F&B Manufacturing Business Group to release UAE industry report

The Food and Beverage Manufacturing Business Group (FBMG) has conducted a report in partnership with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Gulfood Manufacturing, which seeks to accelerate the growth of the F&B manufacturing industry in the UAE.

The findings will be used to help develop more effective workforce development programmes, services, and policies that better prepare local and expatriate staffers within the F&B sector.

FBMG chairman Saleh Abdullah Lootah said: “We, at the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Business Group, have made it our mission to develop the F&B sector in the UAE to turn the UAE into an F&B manufacturing hub for the entire region. The study mines data from every source deemed relevant to the F&B manufacturing sector, organises it, and draws critical conclusions from it.”

The study adopts a two-pronged approach to research, relying on both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

The qualitative approach consists of 30 interviews conducted in each of the seven emirates. Interviews covered all stakeholders from consumers to manufacturers to distributors. These interviews, however, move away from the traditional Q&A format and opt, instead, for a discussion between the interviewer and the respondent based around a topic guide. 

The quantitative research, meanwhile, consists of a survey – titled the Needs and Opportunities Survey – which will be conducted between July to September of 2017. The survey canvasses high-ranking executives and figureheads from across the food and beverage manufacturing industry across the seven emirates. A census was undertaken to determine the number of companies operating within the sector; the results registered 250-300 companies, all of which will be contacted.

Gulfood Manufacturing director Mark Napier said: “Gulfood Manufacturing applauds such initiatives that will further accelerate growth in the food manufacturing sector. This rich market insight will provide captains of industry and investors with the insight and analysis to guide and shape their investment in plant, process, and machinery.”