Scottish food and drink exports to the Middle East grew 20% year-on-year in 2014 to US$350m, and have nearly doubled since 2007, with fish and seafood leading the growth.
Imports of Brazilian eggs by Middle Eastern buyers grew 41% in the first half of the year, with sales totalling US$6.9m, according to the Brazilian government.
Euromonitor International unveils the world’s fastest growing chocolate markets and earmarks three beyond India and China that should be high on every confectioner's agenda.
Mohebi Logistics and Nestlé have signed a new seven-year agreement, as the logistics firm starts work on a new US$150m hub in Dubai World Central (DWC).
Most UAE consumers are aware of, and approve of, organic food, but feel limited by inadequate knowledge, high cost and poor availability of organic products, according to a study.
Brazilian dessert producer Mr Bey wants to expand its GCC distribution beyond its current Saudi clients, as the firm targets a major increase in its export business.
Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) pitched itself as a one-stop Halal hub at a road show in Japan this month, while the UAE is still working towards finalising its Halal standards.
Oman has announced new food production projects, including dairy, poultry and red meat facilities, totalling US$623m in value, as part of efforts to improve food security.
Officials broke ground on a combined aquaculture-biofuel project in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City this month, aimed at producing shrimp, fish and biofuel in one facility.
Belgian chocolate maker Godiva is planning to open around a dozen new stores in the GCC by the end of the year, as it capitalises on its recently-established direct presence.
Russia’s Halal industry is working to grow its exports to the Middle East, as the country signs a meat-for-grain deal with Iran, and Belarus is set to start UAE beef shipments.
UAE conglomerate Al Ghurair Investment has pledged to help improve the country’s food security with foreign investments and improved domestic production facilities.
Brazilian food producers are working to increase their reach in the Middle East by growing the range of products exported to the region, beyond staples such as poultry and beef.
Brazilian exporters have seen mixed results in the Middle East in Q1, with BRF’s regional revenues growing 15%, while Minerva Foods saw a sharp drop in export volumes.
Silver Fern Farms is rolling out its high-end chilled New Zealand beef and lamb ranges to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, citing growing consumer demand for premium, natural meat products.
Russia is planning to start exports of Halal poultry to the UAE and Qatar, while Ukraine’s Halal meat exports are booming, as both countries struggle with the effect of embargoes.
Kuwait has announced its strategic food reserves are at an all-time high, and has warned against food price hikes, as the country prepares itself in case of conflict.
Saahtain Foods, a producer of meals ready to eat (MRE) in Dubai, has launched a new high-nutrition date porridge, and claims to have fed more than 500,000 people with its MREs.
Oman’s Sohar Port and Free Zone is hoping to become a regional food processing hub, building on its plans to develop a major agro import terminal at the port.
Korea has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UAE to develop its Halal food industry, with the aim of almost doubling its current US$680m Halal food exports to US$1.23bn by 2017.
The UAE’s date palm oases may be formally recognised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation as of global agricultural importance, the FAO announced this month.
Al Ain Dairy, the largest dairy processor in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has launched what it claims are the world's first camel milk ice cream and milk powder products available on the mass market.
Brazil’s poultry producers don’t expect significant benefits from having a single global Halal standard, as proposed by Dubai, according to a trade association executive.
French chocolate maker Valrhona is launching two new milk chocolate blends in the Middle East, as it counts on high service levels and exclusivity to maintain growth.
UAE consumers are finally becoming wise to the attractions of high-quality coffee, thanks to an influx of knowledgeable roasters and baristas, according to a UAE-based roastmaster.
Dubai-made Signature Snacks have plenty of expansion potential in Europe thanks to favorable labor costs and a central global location, says distributor United Products.
The global Halal food trade is top of the agenda at Gulfood this week, as the show sees its 20th and biggest edition to date, with 4,800 exhibitors and 80,000 visitors expected.
Oman’s Sohar Port has unveiled a new agribusiness-focused strategy, with deals for flour and sugar mills and food processing facilities, and says it can cut GCC food costs.
The GCC’s edible oils industry saw total investment more than double to US$646m in the last decade, according to a report from the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting (GOIC).
Authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE say they are increasing inspections of organic products, both imported and home-grown, in order to protect consumers.
Chocolate maker Mars has invested a total of US$140m in new manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to increase production of its Galaxy and Snickers lines.
The UAE has opened a new fish hatchery in Umm Al Quwain, planned to produce 10 million fingerlings within three years, as ministers reveal massive declines in coastal fish stocks.
The UAE is planning to introduce a new law restricting levels of salt and fat in packaged food, officials from the country’s Ministry of Health have said.
Sidel announced it has signed a partnership with Sayeed International, an industrial packaging company in Pakistan, at Gulfood Mannufacturing 2014, in Dubai.
Tomra has developed its camera technology and software to modify its Genius 640 3-way sorter with two rejector streams for dates in MENA because ‘the industry wants different sizes, below and above a certain size so they all look the same in a package’.
Middle East confectionery sales are set to boom, with the Saudi market projected to grow 43% by 2016 according to KPMG, and the region as a whole by 20% in 2015.
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.
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.
