Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has clarified that what was perceived as a multinational blockade of Qatar is actually a boycott, and stated that his country is willing to provide food aid if needed.
Prices of energy drinks have doubled in Saudi Arabia this week after a sin tax was introduced last Sunday. Health warnings have also arrived in stores and on cans.
Information from satellites is being used in a new way to predict favourable conditions for swarms of desert locusts, as part of an early warning collaboration by scientists.
A senior government official has brushed off suggestions that fish and shellfish captured in UAE waters have been affected by pollution and unsafe for consumption.
Patchi has begun work on a new 122,000 square-foot chocolate manufacturing facility in Dubai to serve as a “springboard” into regional and overseas markets when it opens in 18 months.
Abu Dhabi food authorities have doubled down inspections over Ramadan, and at the time of writing have assessed almost 200 grocery stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets in the emirate.
Business in the Gulf will bounce back after years of poor performance in the wake of collapsed oil prices, the world’s biggest food group’s regional chief has predicted while opened a third plant in Dubai.
Merger activity in the UAE’s food and beverage segment, which surged by US$3bn in 2016, is expected to remain strong this year, albeit after a slow start.
Dubai’s Pegasus Agriculture Group, which owns various hydroponic farming facilities in the Middle East and North Africa, has established a futures fund to focus on food security.
As the Gulf gears up for Ramadan, food companies would do well to tweak their social campaigns to reflect behavioural changes and growing demand for healthier and more nutritious foods.
Consumption of green tea supplements leads to weight loss in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but it is still uncertain if supplementation provides a direct anti-inflammatory effect against the condition.
Despite “challenging” times in its home market, Vimto manufacturer Nichols is expecting another strong performance during the Ramadan season in the Middle East.
Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company (Sadafco) has launched a functional laban fruit drink in the Middle East after demoing the product in the manufacturer's home market.
Organic waste is the opportunity, says Jason Drew, co-founder of the Cape Town headquartered AgriProtein, as he predicts huge growth for the insect protein industry over the next 10 to 15 years.
Dubai health officials have called on Danone’s infant nutrition brand to support its drive to persuade parents to adopt health eating habits for their toddlers.
A proposal to offer tax breaks to several business segments including the food industry is being considered in Egypt in a bid to encourage much-needed overseas investment in the country.
Agthia Group and Anderson Hay and Grain are forming a joint venture to bring US forage and feed products to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf).
A Maori cultural delegation has inaugurated kiwifruit exporter Zespri’s new office in Dubai, which will oversee the firm’s expansion in the Middle East and other developing markets.
Companies will not shoulder the increased cost of a selective tax that could increase the price of soft drinks by half once it is introduced in six Gulf countries.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned a number of live bird and poultry product imports from Croatia, following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
Over 100 million people worldwide are severely food insecure in 2016 - a jump from the 80 m recorded in 2015, despite the progress made in reducing food security, according to a European Commission report.
A UAE-based food packaging materials company is planning to invest US$62m in a manufacturing plant in Britain, which will also function as its new head office for the UK and Europe.
The head of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has called for an “urgent and massive response” to the problem of critically low water reserves in the Middle East and North Africa.
Seventeen million Yemenis face “crisis” levels of food insecurity, according to the latest United Nations humanitarian analysis of their war-ravaged country.
Dubai’s municipal authorities will soon begin to apply updated nutrition guidelines in school canteens to encourage healthier choices, while Abu Dhabi is engaging a task force to wage war on over-nutrition.
A Dubai company has secured a finance partner to provide customers with interest-free loans over four years for machines that literally convert air into water.
Halal is no longer the sole domain of Muslims, and is instead “a new culture many countries are keen to embrace” as they seek healthier and more sustainable food supplies.
Europe’s livestock exports to the Middle East are under fire after a clandestine investigation revealed “horrific” footage detailing animal abuse, including alleged torture of cows in Lebanon.
Premium Irish beef has benefited from government support in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, helped secure endorsement from one of Dubai’s top chefs.
Bullish forecasts suggest that the GCC’s annual meat and poultry consumption will increase to 4.3m tonnes by 2019, with demand for healthy and halal products driving the segment’s growth.
The number of food insecure people in Yemen has grown by 3m in seven months, with an estimated 17.1m people now struggling to feed themselves, according to a joint assessment by three UN agencies.
Probiotic soy milk improves several indexes of kidney function in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy – a major complication of diabetes and the foremost cause of end-stage renal failure.
