Kuwait has the world’s highest percentage of obese people – 42.8% of its population is obese – and the next four fattest countries are also from the Middle East region, according to an updated Food Security Index (FSI).
Rising populations, increased disposable income, and government initiatives to safeguard the food supply is making the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) area attractive for investment, according to Gulfood Manufacturing.
An Indian company, “the world’s largest producer and exporter of frozen halal boneless buffalo meat”, will be celebrating 150 years of existence next year.
Australian farmers are calling for new trade agreements with the Middle East as agricultural imports leap, with mutton up 168% year-on-year in September and lamb up 32%.
For Middle East beverage consumers, it’s what’s on the outside that counts, as buyers focus on packaging and marketing over contents, according to a Euromonitor report.
Middle Eastern markets could reap benefits from the reciprocal sanctions between Russia and western countries, as food producers look for new export markets.
Brazil’s sales of dairy products to Arab states rose four-fold to US$72m in the first eight months of the year, with egg sales also rising 28% in the same period.
The Sudanese government is stepping up its efforts to encourage Middle Eastern countries to invest in agriculture projects in Sudan, in the name of Arab food security.
The packaging market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is valued at approximately $41.1bn in 2014 and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.0% to $52.4bn by 2019, according to Smithers Pira.
The Brazilian agriculture ministry (Mapa) is sending a trade delegation to Egypt and Iran in an attempt to restart embargoed beef shipments and improve systems for importing poultry.
The Gulf Cooperation Council countries are key markets for New Zealand’s agriculture industry, and firms should be targeting them as a priority, according to a Rabobank report.
Following a major manufacturing upgrade, Mazola in the Middle East is targeting 25% growth in sales over the next two years, and plans to extend its range of products.
Premier Foods’s formation of a new business unit and the launch of Ambrosia rice in China are spearheading the firm’s plans to step up global sales in three key markets.
Strong export demand coupled with producer confidence and a robust native market is shedding a positive light on Australia’s lamb industry, according to Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) mid-year update.
Egypt has resumed imports of breeding animals from Australia, four months after agreeing to restart trade in livestock between the two countries, the Australian government announces.
Sidel has partnered with Health Water Bottling (HWB) in Saudi Arabia to install two of its next generation Matrix PET lines, which will start operations in February 2015.
Gulf Printing and Packaging (GPP), the exclusive packaging provider to McDonald’s in the Middle East, has signed a US$22m deal to take a plot at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad).
Growing non-GCC sales lifted the profits of Dubai’s Al Islami Foods, pushing it to triple production with a new factory, the firm announced in its annual results.
Brazilian food processor Marfrig is planning to set up its first factory in the Middle East within the next five years, with Saudi Arabia the most likely location.
The Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) is courting Brazilian companies as it promotes its new Halal zones on a promotional tour of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
Non-stick coating bakeware specialist FBS Prestige has seen phenomenal demand from the Middle East as the country’s bakery sector evolves, its CEO and chairman says.
The regional plastics industry must innovate and offer more value-added products in order to thrive in the food setors and others, an industry leader said this week.
Australian agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce led a delegation to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain this week to boost Australian agricultural trade with the region, following problems with live sheep imports.
Brazilian food exports to the Middle East jumped significantly in 2013 to total a record US$5.3bn and 17bn tonnes, according to the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
The Middle East gluten-free market is nascent but brimming with potential thanks to a young and wealthy consumer base increasingly interested in health and wellness, market experts say.
The Middle East drinks industry is seeing significant investment, with Aujan spending in Egypt and Lebanon, and UK firm Rexam buying up a Saudi can manufacturer for US$122m.
Rising health awareness and the expansion of Middle East’s hotel industry is creating a growing demand for white tea, a key official at Sri Lankan tea maker Dilmah said.
tna sells its first intelli-flav 3 CLS into US and Iraq
Gluten-free and dairy-free are the new buzzwords in the Middle East’s bakery market, as consumers look for ‘healthier’ bakery products, industry sources have said.
Amid rumours that Saudi Arabia’s ban on the import of US beef could be lifted in April, small American beef producers say they have already ceded valuable ground to countries like Australia and Canada.
A rapidly aging population, a hot climate and clothing restrictions owing to Islam are making the Middle East the right kind of market for calcium-enriched mineral water, according to one German-based company.
Vita Coco, the top-selling coconut water brand in the US and UK, is now entering the high-potential Middle East beverage market, one of its key executives has revealed.
An Indian conglomerate and a Saudi prince have teamed up with plans to make Dubai a regional hub for basmati rice—the leading food imports from the subcontinent to the Middle East.
Malaysia is actively looking at the UAE as a gateway for entering the potentially high value halal markets in North Africa, Middle East and Europe, a top Malaysian government official revealed.
Currently the Middle East represents just over 3% of Brazilian confectionery exports, but potential far exceeds that, according to Brazil's industry trade association.
The acquisition of Pringles back in 2012 has tripled the scale of Kellogg in some emerging markets – completely changing the nature of business, its CEO says.
