The UAE is poised to unveil the world’s first international halal certification network as the Dubai-based International Halal Accreditation Forum drafts a set of bylaws that should come into operation later this year.
Fruit-based beverage retailer Smoothie King has expanded into the Gulf through a partnership with Dubai conglomerate Al Ghurair and opened of its first outlet in the region.
Despite global commodity prices being at their lowest levels in years, livestock producers in Egypt face surging input costs on the back of a depreciating Egyptian Pound, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
World Food Programme of the United Nations has distributed food in and around Qayyarah after a siege had made the northern Iraqi town inaccessible for over two years.
UAE-based investment firm Food Capital has acquired a significant stake in Ice Cream Dana Group of Saudi Arabia, the owner of 20 stores under the Yummy Yoghurt, Bun & Patty, Pimento and Maltoot brands.
Dubai Municipality has signed an agreement with a Swiss traceability company for a smart inspection solution for food products that will deliver a digital halal logo and a smartphone app.
Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council chairman Simon Crean has visited the Middle East to iron out welfare and black market concerns worrying Australia during Eid’s bumper trade period.
Over the past three years Iran has managed to increase production of table poultry and red meat by 20% to reach an overall figure of 820,000 tonnes (t) of red meat and 2.2 million t of poultry.
Companies exporting dairy to Jordan will be forced to cut all partially hydrogenated oils or face a ban on business as the country becomes the latest to bar their use.
One of the Gulf’s biggest food and beverage companies has completed the acquisition of 70% of Al Safi Food, effectively granting it a local platform to manufacture and distribute food and beverage products in the Kingdom.
The on-again-off-again sale of a majority stake in Kuwait Food Co, otherwise known as Americana, to a Gulf-based consortium has been scrapped by the Al Kharafi family, bringing to an end months of negotiations over a deal worth billions of dollars.
Saudi Arabia is now recognised as the third most obese nation in the world, while more than one-third of children in the country have been found to be overweight.
Homes and restaurants in the UAE toss out food worth an estimated AED14.7bn (US$4bn) each year, according to the Emirates Environmental Group. The waste is then dumped in the country’s landfills where capacity is shrinking.
China, India and Saudi Arabia’s growing markets are spurring global demand for food processing machinery, which is expected to grow at an annualised rate of around 8% until 2020.
Dubai-based camel milk producer Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products has been awarded a VAT exemption certificate by the UAE’s Ministry of Economy, which the company hopes will help it increase exports of camel milk to other Arab countries.
Global online food delivery company Foodpanda has announced a deal to merge its Hellofood business with HungerStation in Saudi Arabia to create a market leader in one of the world’s biggest food delivery markets.
Kuwait’s Mezzan Holding, one of the Middle East’s biggest manufacturers and distributors of food and beverages, has reported in an increase in second-quarter revenue of 2.4% over the same period in 2015 to KWD52.8m (US$175m), and a 3.9% increase in year-to-date...
Abu Dhabi retailer Fathima Group will invest AED200m (US$55m) to open seven new hypermarkets in the next few months as part of an aggressive expansion strategy in the GCC and India.
A simple labelling mis-translation gave rise to widespread rumours that an international chocolate brand’s formulation contained alcohol, Dubai authorities have revealed following a probe.
Iraq’s inability to tackle the cause of bird flu means the deadly virus is likely to spread across neighbouring countries, according to an expert on animal diseases.
Global cooking oil major Mazola is placing its focus on expanding even further into the Middle East’s growing non-retail sector by appointing Farm Fresh as its new distributor for food-service business in the UAE.
One of the Middle East’s biggest food importers has unveiled the region’s largest production factory. The new Arab & India Spices plant in Ajman was built with an investment of AED350m (US$95m).
Local dairy major Almarai was named Saudi Arabia’s favourite brand in the YouGov 2016 Mid-year BestBrand rankings, alongside Emirates airline in the UAE and Facebook in Egypt.
Qatar could see the introduction of “sin taxes” as the government seeks new ways to fund spending over the next three years, according to a ministerial report.
Euromonitor International has pinpointed several promising chocolate markets that may help manufacturers offset slowdowns in traditional emerging markets such as China and Brazil.
WorldFish has appointed Intertek as its quality partner as the international aquaculture researcher assists with upgrading production at some 100 fish farms in Egypt.
Japan’s Marubeni Corporation, Showa Denko K.K. and Chiyoda Corporation will jointly develop an overseas artificially-lit vegetable factory business with a base in the UAE that promises to harvest crops throughout the year.
Saudi plastics giant Sabic has developed the first of a new generation of Flowpact polypropylene impact copolymers to make injection-moulded rigid packaging stronger and cheaper.
An influential new report has identified Egypt as one of the “10 emerging markets of the future” though its food industry is predicted to see a dramatic change in fortunes as part of an overall predicted slump in its primary industries over the next five...
Ukraine’s MHP has reported growth in poultry production, with sales reinforced by a robust export upswing to the Middle East in its preliminary half-year results, posted on 19 July.
The Middle East is a bright spot for Brazil’s confectionery industry as the only global market seeing growth, with Brazilian producers hoping to capitalise further on synergies with the region.
The sale of Americana finally went ahead this month, with Adeptio paying US$2.4bn, while NFPC abandoned its sale attempt, with potential buyers’ scepticism over expansion plans blamed.
Kuwaiti food conglomerate Mezzan Holding will buy into Saudi Arabia’s Al Safi Food for up to US$25m, while EIP, one of the buyers of Diamond Meat Processing, eyes further purchases.
Dubai wants to become a key food distribution and production hub for the Middle East, as part of its new 2030 Industrial Strategy which aims to add US$44bn to the emirate’s economy.
Egypt launches an investigation into potentially widespread fraud in its wheat procurement process, as the USDA claims wasteful food and agribusiness policies cost the country US$800m a year.
Sales of products with ethical labels of some sort reached more than US$2bn in the UAE last year, according to Euromonitor, with recycling and preservatives the main areas of focus.
Mirroring western research, the first major Middle Eastern study investigating the link between diet and mental health finds that healthy eating is associated with a lower risk of anxiety and depression.
Start-up Nowrish has launched the first fasting supplement - a mix of vitamins, minerals and herbs formulated to support the body’s cleansing, immune, digestive and energy production systems during periods of fasting like Ramadan, but without making any...
Muslim consumers may be unintentionally consuming significant quantities of “hidden” haram ingredients in food products thanks to complex supply chains, according to a new report.
Australian produce distributor Valleyfresh has announced it will open an office in Saudi Arabia in a bid to expand its operations and strengthen its relationships in the Middle East.
