The Saudi minister of agriculture has criticised the high level of wasted bread in the country, saying 35% is thrown away, during the opening of a new US$218m flour mill in Al-Jamoum.
Officials broke ground on a combined aquaculture-biofuel project in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City this month, aimed at producing shrimp, fish and biofuel in one facility.
Oman has announced new food production projects, including dairy, poultry and red meat facilities, totalling US$623m in value, as part of efforts to improve food security.
Belgian chocolate maker Godiva is planning to open around a dozen new stores in the GCC by the end of the year, as it capitalises on its recently-established direct presence.
Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) pitched itself as a one-stop Halal hub at a road show in Japan this month, while the UAE is still working towards finalising its Halal standards.
Nestlé has released its first corporate accountability report for the region, and promises to cut waste, improve children’s health and reduce salt and sugar in its products.
Scandal around payments by New Zealand to a Saudi animal importer deepened, as details of an additional US$3.4m transfer emerged, allegedly to prevent a lawsuit.
A US-Saudi project aims to help small-scale farmers in the kingdom by tackling their biggest challenges, with a model the academics behind it hope can be rolled out across the region.
A Saudi delegation complimented Brazilian beef facilities this month after a long-awaited inspection, the clearest indication yet that the kingdom will lift its import ban.
Authorities in Yemen are pushing ahead with food security programmes even in the midst of the country’s conflict, according to partner organisation Ifpri.
UAE authorities have warned consumers not to use the slimming aid DNP following a recent death from the drug in the UK, as more than 190 other diet supplements face restrictions.
UAE conglomerate Al Ghurair Investment has pledged to help improve the country’s food security with foreign investments and improved domestic production facilities.
Conflict in Yemen has pushed even more people into food insecurity, and growing shortages of food, water and fuel mean the country is facing imminent catastrophe, according to aid agencies.
Russia’s Halal industry is working to grow its exports to the Middle East, as the country signs a meat-for-grain deal with Iran, and Belarus is set to start UAE beef shipments.
British snack maker The London Deli Company is planning to open its first Middle East store and is ramping up its operation to cope with increased regional demand.
New Zealand’s investments in Saudi Arabia’s agricultural sector have come under scrutiny following revelations they may have been intended as compensation for a ban on live animal exports.
Government food subsidies may contribute to high rates of child stunting in the Middle East, according to research by the International Food Policy Research Institute (Ifpri).
The UAE should tighten transport regulations to reduce food waste, according to hauler Massar Solutions, as it suggests the country wastes more than 3m tonnes of food a year.
Brazilian food producers are working to increase their reach in the Middle East by growing the range of products exported to the region, beyond staples such as poultry and beef.
An Egyptian wheat farming education programme from Mondelez and Care has seen farmers boost their wheat crops more than 10% each year, with some doubling their harvests.
Omani bottled water producer Barzman National has increased its production capacity to cope with rising demand, adding a new 22,000 bottle-per-hour line to its facilities.
Brazilian exporters have seen mixed results in the Middle East in Q1, with BRF’s regional revenues growing 15%, while Minerva Foods saw a sharp drop in export volumes.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Economic City has bagged two new food clients, with Malaysian snack maker Mamee and Saudi cold storage firm Abdullah Abbar and Sons planning facilities in the city.
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has seized 221kg of banned pesticides and other agricultural materials, along with 560kg of unsafe food, in a series of inspections.
GCC food consumption will outpace population increases to grow at 3.5% CAGR over the next four years, to reach 51.9m tonnes a year, according to Alpen Capital.
The Agthia Group said expansion of an existing feed production facility to keep up with the growing demand of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) poultry market is near completion.
Egyptian bakery manufacturer Edita has embarked on an aggressive regional expansion drive across the Middle East and North Africa after acquiring the rights to Hostess Brands’ Hoho’s, Twinkies and Tiger Tail brands in 12 new countries.
Yemen’s food security is under severe threat from the current conflict, with silos hit, crops failing, and supply chains disrupted, leaving nearly half the population without secure food supplies.
Saudi Arabia prepares to lift its ban on Brazilian beef, as Saudi and Brazilian trade officials are working to ease food import procedures with a series of new agreements.
Saudi food producers are seeing mixed first quarter results, as Almarai announced 12% Q1 growth, while the Savola Group cut its quarterly profit forecast by half.
Silver Fern Farms is rolling out its high-end chilled New Zealand beef and lamb ranges to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, citing growing consumer demand for premium, natural meat products.
Lebanese farmers are facing financial disaster following the closure of the main land route to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, after Syrian rebels seized the Nasib border crossing with Jordan.
Russia is planning to start exports of Halal poultry to the UAE and Qatar, while Ukraine’s Halal meat exports are booming, as both countries struggle with the effect of embargoes.
Saahtain Foods, a producer of meals ready to eat (MRE) in Dubai, has launched a new high-nutrition date porridge, and claims to have fed more than 500,000 people with its MREs.
Food firms are set to be flavour of the month on regional stock exchanges, as Egypt’s Edita enjoys a bumper debut and Kuwait’s Mezzan Holding gets permission to list.
Kuwait has announced its strategic food reserves are at an all-time high, and has warned against food price hikes, as the country prepares itself in case of conflict.
PepsiCo and Almarai have announced they will each invest US$500m in their Egyptian operations this year, following last month’s economic development conference.
Oman’s Sohar Port and Free Zone is hoping to become a regional food processing hub, building on its plans to develop a major agro import terminal at the port.
Korea has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UAE to develop its Halal food industry, with the aim of almost doubling its current US$680m Halal food exports to US$1.23bn by 2017.
GCC consumers are increasingly getting their calories from packaged food and soft drinks, with calorific intake from fats and sugar set to rise dramatically, according to new data from Euromonitor.
Saudi dairy producer Nadec launched a new research and development centre this month, as the company reveals 7% profit growth in its full-year results.
