Page 30 - AWA Vol.42-No7 issue

EVENTS

Gulfood Manufacturing 2026 puts food security

and manufacturing innovation at the

centre of region’s growth agenda

The UAE’s food and beverage sec- Supporting this momentum, Gul- bibloc, Sidel, Tetra Pak and TNA,
tor is entering a new phase of in- food Manufacturing returns to alongside ingredients powerhouses
dustrial growth, with the country Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) ADM International, BUNGE, Cargill,
targeting an increase in the sector’s from November 3–5, 2026, under Chocolake, Döhler, DSM, Givaudan,
contribution to GDP from AED 30 bil- the theme ‘Powering Food Securi- IFF, IFFCO, MANE and Symrise, and
lion to AED 40 billion by 2028, along- ty Through Manufacturing Innova- supply chain specialists, including
side plans to grow food trade from tion’, bringing together leading food ACME, Addverb, Delta Systems and
AED 25 billion to AED 40 billion, manufacturers, suppliers, investors, Kanoo Machinery, will converge
and create around 20,000 new jobs. technology providers and policy- in Dubai to showcase the technol-
The country is also targeting AED makers. Aligned with the UAE’s Na- ogies and expertise driving more
2 billion in annual food import sub- tional Food Security Strategy 2051, secure, efficient and scalable food
stitution through local production, the exhibition spans the full F&B production and distribution. Across
supporting up to 200 food factories production value chain - from ingre- advanced processing and packag-
and increasing local production ca- dients, processing and packaging to ing, next-generation ingredients,
pacity by 15–30 per cent. Together, supply chain solutions, control and robotics and automation, AI and dig-
these ambitions signal the scale of automation - connecting the technol- ital manufacturing, traceability, cold
the shift underway as the UAE and ogies, expertise and partnerships chain and predictive planning, the
wider GCC region accelerate ef- needed to build more efficient and exhibition will showcase the tech-
forts to strengthen food security and future-ready food systems. nologies helping manufacturers im-
expand the role of local production The Destination for Industry-De- prove efficiency, increase output,
within the economy. Building the fining Manufacturing Innovation reduce waste and produce closer to
industrial capacity to manufacture, market.
process and distribute food at scale Global processing and packag- Mark Napier, Vice President, Gul-
will be critical to converting these ing leaders, including GEA, Heat food Manufacturing, inD stated:
ambitions into sustained economic & Control, Husky, Ishida, KHS, Kro- “Strengthening food manufacturing
growth. nes, Middleby, Multivac, SIG Com- capacity is fundamental to advanc-
28 Vol. 42 No. 7