Gulfood’s 25th edition opened by Sheikh Hamdan

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE minister of finance opened on Sunday the 25th edition of Gulfood, the region’s longest-running annual food and beverage (F&B) trade show at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

As an industry pioneer and weathervane for global F&B sector trend-tracking, Gulfood 2020 is an open invitation for F&B producers to demonstrate how they are ‘Rethinking Food’ to serve a global population set to exceed 8 billion by 2030.

The five-day exhibition, which runs until Thursday, February 20, has attracted high-calibre interest from government ministers, trade delegations and national organisations. These entities are showcasing the latest F&B innovations and exploring exhaustive business opportunities as the global F&B sector seeks to keep pace with changing consumer habits and the spiralling spending, which now stands at more than US 7.2 trillion annually, according to the Gulfood 2020 Industry Outlook Report.

Sheikh Hamdan was given a snapshot of the latest innovations and technologies that are redefining the regional food sector landscape at DWTC this week amid growing demand.

Silver Jubilee

Gulfood 2020 will showcase large-scale innovation in the F&B sector, with a wide array of industry disruptors exhibiting innovative products and solutions, new-to-region flavours and products, and the global networking opportunities with F&B businesses from every corner of the world.

“The rising demand for sustainability in the F&B sector, coupled with consumer trends that have shifted dramatically and the growing shift away from animal-based foods, headline the Gulfood 2020 agenda. The challenge for the F&B industry is to fast-track innovation and provide safe and sustainable food sources for an increasingly eco-conscious global population. Gulfood’s 25th anniversary is the perfect place to experience, analyse and collaborate on developing solutions that will propel the F&B sector into this thrilling new decade of opportunity,” says Trixie LohMirmand, executive vice president, exhibitions and events, DWTC.

Running alongside the main exhibition, the second edition of the three-day Gulfood Innovation Summit will bring together major players from across the international industry to examine the latest challenges and opportunities in the global F&B market.