A winning bet! Sirha Bake & Snack 2026 has established itself as THE must-attend event for the industry, attracting a highly qualified visitor base.

On Wednesday 21^st January, Hall 1 at Paris Porte de Versailles closed its doors on an edition that marked a true turning point for the industry and exceeded expectations: 35 500 professionals visitors (+11%), four days of excitement, a successful transformation, backed up by the figures and, above all, by the quality of the business meetings.

Read the attached press release summarising this edition below.

Attachments:

Sirha Bake and Snack 2026 Summary Press Release.pdf

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Givaudan announces the 7th edition of its Chef’s Council, taking place from 23 - 27 March 2026 in Mexico City. This year’s event will explore the art and science of hot and spicy sensations from around the world.

Chef’s Council is the only global initiative of its kind, uniting Givaudan’s unmatched flavour expertise with top culinary minds from every continent. Launched over 25 years ago, it has become a hallmark of Givaudan's culinary innovation, uniting science and creativity to shape the future of food. The outcomes of each Chef’s Council have led to industry-first breakthroughs and new technologies, transforming creative concepts into practical solutions that help customers deliver food experiences that resonate with consumers around the world.

This milestone edition promises to unlock new dimensions of hotness: from extreme pungency and spiciness to lingering, cooling, and contrasting effects. 

“Around the world, more than 80% of people are eager to explore hot and spicy foods from multiple cultures, yet spiciness is about far more than just heat," said Thomas Ullram, Global Marketing Director, Givaudan. "Through this 7th edition of Chef’s Council, we’re uniting the culinary creativity of world-class chefs with our deep expertise in flavour and taste to push the boundaries of hot and spicy, embracing all the nuances and sensations that make heat truly satisfying.” 

During this intense culinary week, participants will take part in a Hotness Trek, exploring markets, street food, and restaurants for inspiration, followed by cooking workshops. Together, they will examine cooking techniques, layering of ingredients, taste pairing, and contrasts that trigger new sensory reactions, bridging the gap between culinary artistry and scientific innovation.

At the heart of the Chef’s Council are the chefs themselves. Their hands-on experimentation drives concepts that help food manufacturers capture that elusive ‘wow factor’, creating products that feel authentic, exciting, and unmistakably satisfying. Representing diverse culinary traditions from across the globe, five exceptional chefs will collaborate with Givaudan experts to explore the next frontier of hot and spicy innovation:

• LATAM: Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita (Mexico City) – Chef, researcher, and author, Basque Culinary World Prize Finalist (2017), Mexican Academy of Gastronomy Award (2018), one of the most influential figures in Mexican cuisine preserving Mexican culinary heritage through his acclaimed restaurants Azul Histórico, Azul Condesa and Azul y Oro.

• NOAM: Chef Saul Montiel (New York City) – Executive Chef at Cantina Rooftop, celebrity chef, Mexican All-Star Chef, El Diario's "El" Award 2011, a leading voice merging Mexican street food roots with modern North American dining.

• APAC: Chef Qian YiBin (钱以斌)(Shanghai) – Renowned contemporary master chef of Chinese Cuisine, China Olympic culinary team coach, World Chefs Challenge international judge and founder of Fusion Creative Kitchen, specialising in Sichuan and Hunan flavour systems.

• EU: Chef Cyrus Todiwala (London) – Award-winning chef, restaurateur, author, and culinary educator, BBC Food Personality of the Year 2014, Catey Award winner, Chef Proprietor of Café Spice Namasté, one of the world's longest-running Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants

• SAMEA: Chef Mythrayie Iyer (Bengaluru) – Culinary innovator, winner of the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2022-23 for South Asia and the Middle East, Head Chef at Farmlore, founder of Spice Conscious studio

By turning creativity into formulation‑friendly, scalable, and more sustainable solutions, this edition of Chef’s Council promises to deliver complex, dynamic sensations that help customers meet rising consumer expectations.

Discover more about Chef’s Council and follow the journey of hot and spicy innovation

Chef’s Council 2026: Mexico City, 23–27 March 2026

After two days of intense competition, South Korea, represented by Seok Yong Hwang (bread candidate), Yong Hwan Choi (artistic piece candidate) and Myung Gi Kim (viennoiserie candidate), won the Bakery World Cup, succeeding the French team, the winner of the previous edition in 2024. Chinese Taipei and France, 2^nd and 3^rd, complete the podium of the competition, which took place during Sirha Bake & Snack 2026.

This 13^th edition gathered the world's 10 best teams, each composed of three candidates, to compete in four tests combining technical skill and teamwork: "Breads", "Viennoiseries", "Snacking" and "Artistic Piece". Each candidate had to demonstrate their technical expertise and artistic mastery, combined with the team spirit essential to making their country shine.

This year, the artistic pieces, which were the highlight of the show, had to be created in line with the theme “The great inventions of your country”. The contestants had to recount part of their nation's history and identity through the creation of a culinary work of art. Each artistic piece had to be between 140 and 160 centimetres in height, be entirely edible and incorporate at least five varieties of dough, 25% of which must be leavened dough.

The South Korean trio wins this edition of the Bakery World Cup, 10 years after their first and only victory. This performance demonstrates South Korea's expertise in baking and pastry-making and their mastery of the ‘French Bakery’ concept, allowing South Korea to equal Japan and the United States with a second victory since the competition was created in 1992. This result also reflects the growing importance of Asian countries in the bakery sector, having won five of the last six editions of the Bakery World Cup (Japan 2012, South Korea 2016, China 2020 and Chinese Taipei in 2022).
 

Discover the results of the 2026 Bakery World Cup:

1^st: South Korea
2^nd: Chinese Taipei
3^rd: France
4^th: Japan
5^th: Canada
6^th: USA
7^th: Denmark
8^th: Brazil
9^th: Senegal
10^th: Morocco

By Sylvain Charlebois — January 15, 2026

McDonald’s isn’t being generous. Cheap burgers come with consequences, especially for Canadian processors and farmers already under strain

McDonald’s Canada has launched a full-scale price war—and the shockwaves will not stop at the drive-thru. By freezing prices for an entire year on its $5 Value Meals and $1 menu items, the country’s largest fast-food player is locking in entry-level affordability at a moment when consumers have made it unmistakably clear they have had enough of fast-food inflation. This is not a marketing flourish. It is a defensive economic move.

The reaction from competitors was immediate. Burger King and Wendy’s are already leaning harder into value bundles and limited-time discounts. When McDonald’s moves, the entire fast-food sector adjusts. There is no larger price setter in Canadian foodservice, and history shows that when McDonald’s chooses to compete on price, everyone else must follow, whether they can afford to or not.

What makes this moment especially notable is that it has been a long time since Canada has seen a true fast-food price war. The last nationwide episode dates back to roughly 2013-15, when McDonald’s aggressively expanded dollar-menu pricing and value breakfasts to protect traffic. Rivals followed suit, but that war ended quietly as costs stabilized and chains pivoted toward premiumization, including craft burgers, specialty coffees, delivery fees, and app-driven upselling. From about 2016 onward, the industry steadily moved away from value and toward margin expansion.

That context matters because this price war is unfolding under far weaker economic conditions. The last one was fought during a period of relatively stable input costs and consumer optimism. Today’s battle is unfolding in an inflationary environment marked by weaker demand, declining restaurant visits, and widespread financial stress across foodservice. While headline inflation has eased, food prices have remained elevated in recent years, leaving households far more sensitive to everyday price increases. This is not about gaining market share. It is about preserving demand.

To consumers, the price freeze looks like a win. After months of menu prices creeping well beyond what “fast food” was ever meant to be, McDonald’s is restoring a sense of predictability at the counter. But price wars of this scale do not stop at the drive-thru window. They ripple through the entire food supply chain, all the way back to Canadian farms.

McDonald’s Canada is not just a restaurant chain; it is one of the most powerful agricultural buyers in the country. The company operates more than 1,400 restaurants nationwide, giving it enormous purchasing leverage across multiple food categories. At the farm gate alone, its annual demand represents roughly $300 to $350 million in Canadian beef, $200 to $250 million in potatoes, $80 to $100 million in dairy, $70 to $90 million in produce, $40 to $50 million in eggs, and $25 to $35 million in wheat. Taken together, that amounts to approximately $720 to $875 million a year in farm-level value. Once processing, packaging, logistics, and distribution are added, McDonald’s injects roughly $1.6 to $1.8 billion annually into the Canadian food economy.

Those numbers explain why this decision matters so much right now. When McDonald’s freezes prices, the pressure does not disappear—it moves. Restaurants absorb the hit first, with profit margins being squeezed. Processors are next, pushed into renegotiating contracts, shaving costs, and demanding higher efficiency. Farmers feel it last, but they often feel it hardest. A sustained price war tightens margins upstream at a time when producers are already grappling with higher fuel, fertilizer, labour, and financing costs.

This is also happening against a backdrop of structural contraction in the restaurant sector. According to estimates from the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, more than 11,000 restaurants in Canada are projected to close over a 24-month period, with closures significantly outpacing openings. Independent operators and mid-sized chains do not have the purchasing power or balance sheets to survive prolonged discounting. When global fast-food giants fight on price, smaller players are squeezed out.

The fast-food sector is already adjusting. Menus are being simplified, promotional cycles shortened, and technology deployed to cut labour costs and increase throughput. Entry-level items are being protected at all costs, even as premium offerings quietly shrink or disappear. Value, not variety or innovation, has become the dominant competitive weapon.

McDonald’s decision to lock prices for a year should not be misread as a signal that food inflation is over. It is an admission that consumers have reached their limit. When the most powerful restaurant brand in the country decides it must absorb inflation rather than pass it along, it tells us demand is fragile and confidence is thin.

Fast-food price wars are back—but this time, they are being fought in a far more fragile economy. The relief at the counter will be real. The pressure on competitors will be intense. And for processors and farmers, the consequences will be deep and lasting. Because a price war at McDonald’s is never just about burgers. It is a nationwide supply-chain shock that starts at the menu board and ends in the field.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Canadian professor and researcher in food distribution and policy. He is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast. He is frequently cited in the media for his insights on food prices, agricultural trends, and the global food supply chain.