WHERE TO BE SEEN Gulfood
FEBRUARY 16-20, 2020 DWTC, DUBAI
Gulfood, the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade exhibition, and first major event of a transformative new decade for the industry, will mark its silver anniversary this year by uniting food businesses from six continents to rethink their output in an age of major innovation and evolution across the global F&B sector
Ahead of Gulfood 2020, the UAE’S strategic position and status as a global trade hub has been underlined by the latest Gulfood Global Industry Outlook, produced by the show’s knowledge partner Euromonitor International, which forecasts the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to experience ‘above’ world average compound annual growth across most F&B categories through to 2023.
The report, which is available to registered Gulfood 2020 attendees, reveals that during the next decade, world-class trade and commerce infrastructure in the Emirates can facilitate Asia Pacific’s emergence as the world’s biggest F&B consumer by 2030. The MENA region is also showing huge growth potential – both as a standalone market and as a trading corridor for business expansion inroads in Africa and Asia. “MENA has emerged, with greater distribution of wealth and rapidly developing infrastructure, consumers have greater access to a wider range of foods and beverages,” states the report.
MENA region to exceed global average growth
With MENA forecast to outstrip the average global growth in seven out of eight sectors, poultry and seafood offer the biggest potential as both are predicted to grow annually by 5.2 percent according to the report. Beverages are forecast to record 3.6 percent annual growth, dairy 2.9 percent,
pulses, grains and cereals 3.8 percent, ingredients by 3.2 percent and confectionery and snacks by 3.3 percent. Only fats and oils fall short of the world average, but even this sector is forecast to record regional annual growth of 3.4 percent.
With the global food industry in the midst of transformation across the entire production chain, innovation will hallmark exhibitor promotions at Gulfood 2020. To ease business facilitation, the show is divided into eight categories: beverages; dairy; fats & oils; wellness & free from; meat & poultry; power brands; pulses, grains and cereals; and world food, which will feature 120 national pavilions with niche and specialty products in 2020.
Gulfood Innovation summit to champion food sector rethink
Creativity is also expected to shine at the two-day Gulfood Innovation Summit, which will run under the ‘Rethinking Food’ theme and has attracted some of the industry’s most inspiring change-makers. The Summit will bring together influential chefs, food scientists, government officials and industry leaders at the forefront of innovation to discuss and shape the future of food and gastronomy. The two-day agenda will delve into topics revolving around the role of government in shaping the future of food, adapting to healthier, sustainable lifestyles, F&B marketing, tourism and retail, future food technologies and new halal markets.