Gulfood reveals future trends

Lucy Taylor, January 27th, 2010

The next decade is set to usher in a whole new set of priorities and challenges for the processing and packaging industry, according to Gulfood organisers.

The Middle East’s largest food, drink, foodservice and hospitality exhibition — running from February 21-24, 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) — has identified several trends that will change the regional processing and packaging industry in 2010 and beyond.

Dubai World Trade Centre chief executive Helal Saeed Almarri expanded: “Rapid development and globalisation are changing the playing field as the region’s import and re-export markets bring international food practices to developing countries

“Coupled with growing population numbers and diverse consumer habits, the opportunities are vast for emerging processing and packaging players that have the flexibility to adapt to their changing retail environments.

“International companies will be visiting Gulfood 2010 to capitalise on these opportunities,” he added.

Many of the upcoming trends will be reflected in the inaugural Gulfood Conference, focusing on the topic ‘Global Trends in Food, Beverage and Processing’, which runs over the course of the four-day show.

Leading speakers at the forum will include: Al Ghurair Commodities vice president Djamal Djouhri; Al Islami Foods chief executive Alex Andarakis; Brash FZ LLC founder and chief executive John Brash; Business Monitor International head of MENA Elizabeth Martins; Deloitte & Touche partner Rob O’Hanlon; Doehler global head of product management Alexander Smertz; Dubai Export Development Corporation chief executive Saed Al Awadi; Euromonitor head of health & wellness foods and beverages research Ewa Hudson; Intertek president of food services Dr Jochen Zoller; Roquette market development manager, Middle East & Latin America Dr Philippe Fouler; Thomas Klein International managing partner Daniel During; and World Pulses Organisation chairperson Sudhakar Tomar.

The major processing and packing trends that will be focused on include:

New Consumer Preferences
Speed and Agility
Quality Control
Taggable Universe
Ethical and Sustainable Packaging
Focus on Food Safety
Packaging as mini billboards

“Trade professionals visiting this year’s show can expect to find the latest processing and packaging solutions to meet the demands of the evolving regional food industry,” said Almarri.

“From operational efficiency, quality control, food safety and consumer engagement, our exhibitors will showcase technologies and products to help regional businesses keep up with or ahead of the trends.”

Gulfood is a strictly trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors from within the industry only.

To save on the entry fee, industry professionals can register for complementary tickets now by visiting www.gulfood.com/business.