Tens of thousands descended on Dubai World Trade Centre on Monday as Gulfood kicked off its 30th event, with the topics of global food trends and the use of artificial intelligence to create enhanced supply chain efficiency in the spotlight.
More than 5,000 exhibitors from 129 countries vied for attention as industry professionals, policymakers and investors milled around the myriad stands that showcased about one million products from a variety of categories, including meat and poultry, dairy, pulses and world foods. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, was among those in attendance.
"We are proud of what Dubai and the Emirates have achieved in this sector, and we welcome specialists from all over the world," he wrote on X.
The advent of artificial intelligence
This year’s theme is The Next Frontier in Food and debuts the Food500Summit, bringing together industry leaders to tackle challenges and opportunities across the food value chain. On the first day, this included Hemen Ruparel, chief executive of Indian food manufacturer Samex Enterprises, who spoke about the importance of understanding the consumer of tomorrow by using AI-driven tools to predict demand.
“It will be about immediate gratification,” he said, addressing the summit. “The consumer will say, ‘I want it now and I need it exactly the way I want it, with no sugar and all the ingredients my doctor has put in my health goals. And I want it accurate and speedy.’” While this level of AI-driven personalisation has been adopted in many industries, from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics, the food and beverage industry has been slow to get on board, said Mr Ruparel.
“The customer wants continuous engagement, they want feedback, they want to give feedback and get recommendations using AI tools,” he continued, adding that this level of personalisation will have huge benefits for supply chain efficiency and cost-cutting.
“AI tools will lead to digital transformation, developing automation and insight to enhance visibility, intelligence, efficiency and agility in the supply chain. We are coming back to first principles – grow the food you need and eat the food you need,” he added. “There is enough food on the planet, we just need AI to use it properly.” Alan Smith, chief executive of UAE-based food and beverage company Agthia Group, emphasised in his talk that AI adoption in the industry is “critical”.
“It allows manufacturers to reduce waste in our supply chain and allow us to focus on making products consumers actually want,” he said. “The future of food isn’t just being shaped in kitchens – it’s being shaped in algorithms and these algorithms are shaping our success as a business.”
Health-conscious and ready to go
Among the stands, there was a clear trend of health-promoting products and ready-to-go snacks and meals, reflecting a rising interest from consumers for these categories on a local level. “The momentum towards convenience just keeps getting stronger,” said Ashvin Subramanyam, chief executive of Orkla India, which is launching its line of preservative-free five-minute breakfast dishes targeting the UAE’s Keralite market this June.
“We see this worldwide as societies evolve in prosperity – as the prosperity index goes upwards, the time index goes downwards … At the same time, consumers want products that are as close to fresh as possible, but they also want it to be convenient – and at a price that works. But these requirements are often opposing.”
The company took two years to develop its Eastern Five-Minute Breakfast range, which delivers authentic Keralan taste in three easy steps, with dishes including puttu, idiyappam, idli, dosa and palappam. The aim is to preserve time-honoured culinary traditions, while also catering to the modern, time-conscious consumer.
From the region, Healthy and Tasty, which was created in Egypt but has manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia, was marketing its healthy beverages and snacks. High demand for these products in the UAE means they are now also setting up a local production facility. Healthy Cola, which is aspartame- and sugar-free, using the natural sweetening agent stevia, is its “hero” product, said export development director Tamer Gharib.
“It's a new launch item and we have already started to export it to nine different countries within only three months,” he said. He added that the stand had received a lot of interest from US buyers on day one of the event.
Invest Northern Ireland is also tapping into these trends, bringing a range of brands that cater to time-poor but health-conscious buyers, which they’ve noted is a growing segment in the UAE. “Food provenance also plays a very important role as consumers want to know where they’re food is coming from,” regional director Sheethal Rishi told The National. “We get these niche supermarkets and buyers looking for that food provenance, traceability, clean ingredients and also products that cater to the diverse population here in the UAE.”
One such brand is White’s Oats, which was established in 1841 and is one of the world’s oldest oats millers. The Irish brand is now bringing its instant oats to the UAE, including new high-protein options with limited sugar content.
Commercial director Mark Gowdy said the company has had huge interest from the region, as more consumers realise the benefits that oats can bring, not just for cardiovascular health, but also for gut health, which is a popular talking point in the industry. “People who eat sugar already buy into the ready-to-go category, so [with the instant oats] my task is to try and bring in people who don’t already eat this product.”
Neil Hubbard, from vegan, all-natural brand Noisy Snacks, has noticed a similar trend, particularly in the region. The Northern Irish brand launched its pulse-based snacks in the UAE two weeks ago and has already seen enormous interest, he told The National. These include beef brisket-flavoured crunchy broad beans and jalapeño, vegan cheese-coated chickpeas.
“We're seeing the same trends on a more global and regional level, too, with a focus on clean ingredients, natural flavours, healthier snacking, but also adventurous flavours. People want healthier snacks, but they want things that actually taste good."
