Brands in the Middle East need to look past conventional product and marketing development to focus on agility, connectivity and trust to drive successful innovation in today’s F&B market, according to General Mills’ AMEA head.
Nestle Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is striving to create more innovative products for the region, following the launch of Quality Street dates, while also pledging to double down on its sustainability efforts.
UK’s plant-based firm VBites – owned by media personality and activist Heather Mills – is hoping to launch micro factories in the Middle East on the back of its regional expansion.
Israel has claimed the top spot in the annual Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2020, while last year’s top ranked nation Qatar has slipped to the fourth place, among the 15 countries analysed in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Researchers have consolidated the glycaemic index (GI) of 940 common Asian and Middle Eastern food items such as nasi lemak, chapati, dim sum, dates and habba hamra in a review article published in the Nutrition and Diabetes journal.
See our top 10 most read Middle East stories of 2020, featuring the emerging e-commerce trend, food security concerns, and COVID-19 -elated food imports.
Early warnings of Yemen potentially facing the world’s first famine in the next decade, and Lebanon and Syria experiencing deterioration of their food insecurity situation, have been revealed in a report by FAO and WFP.
Confectionery giant Mars GCC has entered the premium chocolate market in the Middle East region with its Galaxy Kenz offerings, with the firm hoping to eat in to the market share enjoyed by the likes of Lindt and Godiva.
Nation’s need to better secure local and regional food production, especially in light of the Covid-19-related supply chain disruptions, if they are going to tap into the booming halal opportunities in the Middle East and Asia.
Many Asian and Middle Eastern countries are not taking any actions to reduce trans fatty acid (TFA) in the food supply despite the high mortality rates from TFA consumption.
UAE-based NÜWATER aims to become the most sustainable beverage company in Middle East with its aluminum canned mineral water line containing a resealable lid.
The plant-based food trend is booming in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, but one Middle East industry expert predicts the Gulf will be the next boom market on the back of heightened consumer education and policy measures.
New Zealand ghee manufacturer Milkio Foods is hoping to expand its business in US and Middle East, with the firm saying interest is gathering in pace on the back of keto and paleo diets.
The firm that extracts moisture from air and turns it into drinking water is eyeing projects in the Gulf to target the water scarcity issues in the region.
UAE-based loose tea leaf company BRW Society will retail in the Spinneys supermarket chain by the end of the year after being selected as one of 24 winners of its incubator programme.
Food businesses in Israel and UAE will be able to formally operate in both countries after the historic announcement made on 13 August to normalise relationships between the two states.
Adults in Saudi Arabia were consuming almost 11g of salt daily, more than double the recommended salt intake of 5g/day by WHO, according to a recent study.
UAE-based ride-hailing and food delivery company Careem, which recently launched its grocery delivery service (Careem Shops) has revealed about 40% of its 33 million users are now on the new service.
A cross-sectional study has found that functional foods contain fewer multi probiotic strains compared to over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products in the Middle East.
Lebanese distributor Ibrahim Jabra & Sons SAL has revealed sales have dropped 40% as a result of the looming economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut port explosion.
Fish caught from the seas surrounding Turkey have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals above the recommended maximum limit, in particular, lead and cadmium.
The UAE’s hot climate, young cosmopolitan population, and rising health awareness has driven The Brooklyn Creamery to launch and manufacture its ice cream products in the Emirates.
The Covid-19 pandemic in March and Ramadan in April and May led to distinct shifts in the food and beverage consumption patterns in Saudi Arabia, new data reveals.
UK-based personalised nutrition company Nourished is eyeing the high vitamin deficiency levels in the Middle East region as an opportunity to expand its operations across the region.
Three Saudi Arabian food and beverages companies, Almarai, Safola Group and Abdullah Al Othaim Markets, have been ranked among the 100 most powerful companies in the Middle East according to Forbes ranking.
Food waste dropped, interest in self-sufficiency soared and orange consumption rocketed in the UAE during the COVID-19 crisis, according to the UAE Minister of State for Food Security.
Global fruit giant Del Monte says a combination of the digital transformation sweeping the Middle East, coupled with its might as a global brand, is helping drive e-commerce sales across the region.
India-based children’s organic food company, Mimmo Organics, is seeking to expand in the Gulf region with its range of wafers, pasta and juices for six months to two-year-olds.
Consumers in Saudi Arabia have drastically ramped-up their online purchases of food products in the the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, new data reveals.
Qatar says it has enough stock of food and consumer goods to meet demand for at least one year, as the Middle East continues to battle the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
UAE’s fresh food markets, food trading outlets and selected confectionery stores in shopping malls have gradually reopened, following shutdowns due to COVID-19.
Many countries have experienced mass panic buying of food and beverages amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the UAE seems to have been spared the worse of irrational consumer behaviour.
UAE vertical farming pioneers Madar Farms is selling its ‘microgreens’ direct to consumers for the first time, after enjoying initial success with the food service and hotel industries (HORECA).
The annual Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019 published by The Economist Intelligence Unit, has revealed Qatar to be the number one nation for food security among 15 Middle Eastern and North African countries.
The Ministry of Economy in UAE has stated that it has enough food to meet the needs of its citizens for at least six months, amidst concerns of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which is showing no signs of slowing in the region.
UAE’s food and beverage manufacturer National Food Products Company (NFPC) has launched its Oasis brand of drinking water in sustainable Tetra Pak carton packaging, the first water brand in the region to do so.
The snack sector in the Middle East is soaring as consumers become increasingly time poor, with more healthy options also becoming increasingly popular, albeit from a low base.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Economy has revealed a new initiative to reduce the prices of 5,000 food and supermarket goods with discounts ranging between 25% to 60% as the Ramadan month draws near.
Dubai-based B2B e-commerce platform Seafood Souq is intensifying expansion into UAE and new markets in GCC this year on the back of new traceability technology called ‘SFS Trace’.
Legislations and government programmes to combat lifestyle diseases are driving demand for fibre-enriched products, reduced sugar and fat goods, and vegan dairy-alternatives across the Middle East.