New exhibition supports consumer and business demand for Halal certified ingredients and raw materials.
With
the global Halal food market currently valued at almost US$760 billion,
demand for raw materials and ingredients that can be fully certified as
Halal is higher than ever before.
Muslim consumers increasingly
expect assurance that food and beverages fully comply with Islamic
preparation requirements from the very start of the manufacturing
process, creating increase pressure to source ingredients from
certified suppliers.
To support local, regional and
international food processing companies, Dubai World Trade Centre
(DWTC) is to organise a dedicated trade show for the sector,
Ingredients Middle East, which will have a particular focus on groups
specialising in raw materials for Halal food preparation.
“As
the Halal food market has grown more sophisticated, it has become
increasingly important for food producers to demonstrate that all
ingredients are fully certified. In creating a dedicated trade show for
this sector, we hope to enable food manufacturers to meet with the
suppliers of every ingredient to create a 100 percent Halal supply
chain,” said Joanne Cook, Industry Group Manager, DWTC.
To meet
market demand, countries like Malaysia are establishing Halal industry
parks to ensure that all food processed remains uncontaminated by
non-Halal sources. Most recently, it has opened a 9,000-hectare Halal
park in the region of Sarawak, to focus on prawn and fish farming, as
well as poultry, agriculture and processing industries, officials said.
The
Middle East’s first trade exhibition dedicated to raw materials and
ingredients has generated a strong response from the region’s
fast-evolving manufacturing and processing industry, with particular
interest from groups specialising in Halal food.
Ingredients
Middle East, organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), will take
place from 15-17 June 2008 at the Dubai International Convention and
Exhibition Centre (DICEC) and has already attracted some of the world’s
leading ingredient producers.
As the organiser of Gulfood, the
region’s largest food and beverage event, Ingredients Middle East will
support the Government’s recent drive to support domestic food
production, to reduce reliance on imports and better control prices,
and the result has been a rapidly-growing local manufacturing sector.
The
UAE’s food processing industry was valued at US$ 3 billion in 2007 and
is growing at 11% a year. With a population of around 4.1 million and
an anticipated population growth rate of approximately 6.9% per annum,
the UAE is one of the fastest-expanding markets in the world.
Given
the strong potential for business development, Ingredients Middle East
has drawn interest from manufacturers, distributors and international
suppliers who cultivate, extract, process or supply raw materials and
ingredients.
The event will welcome almost 100 exhibitors. Key
suppliers include market leaders Doehler Middle East Ltd; CHR Hansen
Middle East Fzco; Transveritas; Agus SP ZOO; Reda Food Ingredients;
Food Specialties; Maskem; Dairy Tech; Agrana Fruit Istanbul and many
others.
China, Egypt, Germany and Turkey are among the 17
countries that will be present this year as well as India, one of the
world’s largest markets for raw materials in food processing which has
recently announced plans to invest US$25 million in the sector by 2015.
Co-located
with Ingredients Middle East will be the specialist conference the
“Arab Beverages Forum 2008”, taking place on the 15 and 16 June. The
conference will detail the current global situation and how it impacts
the local beverage market.
Key topic areas include flavoring and
packaging, as well as strategies to develop and position products to
capture new markets. Delegates interested in attending the forum can
visit www.taaheel.ae for more information.
