GULFOOD PREVIEW
34
FIRST MAJOR
GLOBAL FOOD
INDUSTRY EVENT
OF THE YEAR
WILL SHOWCASE
THOUSANDS OF
NEW-TO-MARKET
SUPPLIERS,
INNOVATIVE
CHANNELS TO
MARKET AND
BENCHMARK
GLOBAL
COMMODITY
PRICE
East as a lucrative market for their products. In this
dynamic climate, Gulfood continues to empower
the global food and beverage community as an
unmatched trading and knowledge platform that
offers unrivalled market overviews and insights to
industry professionals.”
The bright forecast for Gulfood 2018 follows
hundreds of major deals struck and initiatives
launched at this year's event, including US Beef
regaining eligibility to ship beef products to Saudi
Arabia, a USD31 million market. US exhibitors at
the show reported on-site sales of USD85.5
million with forecasts of a further USD722 million
in direct sales as a result of their participation,
according to the US Department of Agriculture's
(USDA) Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS). The FAS
also recruited 47 potential food and beverage
suppliers - with a network spanning Asia, Africa,
South Asia and the Middle East - to service US
exporters at Gulfood 2017.
In the UAE, Dubai-based gourmet snacks
specialist Hunter Foods signed a lucrative deal
with Chinese importers, while the Emirates
Authority for Standardisation & Meteorology
(ESMA) hosted the pioneering Global Halal
Industry Platform.
Following a successful debut in 2017,
Gulfood 2018 will continue its sectorised
approach to further increase accessibility and
trading potential. Tens of thousands of finished
food and beverages will be featured in halls
dedicated to eight of the biggest commodity
trading sectors: Beverages; Dairy; Fats & Oils;
Health, Wellness & Free-From; Pulses, Grains &
Cereals; Meat & Poultry; Power Brands and
World Food.
With the Pulses, Grains & Cereals and Fats
& Oils sectors already close to being sold-out
amid unprecedented demand, the Meat &
Poultry sector is also tracking strong sales two
months before the show.
“For United States red meat exporters,
Gulfood has a well-established reputation as
the premier marketing event in the Gulf
region,” said Philip Seng, President & CEO, US
Meat Export Federation (USMEF). “Over the
years, Gulfood's footprint has expanded
considerably and it's now a key venue for
exporters looking to grow their business in
emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Europe.”
New to the 2018 event is the Gulfood
Discover Zone, where exhibitors will be able to
apply for recently-launched products to be
showcased in an exclusive and interactive
FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST
lounge. The Gulfood Discover Zone will also
feature a dedicated area for companies that
have never conducted business in the MENA
region before and are using Gulfood as a
market-entry opportunity. Finalists for the
Gulfood Innovation Awards, which also return
in 2018, will also be showcased in the
Gulfood Discover Zone.
Another new feature is the Gulfood Start-
up Competition, which is designed to foster
further innovation in the food and beverage
supply chain. Open to aspiring food
industry professionals or students, the
competition will reward sustainable
development and socially-impactful ideas
that are either disrupting the old ways of
doing business, or promoting healthier and
environmentally-correct practices.
“Gulfood Start-up promises to be the
region's most influential innovation enabler
for the next generation of food industry
pioneers,” added LohMirmand. “The
competition will connect impassioned food
technology entrepreneurs from across the
Middle East with the region's largest food
technology and product buyers.”
With more than 5,000-plus exhibitors
expected at the 23rd edition of the event,
Gulfood 2018 will feature more than 120
JANUARY - MARCH 2018