“As suppliers, it is our role to work with customer demands; so to satisfy this trend, President Brand introduced a light option, the ‘0% Fat’ line.

“This range has captured a decent share of regional sales, proving that consumers are becoming more concerned with the fat content of their dairy foodstuffs,” he observes.

The other key trend relates to the type of dairy chefs are purchasing, with an increased demand for unusual or regional-specific dairy goods, such as specialist cheeses or creams.

Noting that many dairy items have a short shelf-life, Mövenpick’s Zain says improved transport has helped this market along significantly, bringing many more unusual dairy items into the region.

Lactalis’ Rougagnou puts the increased demand for more exotic items down to the growing restaurant scene.

“As more international restaurants come into to the region, for example from France, we are receiving requests for specific types of products that are authentically from their country of origin,” he explains.

But chefs are still experiencing problems when it comes to fulfilling their dairy demands.

“Availability from suppliers is still an issue,” says Mövenpick’s Zain.

“We use a lot of dairy products in our cooking, and getting the items delivered on time is somehow a challenge despite the fact that it is all available in the market nowadays.”

Dubai Creek’s Wilkinson agrees, explaining: “The main problem area with regards to availability is imported cheese. You don’t know from one week to the next if you are going to receive it.

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“The cost of the cheese itself can also fluctuate depending on timing and where it is imported from.”

Pritchitts’ Darcy agrees that “the main challenge for any exporter is ensuring the continuity of supply”.

“However we have excellent distribution partners in the GCC and they help to ensure that there is a continuous supply of all our products,” he asserts.

But other dairy suppliers are still encountering challenges in bringing goods to the Middle East.

Lactalis’ Rougagnou explains: “In the wide range of cheese that Lactalis produces, some are made out of raw milk — and there are countries in the GCC that do not allow import of such products, while other places will enforce tough regulations for getting the product into the market.

“So overall, these regualtory differences make importing such products a real challenge.”

Labelling can also be problematic, according to Classic Fine Foods’ Leroy.

“Production in any company must be stopped in order to produce UAE products,” he asserts. “This has a direct impact on price, availability and consistency.”

It seems that dairy products will continue to enjoy a strong standing in the Middle East — albeit in a lighter format, if the health trend really takes hold.

But before the market can advance and offer more diverse items, suppliers may want to see some of the ongoing import issues addressed.