Tourism & Hospitality | Wednesday 4 February, 2015 7:18 am |

As tens of thousands of global trade visitors, exhibitors, food industry leaders and experts from 150 countries prepare to descend on Dubai for next week’s landmark 20th edition of Gulfood, a high-ranking panel of international trade officials and private sector representatives has heralded the show’s role in cementing Dubai’s status as a leading trade, logistics and hospitality hub for the global food industry over the last three decades.

Having started life as a biennial exhibition in 1987, the inaugural Gulfood hosted 65 participating companies from 13 countries and welcomed just over 1,600 trade visitors. Running 8-12 February at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Gulfood 2015 - the biggest edition to date - will span more than one million square feet of exhibition space, host more than 4,800 international exhibitors from 120 countries and welcome more than 80,000 visitors from 150 countries.

In a press conference today (Tuesday), Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President – Exhibitions & Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre said: “Gulfood’s evolution into the world’s largest annual food and hospitality trade event has been meteoric. The 20th anniversary milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the significant contribution the show has made to industries and economies the world over, the growth of thousands of local, regional and international companies, and cementing Dubai’s global standing as a trade, logistics and commerce hub for the food and hospitality sectors.”

According to Business Monitor International, the value of food consumption in the UAE is predicted to grow from AED30.9 billion in 2014 to AED40.8 billion in 2018, while Dubai’s tourism vision – as defined in the Dubai 2021 Plan - includes doubling the number of F&B outlets by the end of the decade.

Having played a key role in driving global trade through Dubai and the UAE, and providing a premier sourcing platform to cater for exponential growth in the region’s burgeoning F&B and hospitality sectors, Gulfood will continue to facilitate high volumes of international trade by leveraging the Emirates’ world-class infrastructure, efficient customs and logistic services, and the exceptional access the country’s ports and airports offer to emerging and fast-growth markets.

According to ABARES, the research bureau of Australia’s Department of Agriculture, the country’s food and agriculture exports to the MENA region reached US$3.19 billion (AED11.7 billion) between July 2013 and June 2014. During the same period, exports to the UAE alone surpassed US$621.6 million (AED2.28 billion) – ranking the UAE as Australia’s second-largest regional export destination after Saudi Arabia.

“Food and agriculture exports to the MENA region currently represent 9.3 per cent of Australia’s total agricultural exports,” said His Excellency Pablo Kang, the Australian Ambassador to the UAE. “Having operated the largest national pavilion at the inaugural fair in 1987, an Australian Trade Office-sponsored group has now participated in every edition of Gulfood, aiding its evolution from a regional trade fair into a globally-recognised business and investment platform.”
Meat remains one of Australia’s major food and beverage exports to the region, with meat and livestock exports to the MENA region exceeding US$1.01 billion (AED3.72 billion) last year. In 2014, total sheep meat exports to MENA countries grew 16 per cent, lamb exports increased by seven per cent and mutton exports climbed by 29 per cent year-on-year. Strong demand for lamb and mutton was spread across the region with good growth recorded in UAE, Saudi, Qatar and Jordan.
With 25 meat suppliers among the various national, state and commodity associations, and 57 individual Australian food companies exhibiting at Gulfood 2015, Kang revealed Australian commitment to Gulfood is unwavering: “Australia’s historical support of Gulfood will continue. Whether it is meat, cereals and pulses, dairy, nuts or chilled foods, the geo-strategic air bridges and shipping corridors between our regions have yielded significant commercial opportunities for a plethora of Australian food and agriculture companies.”

With the US national pavilion at this year’s Gulfood featuring 166 companies across more than 2,000m², Quintin Gray, the Regional Agricultural Counselor of the Office Agricultural Affairs, United States Department of Agriculture, revealed that US agricultural exports to the UAE have grown steadily since the trade show’s inception in 1987.
“US agricultural exports to the UAE have experienced exponential growth in the last three decades – rising from US$36 million in 1987 to an anticipated US$1.5 billion last year,” said Gray. “The UAE is a priority global growth market for US food exporters and its world-class logistics infrastructure has ensured that its ports and airports serve as our primary regional hubs for re-exporting US agriculture and consumer-ready products across the wider GCC, Middle East and African continent. For almost three decades, Gulfood has provided thousands of US companies with a tailored platform to facilitate trade growth and commercial opportunities into and out of Dubai. Gulfood’s role in turning the city into one of the world’s leading, cost-effective global gateways for foodstuff and food commodities trade is unquestionable.”

Elsewhere, Francois Sporrer, the French Trade Commissioner and Regional Manager - Middle East, Business France, added: “After seeing 95 per cent growth in French exports of food and beverage products to the UAE between 2009 and 2013, France exported around €350 million of agro-food products to the UAE in 2013 alone. Gulfood is the premier meeting place for French companies exploring business development opportunities in the region and every year we are flooded with requests from French companies looking to participate in this important exhibition as a route to satisfying the huge market demand for high quality produce and equipment.”
With France currently the world’s fifth largest exporter of food and beverage products and the sixth largest exporter of food industry equipment, Sporrer added that Gulfood is the best place in the world to view French-made food industry products: “Since its creation, France has not missed a single edition of Gulfood and our presence has kept growing over the years. As a consequence, Gulfood is home to the largest French pavilion at any food event worldwide,” he continued.
Other panellists at the Gulfood 2015 press conference included Muhammed Catic, Group Director – Business Development, IFFCO Group; Abdel Rahman Zaki, Managing Director Rio International; and Andy Cuthbert, General Manager, Jumeirah Hospitality, who discussed this year’s Emirates Culinary Guild Salon Culinaire – an annual showcase of the region’s best culinary talent and expertise dating back to the first-ever Gulfood in 1987. This year’s Salon will see more than 1,300 professional chefs evaluated by a panel of 25 renowned experts, mandated by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) to judge culinary events across the globe.
With the global Halal food market worth an estimated annual value of US$ 1 trillion and the UAE’s Halal food imports predicted to grow from US$3 billion in 2011 to US$8.4 billion by 2020, Gulfood 2015 will also host the second edition of Halal Food World, the world’s biggest annual halal food sourcing event. A dedicated show-within-a-show concept, Halal World Food will see more than 1,000 international specialist Halal food brands and companies display thousands of Halal products – from energy drinks, vegan and vegetarian foods to meat and poultry, canned goods, gourmet and fine foods - at the strategic, sector-specific event conceived to further Dubai’s credentials to be the global Islamic economy capital.

“The global Halal food market accounts for a fifth of the world’s food trade and Halal World Food will ensure Gulfood continues to play a leading role in the growth of the Halal food sector – a key enabler in realising Dubai’s vision to become the global Islamic Economy capital,” added LohMirmand. “UAE entities such as the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology are spearheading pioneering initiatives in the area of Halal food certification and standardisation and Halal World Food provides a touch-point for progress in these initiatives to be relayed to a truly global audience of international food producers and suppliers.”

Part of the second annual Dubai Food Festival, a city-wide culinary celebration running throughout February, Gulfood 2015 is a strict trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors. The show is open 11am-7pm from February 8-11 and 11am-5pm on February 12. Visitors can pre-register at www.gulfood.com to save AED100 (US$ 27) on the on-site entry fee of AED250 (US$ 66.65).