Gulfood Manufacturing Brings Latest to Region

As the global food and beverage industry continues to evolve - driven by population growth, cultural influences, changing lifestyles and consumer demands, ingredients innovators have a vital role in helping the industry capitalise on the opportunities for business growth. Providing a platform for over 1,500 global suppliers from 60 countries, Gulfood Manufacturing will bring to the MEASA region industry breakthroughs, improvements, new innovations and technological advances in ingredients that will help food manufacturers add value to their products and increase bottom line success. 

Taking place from 27 - 29 October at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the exhibition is the largest and most influential trade exhibition for the regional food manufacturing, processing and packaging industry, and includes a dedicated Ingredients Middle East show for specialty food colourants, flavourings and game-changing ingredient innovations from international suppliers. An important target region for the major ingredients suppliers, the Middle East and Africa are set to outpace Asia Pacific - the largest and fastest growing market to date – by 2018, according to Euromonitor. 

Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice-President, Exhibitions and Events Division, DWTC said: “Manufacturers are continuously looking for value-driven innovations that can help maintain profitability and bring new products to market, while addressing consumers’ demand for cleaner and healthier products. As the region’s only event in the Middle East for today’s food and beverage manufacturing and processing industry, Gulfood Manufacturing plays a key role in helping manufacturers stay competitive and drive sustainable, profitable growth in a rapidly changing and challenging market.” 

Clean Labels

One of the most important challenges food manufacturers have to overcome in today’s market is the increasing consumer’s demand for clean labels and healthy, natural ingredients coupled with the rejection of “artificial” ingredients conventionally used to increase shelf life of packaged food, enhance flavours, colours and textures. While there is no official definition of “clean” ingredients, food producers strive to find innovative ways to combine and replace ingredients in order to meet customers’ demand, while overcoming the supply and cost challenges.

Speciality raw material and commodities suppliers are seeing growing demand across the region, driven by global trends for products that incorporate historical or traditional ingredients.  German milling company, SchapfenMühle will showcase its extensive range of ancient grains at Gulfood Manufacturing.  Export Manager for the company, Matthias Jaeckle, said:  “SchapfenMühle combines a heritage in grains and milling that began in 1452, with the latest technology to meet today’s demand for timesaving convenience and the finest ingredients. So we are able to deliver a wide range of ancient grains, including dinkel (spelt) and emmer, and are able to prepare from our own raw materials, as convenience blends or as concentrate, according the needs of our customers.”  

Driven by the surge in demand for healthy, nutritional products, natural ingredients will outperform the more “functional”, less costly artificial alternatives. According to Euromonitor’s latest market report, the ingredients forecast to see strong growth in the next two years are botanicals, bio-actives with natural extracts, cultures, saccharides and proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals all cashing on the increasingly “clean label” industry and driven by emerging markets such as Turkey, Vietnam, India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. 

Value-Adding Products

Value-adding products are the largest trend in the food and beverage market, and the key to growth in the global food and beverage market. Consumer demand is extending beyond simple nutrition and hydration, and looking for healthy, quality products that will provide great taste and simultaneously reflect an ethical and sustainable positioning by the manufacturer. This trend is driving investments in food research into new, untapped areas such as entomology, potentially a source for highly-processed, value-added ingredients.

Availability and cost

While the MENA region’s palate has evolved and increased demand for products that are not traditionally specific to the region, such different types of cheeses, the region’s access to fresh milk and milk proteins is limited and costly. As a result ingredients suppliers are increasingly looking at innovative ways of replacing these proteins without compromising on the final quality and nutritional value of the product.

After the inaugural Gulfood Manufacturing proved a great success for KMC - a Danish potato-based ingredients supplier, the company has doubled its presence this year. Peter Haugsted, General Manager, KMC Middle East and Africa said: “While the request for western food products is on a rise throughout the MENA region, local production of these food items needs local adaptation. KMC offers a series of speciality starch solutions under the name CheeseMaker designed to address the challenges of cheese production in the region, saving money both in the formulation and the processing steps. 

Another concept targeted to the region is our alternative for gelatin and gums of animal origin. Our Gelamyl solutions, a range of potato-based modified starches, reduces production costs and removes the concern for halal certification.” 

Gulfood Manufacturing is open between 10am-6pm from 27 – 28 October  and 10am-5pm on 29 October 2015 at DWTC.