Expo Milano 2015: Best pavilions at global food fair

The Expo 2015 (Universal Exposition) opened in Milan on 1 May and will run until 31 October. By following the theme Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, 145 countries will show their commitment to creating sustainable ways of producing and delivering food across the globe in a bid to safeguard the planet.

Although the exposition was welcomed by many, it has also been the object of severe criticism by people from the so-called "No Expo" movement. One day before the opening, hundreds of students marched through the streets of Milan, as they believe the event will not benefit Italy but only corporations collaborating with it. On the day of the opening, masked protesters clashed with police and set cars and shops alight in central Milan.

As the six-month-long event continues amid financial scandals and protests, IBTimes UK looks at some of the best pavilions at the exposition that an estimated 20 million people are expected to visit.

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is one of the countries that met the targets set by the Millennium Development Goal – issued by the UN in 1990 – that aims to eradicate poverty and hunger worldwide, and make primary education accessible for everybody by 2015.

By participating at the Expo, the country will share its practical experiences on how it managed to reach certain goals and lift thousands of people from extreme poverty.In particular, the nation will focus on how to tackle hunger.

Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijan's pavilion aims to educate visitors about the country's great production of organic, genuine and healthy products.

Vietnam

With its "Water and Lotus" pavilion, Vietnam aims to shed light on the problems of water pollution, over-fishing and waste.

China

Agriculture, food, environment, sustainable development are the focal points of China's pavilion that aims to show the country's progress in the use of resources for providing a sufficient supply of healthy food.

Czech Republic

The theme of Czech Republic's pavilion is "Laboratory of Life". It shows the country's long-standing agricultural tradition of food-production, as well as its ground-breaking research into biochemistry and nano-technology.

Spain

Spain contributed to the exposition by shedding light on its experience in the production and distribution of basic foods, the benefits of its dietary model and its combination of tradition and innovation.

Nepal

The Nepal pavilion aims to shed light on the country's need to develop programmes that can guarantee all its citizens have enough to eat. The decision was made as the country's food production is not at the same level of the population growth.

The pavilion also shows Nepal's biodiversity, with a focus on mountain farming. The building was completed by Italian and Nepalese volunteers after the country's representative went back following a devastating earthquake that killed more than 7,500 people.

UK

With its pavilion, the UK aims to shed light on the impact that food production and consumption have on people's lives globally and how food choices and policies made in industrialised countries can affect food consumption and availability in developing areas.

Netherlands

With its "Share, Grow, Live" pavilion, the Netherlands focuses on strengthening international collaboration to address global challenges.

Timor Lest

The country's pavilion is located in the coffee cluster and aims to show how the southern Asian country produces coffee through organic farming and reliable, sustainable environmentally protective practices.