The Middle East has some of the fastest rising levels of diabetes in the world, presenting opportunities for bakery manufacturers to develop healthier bread products, says a Euromonitor analyst.
Two Gulf investment vehicles have bought major stakes in Turkish food producers in recent weeks, as Turkey positions itself as a major halal food producer.
The Middle East is now increasingly shunning live imports of cattle and sheep and demanding high value cuts of red meat, say exporters from India and Australia.
The Middle East flexible packaging market is set to grow by 4.3% a year over the next five years, up from 2.5% according to a new report from PCI Films Consulting.
The Middle East’s non-alcoholic beer market is ripe for beverage makers to tap into, provided they continue to innovate to adapt to the vagaries of the region’s culture and Islam-dominated societies, an expert said.
McDonald’s has said it will strive toward the development of harmonised halal standards across the Middle East, as it reaffirmed its commitment to various requirements in place.
Earlier this year, Oman embarked on one of the most ambitious food production projects in the Middle East when it announced plans to invest US$1.29bn in fisheries development from 2013 to 2020.
The first Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture (GFIA) is set to take place in Abu Dhabi early next year, aiming to turn the spotlight on the future of agriculture in the region.
Breaking into the food and beverage market can be a challenge for many start-up companies, leading many businesses to either sink without a trace or opt for the franchise market rather than set up from scratch.
Low/non-alcoholic beer is the fastest growing beer category of the past five years, with a 7% volume CAGR, although off a low base, according to a Euromonitor International analysis.
Food security in the Middle East could be under threat due to continuing political instability in the region, according to a report from Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
At the end of October, Ireland’s dairy sector finally flexed its muscles in the Middle East dairy market when the Irish Dairy Board Cooperative (IDB) announced a €20m investment in Saudi Arabia.
Food companies must continue to evolve the way they make and market their products for the region’s consumers, or face the possibility of being forced out of the market altogether, according to an industry consultant.
Many global food and beverage brands are turning to franchising as a blueprint for expansion, with franchised outlets now making up the lion’s share of the Middle Eastern food market.
Global ingredients and flavours company Kerry Group is the latest to step into the Middle East, in line with recent studies showing growing consumer demand for processed foods across the region.
The Irish Dairy Board (IDB) has invested €20m ($27m) in a dairy manufacturing and technology facility in Saudi Arabia, “to access the important dairy growth markets in the Middle East and North Africa region, supplying the Islamic Halal market segment”.
One of the largest chicken producers in Saudi Arabia has teamed up with one of Europe’s leading multi-material packaging manufacturers, LINPAC Packaging, in a new deal that looks set to have great impact on both the companies’ presence within the region,...
Saudi-based company Almarai has partnered with Oystar Gasti in a deal that will help fulfill continuing consumer demand for high quality dairy products in the Gulf.
ANUGA TASTE THE FUTURE 2013: INNOVA MARKET INSIGHTS, PART 2
Innova Market Insights delved into its database for Anuga Taste the Future 2013 to provide an update on the flavor trends that are driving beverage innovation in Australasia and developing Asian, African and Middle Eastern markets.
Japan has appealed to the State of Qatar to lift restrictions on food imports from the Asian country following the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in 2011, when a large number of countries imposed restrictions on Japan over fears of importing radiated...
Australian lamb and mutton exports were boosted by a surge in shipments to China and the Middle East last year, according to the latest data from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).
Australia’s dairy companies have failed to invest in technology and do not try hard enough to profit from international trade, Murray Goulburn’s chief executive, Gary Helou, has warned.
Starch specialist KMC says it has developed two new starches for imitation cheese to cut costs and bring hard cheese alternatives to parts of the world where dairy ingredients may be difficult to handle or source, including the Middle East and North Africa.
According to Pierre-Alain Ceralli, Firmenich’s vice-president for flavours in China, the country now represents 20% of the total flavour industry’s potential. Furthermore, as China transforms its economy from export-led GDP to a domestic-led economic...
Alcohol-free malt beverages are big business in the Middle East and there were plenty of varieties on show at Gulfood last week. Symrise brewmaster and category development manager Wilhelm Resanovic caught up with FoodNavigator at the show, where the...
FoodNavigator was among the hordes at Gulfood in Dubai this week, joining a huge international crowd, which squeezed its way past stands from 110 countries over the past four days.
Already a mainstay in the Middle East ingredients market, Dohler has now announced further expansion in the region following its acquisition of the fruit processing and flavour unit of Delta Aromatic in Egypt.
The acquisition of the fruit processing and flavour’s unit of Egyptian firm Delta Aromatic will help ingredients giant Döhler Group’s bid to expand into ‘dynamic’ African and Middle Eastern markets, says the firm.
Mondelez is expanding in the Middle East having recently signed a joint venture in Saudi Arabia last week. ConfectioneryNews.com asks the industry giant if halal certification and alcohol-free labeling have been factored into its growth plans.
Arla Foods has no plans to acquire, merge or partner with any other Chinese dairy industry players under its recently-unveiled five-year strategy, a spokesperson for the Denmark-based co-operative has revealed.
PepsiCo has officially opened a food and beverage innovation center in China to serve as a hub of product, packaging and equipment innovation for the business throughout Asia.
The rise of the Japanese owner of 7Eleven is synonymous with the charge of grocery retail in Asia, and backs up the latest study by Euromonitor into the subject.
Chr Hansen recorded an 11% surge in sales across Asia Pacific in its H1 results, with natural colours proving strong for business; underpinned by a cultural dietary heritage favouring healthy food choice, according to CEO of the company.
The Australian sheep industry expects a positive year in 2012, with a 4.2% increase in livestock numbers, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) has announced.
India-based ADF Foods is investing heavily in extending production capacity as it looks to expand aggressively in the domestic as well as international markets on the back of growing demand for ready-to-eat foods.
Intra-regional finesse is a necessity not a luxury when it comes to doing business in the many markets of the Asia-Pacific, as leading suppliers Chr Hansen and Danisco relayed at the recent Vitafoods Asia trade show in Hong Kong.
Puratos is launching its bakery enhancers in the Middle East and in Asia in response to growing demand for “western type” cakes with a long shelf life, said the firm.
Experts from a US food safety watchdog are training scientists from Bangladesh on techniques to help eliminate health hazards from the country’s burgeoning aquaculture industry.
