Gulfood Manufacturing, Gulfhost and three co-located events concluded today Dubai World Trade Centre, having experienced global participation over a busy three days.
As well as underscoring the recovery of the food production and foodservice sectors, the leading global trade event looks set to leave an enduring legacy for the industry, helping improve food security across the UAE, MENA region and beyond.
The UAE’s position as a global food manufacturing hub, thanks to a competitive business ecosystem well-supported by the government, is a thread that has run through all three days of the Food Tech Summit at Gulfood Manufacturing. A key session in the final day focused on the reasons why the International Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA) is relocating its head office to Dubai and choosing Dubai as its partner, as it seeks to diversify and strengthen the food supply chain to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries, most of which currently face an underdeveloped food processing sector.
Mohammed Mousa Alameeri, Assistant Undersecretary, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, said
“We must act immediately and transform our food systems to become resilient to challenges. This means adopting measures that meet the needs of all, from smallholder farmers to multinational agribusiness firms. These measures must factor in emerging trends in the food production sector to be effective in the long term. We also need to support the creation of sustainable food supply chains. To address the food security challenges we are facing, we must build effective international partnerships towards our shared objective to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger.”
Immediately following the session, an MoU on cooperation in developing sustainable, innovative, and common solutions for industry was signed between the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) – of which IFPA is a subsidiary - and Food Tech Valley, a UAE-government led initiative designed to address food security locally, regionally, and globally.
The MoU will empower IFPA members with best practices in agritech by exchanging expertise and operational excellence through industry training, conferences and events, work collaboratively towards the establishment of IFPA headquarters within Food Tech Valley, foster robust relations between agricultural businesses across IOFS member states, and facilitate business connections and strategic partnerships in food-processing and the wider food supply chain.
Across the three days, over 2,500 exhibitors at Gulfood Manufacturing, and four co-located events – GulfHost, The Speciality Food Festival, ISM Middle East (previously Yummex ME) and Private Label Licensing ME have showcased their latest products and solutions, reaching a huge global audience of prospective buyers and suppliers, from across the entire value chain.
Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre, commented,
“We are delighted at the resounding success of all five shows, with three days of engaging discussions tackling the most pressing global issues facing the industry, and redefining its future. The UAE’s food manufacturing and foodservice sectors have a critical part to play not only in the UAE government’s strategic vision to diversify and grow the nation’s industrial base, but also in ensuring food security beyond the region. This year’s events have been our best yet and we look forward to seeing the positive growth of businesses as a result of the networking and deals that took place between individuals and brands from around the world.”
News Source: Emirates News Agency
