Dubai:Four specialised food and beverage exhibitions are set to open at the Dubai World Trade Centre, featuring participation from over 2,500 exhibitors representing 79 countries across 21 halls until November 5.
According to Emirates News Agency, the events include Gulfood Manufacturing, GulfHost, ISM Middle East, and Private Label Middle East. These exhibitions will showcase companies and specialists involved in food manufacturing, ingredients, packaging, supply chains, production technologies, professional foodservice equipment, confectionery, and private-label products.
The exhibitions come at a time when the global food industry is facing increased supply-chain pressures and rising production costs. These challenges highlight the importance of advanced manufacturing, automation, and modern technologies in improving efficiency and strengthening food security. Notably, Argentina, the Philippines, Mauritania, San Marino, and Slovakia will participate for the first time.
The UAE has set a target to boost the food sector's contribution to national GDP from AED30 billion to AED40 billion by 2028. Mark Napier, Vice President of Gulfood Manufacturing at inD, emphasized that Dubai's hosting of these exhibitions connects businesses, technology providers, and investors, thereby linking manufacturing expertise with commercial opportunities and technological solutions.
Gulfood Manufacturing 2026 will operate under the theme 'Powering Food Security Through Manufacturing Innovation', focusing on technologies such as automation, packaging, industrial refrigeration, energy efficiency, and food ingredients. Exhibits will include Krones' integrated bottling system capable of processing up to 104,000 PET bottles per hour and GEA's energy-efficient industrial refrigeration solutions, alongside packaging technologies designed to reduce carbon footprints by up to 25 percent.
The FoodTech Summit will convene government representatives, executives, and international experts to discuss topics like food manufacturing, investment in intelligent factories, AI, robotics, supply-chain resilience, and local production. The summit's first day will feature a discussion on 'The Food Sovereignty Agenda Capital and the Intelligent Factory', while the second day will focus on developments in confectionery and snacks, changing consumer demand, product innovation, and packaging.
GulfHost will present professional kitchen and foodservice equipment, ISM Middle East will concentrate on confectionery, snacks, and market expansion, and Private Label Middle East will highlight contract manufacturing, private-label development, and fast-moving consumer goods. The events aim to support the National Food Security Strategy 2051 by promoting advanced technologies, enhancing local production, diversifying food sources, and improving food manufacturing efficiency.