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.
The UAE has placed food security at the top of its policy priorities and will strive to deliver the “highest possible rates” of sustainability, according to a senior official.
Ireland’s government food industry promoter has said it hoped that the Emerald Isle’s strong reputation for farm provenance would boost sales in the Middle East as it launches a new range of eggs designed for the local market.
With exports to the Middle East accounting for more than a third of its global sales, one of South America’s biggest beef producers has announced that it will begin developing new market-specific products for the region.
The GCC’s fast-food segment was worth more than US$20bn last year, making it one of the 20 biggest quick-service markets in the world, and is expected to grow by nearly a further 50% by 2020.
Middle Eastern flavours are gaining popularity in unexpected European food categories, such as ice cream and cheesecake, as they tap into the demand for both floral flavours and modern twists on traditional recipes.
Fonterra’s Research and Development Centre alongside its global ingredients business, NZMP, has developed a new white butter product for manufacturers in the Middle East market.
Nestlé is to acquire Caravan Marketing Company SAE, the Egyptian instant coffee company behind the Bonjorno brand, eyeing up the ‘rapidly growing’ soluble coffee segment in the country.
One of the world’s largest exporters of poultry BRF – which operates a factory in the UK – has launched a subsidiary to target the growing halal processed foods market in the Middle East.
Thousands of the poorest residents of the war-torn region around Mosul, along with hundreds of thousands of other struggling Iraqis, are being given the chance to earn for themselves again thanks to a new project that is restoring irrigation to 250,000...
The European Union has committed €12m (US$12.7m) in support of efforts to tackle rising hunger among the 14m food-insecure residents of strife-torn Yemen.
UAE officials have been applauding themselves for the great strides the country has made by improving its food-safety index rating by a quarter in just three years.
An international consortium backed by a Gulf sovereign wealth fund has agreed to buy Turkey’s biggest poultry producer in a half-billion-dollar deal fuelled by a desire to expand into halal markets.
The director-general of the Food and Agriculture office of the United Nations has blamed conflicts in the Middle East for a doubling of undernourished people in the region as he visited a new regional office in Lebanon.
Experts have urged Gulf states to look to an Andean super-food beloved of hipsters as a staple crop at a time when groundwater supplies are shrinking and becoming more saline.
Al Dahra Agriculture has bought an Australia based feed producer to “geographically diversify investments, ensure product availability across all seasons and mitigate market risks.”
Mai Dubai, bottled water company, part of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), has partnered with Swisslog to automate its storage and distribution centre as part of its 2020 $21m mega expansion project.
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has made a rare foray into into the food industry after concluding a deal to buy half of Adeptio Holdings, which recently acquired a 67% stake in Kuwait Food Co., otherwise known as Americana.
Tetra Pak has concluded an AED25m (US$6.8m) deal to construct processing and packaging lines for Binghatti Holding’s new food and beverage production plant in Abu Dhabi.
Turkey is looking to become a dominant player in food processing in the Middle East on the back of its halal expertise, alignment with regional tastes, market proximity and competitive value.
Egypt has signed two agreements with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) including helping to create the Egyptian Food Safety Authority (EFSA).