Halal World Food looks at future of halal food industry at Gulfood 2015

Source: Gulfood.

Dubai, a primary global trading hub for the international halal food industry and a strategic enabler in the emirate’s long-term vision to become the global Islamic economy capital, is hosting over a thousand halal food companies at Halal World Food presented by the 20th Gulfood, the world’s biggest annual food and hospitality trade show, taking place from 8 to 12 February 2015 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

With more than 80,000 international food industry professionals due to attend the largest edition of Gulfood to date, Halal World Food is arguably the world'’s biggest annual halal food sourcing trade show. The specialist, show-within-a-show will cover all halal-related aspects of global food service, retail and hospitality sectors to highlight the depth and variety of international halal products, from energy drinks, vegan and vegetarian foods to meat and poultry, canned goods, gourmet and fine foods.

“The global halal food market now accounts for a fifth of the world’'s food trade (Datamonitor, 2014), and as the primary trading hub for halal food in the MENA region, Dubai has both the ambition and world-class infrastructure to become a worldwide halal centre,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC. 

"“Gulfood is one of the most important international platforms for the global food trade and the strategic enhancement of our Halal World Food initiative will ensure the show 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," she said.”

With GCC halal food imports projected to rise from US$ 25.8 billion in 2010 to US$ 53.1 billion by 2020 (Economist Intelligence Unit), the UAE is progressing a series of initiatives designed to propel its position at the forefront of the global halal food industry. 

In 2012, the UAE was granted a three-year chairmanship of the first technical committee for halal food standards, underlining the global significance of the country as an important market and its ascendancy as a halal hub in the region. Anticipation runs high as the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) and Dubai Municipality work to establish unified halal standards that will, in the future, be introduced to all Islamic countries. In addition, government officials announced in 2014 that Dubai has dedicated 6.7 million square metres of land in Dubai Industrial City for a dedicated ‘Halal Cluster’ reserved for manufacturing and logistics companies dealing in halal products.

The inaugural Halal Investment Conference on February 10 as part of the three-day Gulfood Leaders Events programme will cover the implications of new developments in the halal industry. It brings together key halal sector players and senior government decision makers to discuss commercial and business opportunities. Questions to be discussed include

• The role of 'halal' in Dubai’'s capital of Islamic Economy vision, Business opportunities in the global halal marketplace, 
• Halal regulations and governance in the GCC, 
• The impact of any new halal regulations on the global food industry, 
• Positioning of halal products in mainstream markets, 
• Successful halal marketing, and 
• The meaningful transformation of the halal brand in non-Islamic countries.

Representatives from Al Ghurair Investments, Al Dahra Agriculture, Zilzar Technology, Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA), Dubai Municipality, Mondçlez International, Danone, RAQAM Consultancy JLT, Just Falafel and GMA Middle East will speak at the conference.

"“Being an all-halal food focused manufacturer, Dubai, the main hub for the halal food industry, is one of our primary and biggest markets. Through our participation at Gulfood, and through Tilly Sabco'’s sponsorship of the conference, we hope to expand our presence in the region and to highlight the key differences in the definition of ‘'halal’', the most widely abused term in the world. 

"Because no unified halal standard exists in the global market, even those products that are labeled 'halal' might not necessarily be fit for Muslim consumption. We believe that Dubai, with its vision to become the capital of the Islamic Economy and the introduction of its halal scheme – a set of global unified standards – will level the playing field for all halal manufactures and restore consumer confidence,”" said Idris Mohammed, Director, Tilly-Sabco Bretagne – the French leaders in chicken production and slaughtering, and the title sponsor of the Halal Investment Conference.

With the vast majority of the world’'s major halal-certified beef and mutton producers and exporters represented at Halal World Food and Gulfood 2015, Uruguay XXI – the South American country’'s Institute for Promotion of Investments and Exports of Goods and Services, –revealed food and beverage exports to the Middle East have grown 77% since 2010.

“Uruguay is currently the world’s sixth largest exporter of beef and the Middle East is a key export territory for Uruguayan meat exporters,” said a Uruguay XXI spokesperson. “Food and beverage exports to the Middle East accounted for 95% of total Uruguayan exports to the region last year. The halal sector is an increasingly vital revenue source for every global cattle exporter and Uruguay companies – which already export halal-certified beef to countries including Russia, China, Canada, Germany, United States, Italy and Kuwait – are in a fantastic position to leverage increased market share across the Middle East.”

Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), the flagship free zone business of Dubai, will be highlighting its key offerings as the trade and logistics hub for the food and beverage sector at Gulfood. 

Jafza’s strategic advantage is its location between Jebel Ali Port and Al Maktoum International Airport, facilitating speed-to-market. It has seen a significant increase in the demand for food and beverages facilities at the Free Zone in 2014. The upswing is largely driven by high quality custom-built storage and manufacturing infrastructure solutions the Free Zone offers, including the right logistics links that the industry needs. The sector is estimated to have generated trade worth AED15.50 billion at Jafza in 2013, and the Free Zone expects to double the trade volume in the next five years.

Jafza will also be using the show as a springboard to highlight its plan to build a state-of-the-art Halal Zone in the Free Zone to serve international markets and another Halal Zone in its sister company TechnoPark to serve the local and GCC markets.

The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is leading a delegation of 81 Malaysian exhibitors to Gulfood 2015. MATRADE’s 11th participation in Gulfood will feature frozen food items, wide range of palm oil products, confectioneries, sauces and paste, ready-to-eat items, beverages, health food, pasta and food ingredients.

According to MATRADE, Gulfood will give its delegates good exposure to the demands from the UAE, which is the gateway to the Gulf region. MATRADE also shared that Malaysia’s exports of processed food to UAE have increased from RM299.7 million in January to November 2013 to RM469.4 million for the same period in 2014 . It is expected that the exports of Malaysia’s processed food to UAE will continue to grow in the coming year as Malaysian food products have widely accepted assurance standards, quality and reliable halal standards.

Six Chilean businesses will present their halal products, including energy drinks, fruit juice, bottled rainwater, extra virgin olive oil, functional foods from Chilean berries such as maqui (Aristotelia chilensis, with a taste similar to blueberries),
and murta (Ugni molinae, which can be used to make jam), Omega 3 for human or animal consumption, chocolates and other gourmet foods, as well as Merkén (smoked Chilean aji chilli peppers) and other condiments - all processed and produced under halal certification.

"Practically all of the national halal-certified businesses are exporting, or are looking towards exporting shortly to markets with Muslim populations. Some of these businesses have exported to countries with majority Muslim population in the North of Africa (Morocco, Egypt), Middle East (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan), Southeast Asia (Indonesia and Malaysia) as well as for the consumption of minority populations in Europe and the US. It is estimated that in 2013, they exported close to US$11 million," commented Lorena Galla, Chilean Commercial Assistant in Dubai.

Part of the Dubai Food Festival, a city-wide culinary celebration running throughout February, the second annual Halal World Food at Gulfood 2015 plays a key part to further the global halal food market, which is expected to reach US$1.6 trillion by 2018. Global opportunities across for the halal market are predicted to reach US$10 trillion by 2030 (Global Futures and Foresights Study). 

Read our blog post about Gulfood here.
View the list of Chilean business present at the fair here.
Register for the conference here. Download the free mobile app here.

Full lineup of 2nd edition of Dubai's culinary extravaganza announced

Source: Dubai Food Festival website.

The second Dubai Food Festival (DFF) is to include gastronomic consumer and business events, celebrity chefs, activities and promotions, says the Dubai Festivals and Retails Establishment (DFRE), an agency of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

New events include the region’s first foodie film nights, Dubai Food & Film, and nine back-to-back celebrity chef cooking sensations as part of the new-for-2015 and Middle East’s first, Fatafeat Kitchen. The Festival will also welcome a fleet of the city’s favourite food trucks in the Food Truck Convoy. Another highlight will be experiencing celebrity chefs taking over the kitchens of the Dubai Creek’s floating restaurants as part of the Dine On The Creek programme. 

The 23-day city-wide extravaganza will also bring back 2014 event favourites such as Beach Canteen, Dubai Food Carnival, Taste of Peru, GulFood and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF).

DFF 2015 headliners include the Michelin-starred Jason Atherton, award-winning Greg Malouf, TV favourite Sanjeev Kapoor, queen of the Arabic kitchen Manal Al Alem, chef and author, Silvena Rowe, and the Saudi Arabian Super Chef Yousef Khumayes.

Her Excellency Laila Mohammed Suhail Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment, said: “This year’s edition of the DFF will incorporate a varied and extensive events calendar, showcasing our Emirate at its culinary best. Along with welcoming a number of internationally-renowned chefs, including those who have established restaurants in Dubai, the Festival will celebrate another key element of Dubai’s gastronomic offering, its most-loved home-grown concepts.

“The Festival programme has been designed to both highlight the range of flavours that inspire Dubai’s menus, drawn from the cuisines of the 200 nationalities that live in the city, as well as the traditions of Emirati cuisine and hospitality, an increasingly important element of our tourism offer. We look forward to welcoming residents and visitors from the region and beyond throughout February to experience the depth and diversity of our city’s culinary credentials.” 

This year’s DFF will feature four themes: 

Emirati Cuisine


The Made In Dubai event, debuting 27 and 28 February at Zabeel Park, will pay homage to Emirati hospitality and culture, as it showcases 96 delicious yet often unknown Emirati dishes through tastings and masterclasses with local chefs.

The bigger and better 2015 Beach Canteen, which this year takes residence at Kite Beach for the entirety of the Festival (6 to 28 February), plays host to nine of Dubai’s top homegrown restaurants and concepts. The Beach Canteen will also host popup restaurants from Atherton (26 to 28 February), Kapoor (21 February) and Khamayes (6 to 7 February). 

Similarly, the Urban Bazaar local foodie street market, appearing 6 February at The Archive, Safa Park and on 27 February at the Creekside, Bur Dubai, will host stalls showcasing homegrown concepts.

Multi-cultural Dining & Street Food


DFF will welcome homegrown food trucks including favourites Moti Roti, Raw Coffee and Burger Fuel to take part in the Food Truck Convoy (various dates). The trucks will arrive at key locations including Tecom, JLT and Emaar Square throughout the Festival, serving up street food cuisine. 

At Street Nights (20 to 21 February), street art will be paired with street food in the city’s arts precinct, Al Quoz. Complementing the food theme, a showcase of street-food photographer Penny De La Santos’ most stunning images of the multicultural dining and street food on offer in Dubai will be on show at Dubai Airport during February.

International Chefs & Restaurants

Nine regional and international celebrity chefs will conduct live cooking demonstrations at the inaugural Fatafeat Kitchen (20 to 21 February), including Egyptian cuisine expert and Chef Salma Soliman. Another of the Festival’s inaugural events, Dine On The Creek (various dates, to be announced soon), will see celebrity chefs including Kapoor, Al Alem and Khumayes serve up their award-winning dishes in traditional Emirati surroundings.

“Along with expanding 2014 event favourites, such as the highly popular Beach Canteen, DFF 2015 will see the addition of some truly memorable events and activities that, while inspired by global foodie trends, will have a distinctly Dubai flavour,” said Dubai Food Festival 2015 Director Debra Greenwood.

Further Dubai Food Festival 2015 events and details will be announced in the coming weeks as the launch of the Festival approaches. For the most up to date information regarding this year’s DFF, visit www.dubaifoodfestival.com.

Key Festival Dates and Venues

1. Beach Canteen, 6 to 28 February, Kite Beach, Jumeirah

2. Dubai Food & Film, 6 to 28 February, various outdoor locations throughout the city

3. Urban Bazaar, 6 February – The Archive, Safa Park and 27 February – Creekside, Bur Dubai

4. Food Truck Convoy, 8 to 12 February, 15 to 19 February, 22 to 26 February – Emaar Boulevard, Academic City, JLT Park, Knowledge Village, Studio City

5. GulFood, 8 to 12 February, Dubai World Trade Center

6. Mystery Dining Tours, 9, 14, 17, 18, 23 February, Various locations

7. Dubai Food Carnival, 12 to 14 February, Dubai International Marine Club

8. Taste of Peru, 12 to 14 February, Madinat Jumeirah Amphitheatre

9. Street Food Photography Exhibition, throughout February, Dubai Airport

10. Global Restaurant Investment Forum, 16 to 18 February, Conrad Dubai

11. Fatafeat Kitchen, 20 to 21 February, Galeries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall

12. Street Nights, 20 to 21 February, Street 4B, Al Quoz

13. Masala! Food Fair, 20 to 21 February, Zabeel Park

14. What’s On Black Hat Guide Launch, 22 February, Cargo – Pier 7

15. Made In Dubai, 27 to 28 February, Zabeel Park

16. Dine On The Creek, dates to be announced soon, Dubai Creek


Hashtags: #DubaiFoodFest, #findyourflavour

Gulfood 2015 poised to break even more records than Gulfood 2014

Source: Gulfood website.

The 2015 edition of Gulfood, the world’s largest annual food and hospitality trade show, marks the 20th anniversary for one of the most important international platforms for the global food trade. 

Source: Gulfood.

Gulfood 2015 is a unique trade and sourcing platform for finished food suppliers, bulk commodity wholesalers and exporters across the spectrum of fresh, frozen, dry and processed food and beverage products. Driven by a fast-growing population, burgeoning hospitality and tourism markets and its prominent position as a re-export hub, the UAE’s demand for food staples is increasing at a rate of 30% every year, according to the Ministry of Economy coupled with the observation from Euromonitor that the number of F&B outlets in the UAE is expected to double in the next four years, and Gulfood becomes all the more significant. 

To take place from 8 to 12 February at Dubai World Trade Center, Gulfood continues to connect nations and suppliers, open distribution channels for industry-related business, and highlight Dubai’s strategic role as a key trading hub for the global food industry. 

“By providing a convenient and strategic meeting platform for traders and investors from around the world, Gulfood is perfectly positioned to facilitate food trade through Dubai and contribute to the growth and development of the UAE’s increasingly diverse economy,” said Trixie Loh Mirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC. “Focusing on providing traders and investors with real added value, the 20th edition of the show will be more influential than ever with business transactions expected to reach an all-time high.”

The 2014 event broke records for showfloor and year-round legacy sales, and Gulfood 2015 – the biggest edition in the show’s history – is expected to do even better. February’s show will span more than 127,000m² of exhibition space, including a 23,000m², purpose-built temporary structure - the largest of its type regionally. The biggest European showcase ever and the largest South American participation to date have also been confirmed. 

Gulfood 2015 is expected to attract more than 4,800 international companies from 120 countries and over 85,000 visitors from 170 countries. The US pavilion alone - with almost 200 companies participating - generated showfloor and legacy sales of more than US$300 million. 

Thousands of food and beverage products and services are introduced every year at Gulfood and the Gulfood Awards - in its sixth edition this year - presents an opportunity for best-in-class excellence to be recognised and rewarded. The accolades celebrate both people and companies behind the region’s leadership and innovation in the food and drink industry. Judged by an international panel of independent industry experts, the Awards will take place on 10 February at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai.

One of Gulfood’s undisputed draws for the regions’ top professional chefs, pastry chefs, cooks and bakers every year is the annual Emirates Culinary Guild International Salon Culinaire – a showcase of the region’s best culinary talent and expertise. Held in Za’abeel Pavilion, 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. Dubai has become a global gateway for foodstuff commodities trade. The UAE is the world’s largest re-exporter of rice, importing rice from 32 countries and exporting it to more than 80 countries globally. It is also the world’s biggest re-exporter of tea. The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) expected to facilitate more than 7.5 million kg of re-exported tea by the end of 2014.

With imports accounting for between 80-90% of GCC food consumption, Dubai is best placed to cater for increasing demand in regional food trading. According to Dubai Customs, Dubai’s foreign trade for foodstuff including re-exports came to AED21.5 billion in Q1 2014 – 17% higher year-on-year. In this context, a renewed focus on commodities such as meat, rice, grains, nuts, vegetable oil, coffee, milk, tea at Gulfood 2015 could play an essential role in generating increased revenues from global food transactions.

Due to significant shifts in consumption patterns, particularly in emerging regions such as the Middle East, consumers are moving from carbohydrate-based foods to protein-rich diets, including meat and dairy. While traditional food habits still dominate, the growing GCC population – expected to exceed 50 million by 2020 - and rising affluence regional levels are leading to increased demand for premium protein-rich foods, particularly meat. The Alpen Capital GCC Food Industry Report states that the consumption of meat is expected to grow faster than any other food product through to 2017 at a CAGR of 3.9%, followed by fruits, vegetables, milk and cereals.

With operations in 30 countries, Hakan Agro - one of the world's largest food ingredients supply organisations - will leverage Gulfood 2015 to expand its operational network. Headquartered in Dubai, Hakan Agro specialises in feed ingredients, vegetable protein segments such as pulses (beans, lentils, peas), oilseeds (sesame seeds, ground nuts), spices (ginger, turmeric, cloves), animal feed ingredients, soya beans, soya meal, corn, cereals, dairy products, rice, and frozen poultry and meats.

"We have been avid supporters of and exhibitors at Gulfood for many years and we look forward to showcasing our wide range of animal and vegetable proteins and raw materials at the show's landmark 20th edition," said Sudhakar Tomar, Managing Director, Hakan Agro. "The international food trade meets at Gulfood, making it the perfect platform for our specialist traders and executives to meet visitors and clients with tremendous purchasing power to discuss existing and potential business liaisons."

Gulfood 2015 is a trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors. The show is open 11am to 7pm from February 8 to 11 and from 11am to 5pm on February 12. The on-site entry fee is AED250.