The "sweetest" fair has just opened in the German city of Cologne on Monday as 1,650 confectionaries and snack producers from 68 countries in the business came together at the world's largest fair.
A total of 68 firms from Turkey participated in the 47th International Sweets and Snacks Fair (ISM).
Mustafa Hilmi Aşkın, commercial attaché at Turkey's Consulate General of Dusseldorf, said that the confectionary sector is very important for Turkey's economy as Turkish firms are highly competitive in terms of exports.
He added that the sector is closely related to the packaging sector, and improvements in this sector are crucial to increasing Turkey's market share in the sweet and snacks sector, both in Germany and the rest of Europe.
Aşkın also noted that Turkey's strong presence in the world's largest fair in this sector is very important for building ties with the rest of the world.
The four-day trade fair, which is taking place for the 47th time, expects around 38,500 professional visitors - not just from the Germany, but also importers and buyers of leading trading houses from all over the world.
With an international participation of 86 percent, the ISM is one of the "most international" trade fairs in Germany. Italy and Belgium are the largest group of exhibitors from abroad, the organizers stated.
According to the Federal Association of the German Sweets Industry e.V. (BDSI), this year's fair has chosen a retro-trend with the slogan "new discovery of the classics" as its highlight. These are traditional products made according to original recipes.
Sugar-free and sugar-reduced products as well as organic, vegan, vegetarian and fair-trade confectionery are also very popular.