From Saturday 8 September to Tuesday 11 September 2012, the organic and natural product sector will be at the Bologna Exhibition Centre for Sana, the largest Italian exhibition for certified organic foods, herbal products, and natural and organic cosmetics, organised by BolognaFiere.

Considering the success of the previous edition, with 532 exhibitors and over 25,000 professional visitors (900 of whom were foreign), the trade‐only format has been confirmed for this year as well. To reinforce the exhibition’s international positioning, Sana 2012 will have a larger and increasingly qualified presence of foreign buyers, for whom Sana, the international exhibition of organic and natural products, now in its 24th edition, represents excellence, certified quality, and innovation.

Sana 2012 is organised in three exhibition sectors: Food, Wellness, and Other Natural Products.

Participation in the Food sector is reserved to companies exhibiting certified organic products, with certification evaluated by a committee of experts selected in cooperation with Federbio. The presence of Italy’s most important certifying entities (CCPB, ICEA, Bioagricert, Bios, IMC, Ecocert, QCertificazioni, Suolo e Salute) has already been confirmed, as has the presence of Demeter, the quality trademark in the biodynamic farming sector. Sana will once again have stands by AVI, the Italian Vegetarian Association, and by Vegan OK, the largest Italian vegan association, which will offer information on how to buy cruelty‐free products. This year, the Sana Observatory, focusing on dynamics in the organic food market in Italy (from farming to the processing industry, from sales in specialised channels and in LOD to export), is organised by NOMISMA, the private economic research institute known in Italy and in Europe for its analyses of the agri‐food sector. The report will be presented on 8 September during a conference starting at 3 PM, with the participation of speakers from Sinab (the national information service on organic farming created by the Ministry for Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies), who will present data on operators, surface areas, and organic farming products.

Participation in the Wellness sector is reserved to producers of organic cosmetics, cosmetics made with natural ingredients, food supplements, phytotherapeutic remedies, and personal care products. The Officinal Space (Hall 35), devoted to makers of officinal herbs and to forums for the herbal sector and its operators, will present workshops, lessons, and meetings. There will be four free courses for herbalists (and other interested visitors). The first will be on Saturday 8 September from 3 to 5:30 PM with Roberto Giampietri, who will discuss “Communication, services, and visual merchandising to optimise customer relations.” This will be followed on Sunday 9 September from 11 AM to 1 PM with attorney Laura Gazzi, who will discuss “Contractual relations between herbalists and suppliers: new aspects deriving from the 1/2012 liberalisation decree.” The series will conclude with courses held by Marco Valussi on “Plants acting on the immune defences” (10 September, morning and afternoon) and “Plants and aging. Antioxidants and anti‐age remedies: what they are, how to choose them, and when to use them” (11 September, morning and afternoon).

The Other Natural Products sector presents makers of natural textiles and products for leisure time and hobbies. There will also be proposals for eco‐friendly homes, such as natural wood furniture not treated with chemicals and innovative mattresses in natural materials that guarantee healthy and revitalising rest.

Sana 2012 will also assign awards for innovation and organic quality as the Sana Wellness Award is dedicated to herbalist shops, a typically Italian retail sales channel known for innovative communication and contact with customers and for high‐quality service in the field of herbal and phytotherapeutic preparations.

Last but not least, a full programme of events and conferences will provide opportunities for professional study and updates on organic food and farming, natural phytotherapeutic remedies, and treatment methods offering alternatives to traditional western medicine and drugs, from conferences (with distinguished gastroenterologist Enrico Roda) on the role of nutraceuticals and functional foods to the meeting organised by the Bologna Acupuncture Doctors Association in cooperation with the Italo‐Chinese Acupuncture School (Saturday 8 September at 3 PM) devoted to “Integrating acupuncture and western medicine.” “Natural remedies for the most common feminine ailments” will be the topic on Sunday 9 September at 11 AM, with (among others) Antonella Ronchi (President of Fiamo, Federazione italiana associazioni e medici omeopati). Finally, a free course on nutritional awareness will be held on Sunday 9 September at 3 PM.

Publisher Edizioni Ambiente will discuss environmental sustainability at the conference entitled “Nourishing the planet: global scenarios and sustainability of the agri‐food system after Rio+20,” with the participation (among others) of Sergio Castellari (National IPCC Focal Point), Marco Gisotti (journalist and editor of “Guide to green jobs”), and TV hostess Tessa Gelisio (Sunday 9 September at 9:30 AM).

As Marco Momoli, executive manager of the exhibition, explains, “Sana 2012 will offer not only a large number of exhibitors in all sectors of the fair, but also a wealth of cultural information and content, from health to nutrition to food security for environmental sustainability, with BolognaFiere’s declared commitment to bring organic farming to EXPO 2015 in Milan.”

Entrance
Free for professionals (pre‐registration on the website)
For visitors the admission fee is 20 euros
15 euros with online discount