Demographic changes and the increasing health challenges seen in Saudi Arabia will provide new opportunities for food and beverage growth, but firms have been warned that brand loyalty may be a thing of the past.
Dubai-based International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) will exchange its knowledge, expertise and develop mechanisms for technical work with two other agencies, in order to promote the global halal trade.
Start small, think big: That’s the key advice for food firms and their suppliers which are seeking to digitise and automate their factories, according to Saudi food and beverage packaging firm Obeikan.
Food and beverage manufacturers should not only focus on product innovation to meet changing consumer demands, but also upgrade their production capabilities and adopt flexible arrangements.
Thermonox, a food and beverage packaging machine manufacturer based in Istanbul, hopes to recoup losses in its domestic market by ramping up overseas exports.
The UAE brand, which successfully debuted in 2008 and entered the global market in 2009, produces chocolate ‘of the very highest quality’ using camel milk as the core ingredient.
Iranian dairy firm Dorin Poudr Company, which manufactures and sells dairy products under its flagship brand Calin, is setting its sights on entering the Oman market.
Iran’s export to Iraq, including food products, grew by 30% in the last seven months, the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce announced last week. Trade ties is set to deepen, despite US sanctions against Iran.
Food and beverage manufacturers in the Middle East, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are beginning to acknowledge the need to reformulate around sugar reduction, according to Tate and Lyle.
The global halal certification system is increasing costs for manufacturers, largely due to the lack of international alignment, according to the State of the Islamic Economy Report 2018/19.
