Middle East Focus: Non-alcoholic marketplace Drink Dry, new 'ugly' grocery service EroeGo, trans-fat study in Lebanon and more feature in this round-up

Functional beverage opportunities: Drink Dry seeks brands to help fill gaps in UAE market​

UAE non-alcoholic drink online marketplace and distributor Drink Dry says that functional beverages are an emerging trend in the region and is looking to list more of such products on its platform.

Launched earlier this year, Drink Dry primarily stocks and distributes non-alcoholic beer, sparkling wine, spirits, and is now selling Red Bull’s energy drinks.

Founder Erika Doyle said: “In the last year, we have seen a slight shift from the typical non-alcoholic beer or wine to a beverage with added benefits​.

Looking good: UAE’s first ‘ugly’ grocery delivery service highlights beauty of stemming food waste​

The UAE’s first ‘ugly fruit and vegetables’ delivery service is on a mission to raise awareness of food waste and highlight the nutritional and taste quality of its products.

Launched at the end of 2021, EroeGo sources ‘ugly’ fruits and vegetables directly from farmers, markets and wholesalers in UAE, packs them into a box, and delivers direct to consumers in Dubai weekly.

Food waste is a huge global issue, and in the UAE, around one million tonnes of food is still wasted each year. A lot of this waste comes from supermarkets turning down groceries that are 'ugly' or considered to be excess produce.  

Most foods in Lebanon meet trans-fat limits, but some traditional dishes, baked goods and margarines lag behind - WHO​

About 93% of food products tested in Lebanon met the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for trans-fats, with some traditional snacks, baked goods and margarine the main culprits among the products that did not.

In the first of its kind study, 145 food samples were collected and analysed between 2019 to 2021 for two trans fatty acids, elaidic acid (EA) and linolelaidic acid (LEA) using gas chromatography.

“To our knowledge, this is the first national study that assesses the content of EA and LEA in food, which can provide baseline information on the dietary sources of trans-fat in Lebanon, and is a crucial stepstone to reduce the risk of death and hospitalisation by CVDs​,” researchers from Lebanon and Egypt wrote in Nutrients​.

Lucrative market: Vietnam’s Minh Tien Group brews plans for Middle East’s growing coffee culture​

The Middle East’s growing coffee culture has caught the eye of Minh Tien Group, a Vietnam-based producer and exporter of coffee beans looking to expand in the Gulf region.

Established in 2000, Minh Tien Group’s coffee has been exported to Europe, United States and Japan. Coffee conglomerates such as Neuman, Marubeni, Mitsui source a substantial part of their raw coffee supply from Minh Tien Group.

The company is now eyeing an expansion into UAE and Kuwait in 2023, cited as nations with high demand for coffee and a diverse, lively coffee culture, according to Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, chairwoman of Minh Tien Group.

Middle East review: The Top 10 most-read Middle East food and beverage stories in 2021​

Read our top 10 most viewed Middle East food and beverage stories from 2021, featuring some of the biggest brands in frozen foods, dairy, and beverages.