F&B innovation in the spotlight at Gulfood Manufacturing 2023

Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Sports Council, visited Gulfood Manufacturing on the second day of the global trade event.
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Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Sports Council, visited Gulfood Manufacturing on the second day of the global trade event at Dubai World Trade Centre.

The four co-located events — Gulfood Manufacturing, The Speciality Food Festival, ISM Middle East and Private Label ME — which ran until Nov. 9, saw displays of innovation, latest trends and best practices from across the global F&B sector.

At Gulfood Manufacturing’s Food Tech Summit, topics of discussion included inventions and best practices within supply chain and logistics, the evolution of food safety and quality control, and how the food industry can work together to deliver sustainable impact.

Bobby Krishna, senior food safety specialist — Dubai Municipality, gave insight into how Dubai has leveraged digitization to improve food safety. “We were lucky to have digital momentum from the early 2000s. That gave us an enormous amount of data in digital format, which we are currently using to make our decisions. We are able to use that data to predict problems,” he said.

ISM Middle East, the biggest confectionery and snacks event in the Middle East and North Africa, saw the announcement of the winners of ISM Middle East New Product Showcase. Me Gusto Sp. z.o.o picked up Best Bakery Product for its organic wafer with peanut butter; Magical Flavors for the Food Industry won in Best Hard and Soft Candy for its Marshzone Marshmallow Fries; Gia Siming (zhuhai) Food Technology Co., Ltd. scooped Best Chocolate Product for its lyophilized chocolate; and Matis Bros S.A. was awarded Best Snack Product for its tahini spread with rice krispies.

The second day of Gulfood Manufacturing also saw curated workshops by hand-picked artisan brands, as part of Gourmet Boutique. Led by gourmet experts and connoisseurs of heritage brands, Gourmet Boutique is the perfect platform from which to discover niche brands and products that are grabbing the attention of the hospitality industry and retailers in the region. Visitors have the opportunity to access engaging workshops, demonstrations and tasting sessions as heritage brands unleash their products in an impressive showcase.

Speaking from the show floor at Gulfood Manufacturing, Rizwan Ahmed, executive director — IFFCO Group, said: “IFFCO Group is thrilled to be part of Gulfood Manufacturing 2023, a dynamic and global industry platform that fosters learning, engagement and the presentation of innovative products and solutions. This event is pivotal for industry leaders and innovators, offering a unique opportunity to collaborate and drive progress in the ever-evolving food manufacturing sector. We look forward to networking, and contributing to the industry’s growth at this esteemed event.”