Manufacturers explore sustanability, innovation
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Countries attend 5th edition of Gulfood Manufacturing
dubai — Manufacturers across the UAE and the GCC are increasingly focusing on solutions that will help them achieve more longterm sustainability, in line with current market trends, experts at the fifth edition of Gulfood Manufacturing said.
The annual food and beverage processing forum, began on Tuesday with food production experts from more than 60 countries attending the event. With regional food consumption due to hit 51.9 million tonnes in 2019, the Middle East’s manufacturing sector is expanding rapidly as countries in the region seek to build increasingly diverse economies. The UAE is seeking to increase the contribution of the manufacturing sector to overall GDP from 11 per cent to 25 per cent by 2025.
Martin Schmedes, strategy and marketing director for the MEA region at SIG Combibloc Obeikan, said: “Our business has three key ambitions in relation to social responsibility and sustainability which underpin everything we do – the way we run our company, source our raw materials, and make our products. We partner with our customers to bring food products to consumers around the world in a safe, sustainable and affordable way, and we have identified a major shift in what end-consumers expect in today’s heightened ecoaware society when it comes to food and drink packaging.”
He explained that millennials and Gen-Z are far more discerning and conscious about the environment and the content of the products they consume.