Broccoli with potatoes and turkey in the casserole: stewed lentils and ham omelette; macaroni bolognese and nuggets of broccoli; chickpea soup and beef meatballs; and every Thursday, fresh fish from the market. These are some of the menus offered by the Sol Ixent school in Corbins (Segrià), for both its primary school pupils and those of the municipal nursery. All dishes are cooked on the centre's premises. Hot meals and, in many cases, locally sourced. And, since last September, it has also been an intergenerational meal.

Agricultural income –the value of production by farmers and ranchers– reached its highest point in 20 years in Catalonia in 2025, with 2,805.1 million euros, according to data published this Wednesday by the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat. Thus, the Catalan primary sector leaves behind the hardest years of the drought, when production fell substantially: "This increase consolidates the recovery of the agricultural sector after very complex years," assured the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, at a press conference.

Nevin Cohen (Brooklyn, New York, 1962) is an expert in public food policies and director of the Urban Food Policy Institute – belonging to the City University of New York – and advocates for actions that can lead to more egalitarian, sustainable, and healthy food. He visits Barcelona to participate in the first international congress of the FARO observatory on the future of food, held at the University of Barcelona, where he is amazed by its historic building. “How beautiful it is to study here,” he says, taking a photo of the cloister.

A guy was handing out energy drinks at the entrance. If it weren't 9:30 in the morning, I'd definitely grab one, because at Alimentaria you know when you go in but not when you'll come out. The food fair's pavilions fill up quickly with people eager to discover this year's new products, which, I can tell you now, are all about protein. In fact, protein galore.

The Alimentaria and Hostelco joint congress, dedicated to the agri-food industry, hospitality, and catering, opened its doors this Monday at the Fira de Barcelona, ​​on the very day that Brussels announced the provisional entry into force of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, a treaty that could change the food sector in the years to come. The congress, which takes place every two years, expects around 110,000 attendees, according to organizers last week. It would surpass both the Mobile World Congress and Integrated Systems Europe in visitors. (ISE), currently the two trade fairs with the highest visitor numbers held in Barcelona. However, unlike these two congresses, where the majority of attendees come from abroad, Alimentaria has a majority of visitors (approximately three out of four) from within Spain.

The Alimentaria and Hostelco trade fair for the agri-food, restaurant, and hospitality industries will increase the number of exhibitors this year compared to the last edition and expects to reach 110,000 visitors, organizers announced on Thursday. With this figure, the event would surpass the total number of visitors to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and ISE, the two most attended events held this year at Fira de Barcelona. The congress, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, will be held next week at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona, ​​in Hospitalet de Llobregat. In total, it will occupy seven pavilions with an area of ​​100,000 square meters. Organizers have highlighted the international nature of the event. "It will be by far the most international Alimentaria in history," declared Antoni Llorens, president of the trade fair, at the press conference presenting the congress this Thursday. "A congress comes of age when an international visitor comes to visit an international exhibitor, because borders are transcended," added Pere Taberner, president of Hostelco. In total, some 3,300 companies will participate in the 2026 edition, 1,200 of which are from abroad. Thus, the number of exhibitors from outside Spain represents a 30 percent increase compared to the previous edition, although the increase in exhibition space occupied by international companies will be 40 percent.

Frit Ravich, the Catalan family-owned company that produces potato chips, snacks The company has begun work to expand its factory in the municipality of Maçanet de la Selva, next to its existing plant. The location was chosen last year, and buildings adjacent to the headquarters were demolished. Recently, the detailed design phase was launched to define and plan the foundations of the new 38,000-square-meter complex. According to the company, the new facilities will guarantee the company's operational capacity until 2040. The company consolidated its growth and increased its investments last year by 14%, to 8 million euros. Part of this amount was allocated to the start of the expansion work. The bulk of the resources were used to increase production capacity, especially for potato chips and... snacksand to increase new technological solutions to improve the efficiency and management of production processes.

For several years now, Liquats Vegetals has been the face of the rise of plant-based milks in the Catalan agri-food industry. Founded in 1991 and located in the heart of Montseny, the company has been the leader in the production of oat, soy, and rice beverages in the Spanish market for almost four years, thanks in large part to its own brand, Yosoy. The company was founded by engineer Josep Maria Erra with the aim of "providing real nutrition," explains his daughter and current CEO, Laura Erra. The founder had worked in the dairy sector and decided to start a business to make plant-based milk, a segment of the beverage market that was still in its infancy in Spain 35 years ago. Furthermore, the goal was to produce products with as few additives and added sugars as possible: "With a logical work philosophy about how we should eat and nourish ourselves," says the group's director.

A good harvest after three years of drought and an expansion in the number of wineries boosted Corpinnat's sales in 2025. The collective brand of sparkling wines from the Penedès region grew by 27%. compared to the previous year...to €34.13 million.

The Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food, Òscar Ordeig, called on Thursday for innovative policies in the agri-food sector, both public and private, to ensure that food production, which has sometimes "been subordinated to other paradigms," becomes Catalonia's flagship project in the coming years. "Environmental policies have been implemented without considering agri-food policies; urban planning policies have been implemented without considering food production policies; and health policies have been implemented without considering that we have a Mediterranean diet, a UNESCO World Heritage Site," Ordeig explained on Thursday at the Pim headquarters. In addition to this need for a forward-looking vision in the sector, Ordeig also stated that it is necessary to make decisions to move forward and find a balance between "not forging ahead without thinking, and thinking without forging ahead." "We have met many times with the sector to be clear about where we needed to go, but above all we have had to make decisions, manage, manage, and manage," explained the regional minister, who cited the recent health crises that have affected the agri-food sector in Catalonia as an example.

Barcelona Wine Week, the Spanish wine congress held annually in Barcelona, ​​will once again grow this year in terms of exhibitors, visitors, and square footage, organizers announced Wednesday. The sector is meeting at a time of challenges due to climate change, trade tensions between the European Union and the United States, and concerns about declining wine consumption worldwide. A total of 1,351 wineries from across Spain are registered, a 5% increase compared to last year. the 2025 edition and 880 international buyers, 14% more than the previous edition. The fair, which will be held next week from February 2nd to 4th, will occupy 10,900 square meters, 800 more than last year, at the Plaça d'Espanya venue of Fira de Barcelona. With 320 wineries present, Catalonia will be the autonomous community with the largest presence at the event, followed by Castile and León, La Rioja, and Castile-La Mancha.

The Catalan food and supermarket company Ametller Origen closed 2025 with a turnover of 800 million euros. 18% more than the previous year which represents a new all-time sales record, according to a press release. The company has not reported profits.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of measures on Wednesday to facilitate generational renewal in agriculture. The government presented this proposal after days of protests—particularly intense in Catalonia, but which have spread to other parts of Spain—against the European Union-Mercosur trade agreement (Mercosur being the trade bloc comprised of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), which Sánchez himself has openly supported after Spain had previously expressed its support. According to a statement from the Spanish government, Sánchez considers ensuring generational renewal in agriculture "urgent" and a "top priority," and he presented the proposal to a group of young farmers and ranchers. Among these measures is the mobilization of publicly owned agricultural land, some 17,000 rural properties in total, which will be made available to young farmers through a dedicated platform.

Catalan farmers will continue their road blockades across the country, they announced on Friday, hours after the 27 member states of the European Union approved the free trade agreement with Mercosur (the South American bloc), against which they had begun their protests in Catalonia. The farmers have accused the Catalan government of having "sold them out," while the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, defended the trade agreement, asserting that "Catalonia is the biggest winner." "We have a 105% agri-food trade surplus, which we want to maintain and expand," Ordeig stated regarding the Catalan primary sector. In this regard, he emphasized that, in an international context where "there are countries in the world that are isolating themselves and isolating us," it is necessary to "seek new trading partners." The regional minister met this Friday in Reus with representatives of the farmers who are blocking access to the port of Tarragona and asked them to act responsibly so as not to disrupt supplies.

The price of cocoa fell by more than 45% in 2025 after a 2024 marked by a sharp increase due to poor harvests in the main producing country, Ivory Coast, and the entry of speculative funds into wholesale markets. However, for the moment, the cost of chocolate for consumers has not yet adjusted to the decrease in the price of cocoa and remains above the levels of a few years ago.

Grocery shopping isn't what it used to be. Prices have risen, and the products we expected to find aren't always available, or they aren't locally sourced even when they're in season. In fact, we may be more confused than ever about food seasons, not only because we've become complacent, but because they're becoming increasingly blurred. Behind it all is often climate change, which has already significantly disrupted our shopping habits and will do so even more, especially if the world continues to fail to take decisive steps to mitigate it. Now, raising awareness and taking action as consumers has become essential.

Around 350 tractors blocked the C-25 highway (the Eix Transversal) on Monday morning to protest the overpopulation of wildlife in Catalonia, in a demonstration organized by the main agricultural organizations in the region. The mobilization, which began at 9 a.m., brought farmers to the streets to demand, above all, "control of overpopulations of game animals"—especially wild boar, rabbits, roe deer, and red deer—and a "review" of the Livestock Health Service. The march was supported by Unió de Pagesos, Revolta Pagesa, Asaja, and the Plataforma Pagesos o Conejos (Farmers or Rabbits Platform).

Aitor Sánchez García (Albacete, 1988) is a dietitian, nutritionist, and science communicator. Trained at the universities of Alicante and Granada, he combines academic research with extensive outreach through lectures, books, and, above all, social media, where he has amassed over 300,000 followers on Instagram. Online, he shares content about diets and nutrition, avoiding the magical and miraculous recipes of other profiles with dubious scientific basis, but instead offering a clear and concise message that provides practical solutions to everyday problems. Co-director of the Aleris Nutrition Center in Valencia, Sánchez García has just published his latest book, ¿What about nutrition? (Paidós), in which he sheds light on the avalanche of new trends, recommendations and opinions on food that, far from making life easier for the population, generate more and more confusion and misinformation.

In Catalonia, landscape and gastronomy are almost inextricably intertwined. "The cuisine explains what our land is like: it speaks of our fields and forests, of our flocks and orchards, of the changes in light and temperature throughout the year," Josep Sucarrats, food journalist and editor of the magazine, explained to ARA. RootsThis direct connection with the environment has shaped a culinary tradition that is both seasonal and regional, with dishes that vary not only according to the calendar, but also according to the specific area. "Catalonia is impossible to summarize with just four recipes, because the differences between regions are very pronounced and they are the birthplace of very distinct recipes," he notes.

First course: a celery salad with blue cheese and walnuts, a bread and tomato soup, or an anchovy and vegetable tart. Second course: shavings of pork loin on creamed potatoes or cooked Catalan sausage with sautéed apple. And for dessert, pineapple carpaccio with mango coulis and yogurt foam. These were some of the dishes diners at Semproniana could choose from on June 16, 2015. It was a special night at Ada Parellada's Barcelona restaurant. All the ingredients the chef had used to prepare the dishes were destined for the bin because they were unattractive, an unusual size, or past their expiration date. However, for the symbolic price of 4 euros, dozens of people enjoyed a first-class meal without any stomach aches.