On China's central coast, Shanghai is the country's largest city and a global financial hub.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
Shanghai will host the IFFO China Summit 2026, which will take place on June 10 and 11 this year. IFFO – The Marine Ingredients Organisation announced this week that registration is now open.
"We are delighted to welcome the industry back to China for another edition of what has now become an annual event," said Maggie Xu, IFFO's China Director.
The organization added that, the Summit—which will take place less than two months after the Annual Members Meeting held in Madrid—will once again convene leading industry stakeholders from across the global marine ingredients value chain to explore market dynamics, regulatory developments and future opportunities.
Although the Summit will be preceded by a dedicated Side Program and Reception on Wednesday 10 June, the main day will be held on Thursday 11 June when, after the welcome remarks of the IFFO's Director General, Petter Martin Johannessen, the Market Research Director of The Marine Ingredients Organization, Enrico Bachis, will offer an overview on 'Global supply and demand of marine ingredients'.
The rest of the morning will be dedicated to reviewing the situation in some of the main supplier and consumer countries of marine ingredients. The three scheduled talks are: 'Marine ingredients industry in Peru', 'Supply and demand of marine ingredients in Chile', and 'Supply and demand of marine ingredients in India'.
In the afternoon, following a brief opening by IFF's China Director, Maggie Xu, the review will continue, shifting the focus to Asia, beginning with the talk 'Supply and demand of marine ingredients in Vietnam'. Afterwards, following a session dedicated to the 'MarinTrust Certification' and an update on the 'Global Omega-3 Market', the day will conclude with a discussion on '2026 China fishmeal demand'.
As mentioned, this central day of the Summit will be preceded by a Side Programme on Wednesday afternoon which, like the final talk on Thursday, will also be dedicated to China.
Under the title of 'Forum for High Quality Development of China's Fish Oil Industry', it will feature expert insights into dietary supplement trends, global regulatory frameworks, and quality standards for fish oil products.
The topics to be discussed will be: 'Trends and International Trade of Dietary Supplements Industry', 'Interpretation of Fish Oil Regulations and Standards in Major Global Markets and Response Strategies', 'Quality Requirements for Fish Oil Products and the Health Benefits of Omega-3', and, finally, the 'Release of the Group Standard Quality Requirements for Fish Oil Products and the Expert Consensus White Paper on the Health Benefits of Fish Oil'.
Commenting on the event, IFFO's China Director noted that "China continues to play a central role in the global aquaculture sector, both as the world's largest producer and as a leading user of marine ingredients to support its rapidly developing feed and farming industries."
"According to OECD-FAO estimates, China is expected to account for 42% of global fishmeal consumption by 2034," Maggie Xu added.
The data she refers to are included in the 'OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025-2034', which provides a comprehensive assessment of the ten-year prospects for agricultural commodity and fish markets at national, regional, and global levels.
According to this outlook, fishmeal and fish oil are projected to account for 83% of the 21 Mt live weight of fish and other aquatic products used for non-food purposes in 2034. By that date, the aquaculture sector will consume 84% of fishmeal as feed, compared to 78% in the report's base period (average of 2022-2024).
As the largest aquaculture producer, China is also the largest consumer of fishmeal, and, as Xu referred, it is expected that by 2034, it will account for 42% of global fishmeal consumption.
Regarding fish oil consumption, the OECD-FAO report highlighted the competition between aquaculture and dietary supplements for human consumption. By 2034, it is projected that 59% of fish oil will be used to feed farmed fish, particularly salmon, compared to 54% in the base period.
In this case, Norway and the European Union will remain the main consumers of fish oil, accounting for 16% and 15%, respectively of the world total in 2034.
