race for the twin ceremonies, the celebrations promise to be a fitting close to two days of industry conversations, connections and discovery.
As India’s food economy enters its next chapter, the conversations shaping that future are happening here. India Food Forum 2026 is where the industry comes together to challenge convention, exchange ideas, forge new partnerships and celebrate the businesses moving the needle.
This September, be part of the conversation that will shape what India eats, how it shops and where the industry goes next – two days of insight, influence and opportunity culminating in two nights of celebrating the very best of food, grocery and foodservice.