Gulfood Food Fair is a fair organized by the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC) every year and only for food professionals. The fair, where professionals operating in the food industry participated as exhibitors and visitors, could not live its former liveliness by remaining in the shadow of the pandemic this year.
27th Edition of Gulfood to Host First City-Wide Campaign with Gulfood Zero Waste Week. Ecommerce, Technology, Sustainability, Zero Waste, & Plant-based Produce Drivers to Headline Year’s First Global F&B Sector Gathering. Disruptive Cellular Agriculture Bio-Innovation & Slow Food Trend in the Spotlight. More than 4,000 Companies and Over 200 Industry Thought Leaders From 185 Countries to Pack 21 DWTC Halls. Show Welcomes Newcomers from Australia, Europe, South America, the Far East & Africa.
Gulfood 2022 will power considerable trends and techniques currently disrupting the international food industry agenda with its stated mandate of connecting, creating, and changing the future for the better.
The 27th edition of the world’s largest annual F&B sourcing event, which will pack 21 Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) halls, will feature its first city-wide campaign with the launch of Gulfood Zero Waste Week in partnership with restaurants and hotels across the Emirate, in a clear demonstration of Dubai’s commitment to take the lead on tackling food waste.
Running from 13 – 17 February, the landmark show will be the global sector’s undisputed transformation powerbroker, where major global issues, trends and change drivers will be examined, including: disruptive cellular agriculture bio-innovation – the production of animal sourced foods from cell culture methods; emerging slow and plant-based food trends; e-commerce; technology, sustainability, including zero waste.
“Gulfood 2022 will underscore Dubai’s pivotal role in driving global F&B sector change for the better with a deep-dive into the trends and techniques set to transform the industry for good, in addition to hosting over 4,000 exhibiting companies, more than 200 speakers from 185 countries and more than 100 award-winning chefs, including Michelin Star and ‘World’s Best’ winners, business leaders and government policymakers under one roof.
The influential gathering will engage participants with a host of new features aimed at shaping the future through improved nutrition, industry diversity, health, and sustainability,” explained Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Exhibitions & Events, DWTC.
Among the expanded 2022 exhibitor line-up are new pavilions from the Norwegian seafood industry, Uruguay, Panama, and Uzbekistan who will be joined by newcomers including: Australia’s ABW Foods, Invest NSW and Austrade; Colombia’s Cartagena Chamber of Commerce; Uruguay’s Cooperativa Nacional De Productores De Leche, Estancias del Lago
S.R.L. and Instituto Nacional De Carnes; Switzerland’s Fenaco and MK Merchants SA; Panama’s ProPanama, South Africa’s RFG Foods Pty Ltd., and Hong Kong’s Vitasoy.
Gulfood Zero Waste Week:
With latest data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations indicating that one third of the world’s food is wasted, equating to 1.3 tonnes annually at a cost of USD1 trillion, Gulfood 2022 is taking the lead in addressing this major global issue with a first-of-its-kind citywide activation that will see chefs from 30 UAE restaurants, cafes, and dark kitchens focus on zero-waste menus and sustainable practices using local produce via off-site workshops and masterclasses, with insights from leading chefs. The Week will culminate in an award ceremony recognising Zero Waste-leading restaurants.
“This initiative is a first for the region and we are looking for it to spark dialogue and a wider MEA region movement among the industry leaders and communities to take a pro-active approach to adopting zero-waste initiatives and help end the discrepancies between food waste and hunger while playing a part in addressing climate change,” explained LohMirmand. “The campaign is yet another example of Dubai’s desire and leadership to empower industry development for the good of all.”
An All-Action Powerbroker:
The event’s Connect, Create & Change approach – will propel sector conversations from agenda to action and facilitate innovative start-ups, spark the emergence of food tech solutions, empower young industry professionals and women within the sector’s research and development, and spur ecommerce.
“Gulfood 2022 will build on the event’s unequivocal reputation as an industry trend springboard and a global sourcing powerhouse to inspire industry-wide transformation for the good of the entire eco-system from raw material producers to policy-makers and consumers,” explained LohMirmand.
“This is a time when Dubai is, via Expo 2020, presenting to the world, a whole new future with the grandstanding of epoch-making innovations, ideas, and transformations. Gulfood 2022 takes its cue from this inspiring vision with a more profound concept to provoke a stronger collective impact on the industry’s future.”
Gulfood Global Visions:
The Gulfood conference will also be a game-changer in connecting governments, creating opportunities, and mapping universal access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. International government leaders will present strategies and imminent initiatives to drive their countries’ food agendas with dedicated sessions devoted to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Asia, and Africa. Alongside its main conference sessions, this feature will also host Gulfood Global Alliances – sessions looking to connect the public and private sectors, create partnerships and empower governments to move their visions forward.
Gulfood Global Changemakers:
This future-focused start-up programme will see 30-40 embryo ventures pitch innovative ideas and food tech solutions to renowned investors in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition. The contenders will also hear from Dennis Levine, the controversial author, corporate consultant, and
former managing director at the iconic Wall Street investment banking firm Drexel Burnham Lambert, who was a major player in mergers and acquisition throughout the 1980s.
Introducing Gulfood YouthX:
Demonstrating its commitment to attracting and nurturing the best talent for a better F&B sector future, YouthX is the show’s first youth empowerment platform, launched in partnership with the Hilton Group and Dubai Tourism College. YouthX offers a scholarship initiative for aspiring Emirati chefs who will be mentored by Kasdi Dahari, Executive Chef of Hilton Dubai Palm. Five young chefs will compete in front of a judging panel in a month-long contest, to secure an apprenticeship funded by Hilton and its partners, with the live final taking place at Gulfood 2022 on 13 February.
Global Women Leaders:
To spur networking and innovation strategies to better the prospects of women in the global industry, this new feature will bring together international sector leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and businesswomen to share and explore new areas of research and development as well as diversity and inclusion issues. Speakers include Dr. Tarifa Al Zaabi, Acting Director General of the Arab Women Leaders in Agriculture (AWLA) and Panchali Mahendra, Managing Director of ATELIER House Hospitality.
“Gender equality is imperative across industries and practices. Gulfood takes up this mission through the launch of a new platform to recognise women entrepreneurs and leaders in the food sector, challenging the norms and redefining progress worldwide,” added LohMirmand.
E-commerce:
In another new feature, SMEs will pitch leading UAE food delivery partners on ways retailers can boost their digital presence and hear from sector leaders including Sebastian Wussler, the German entrepreneur behind the food delivery platform Hoodly; Nikola Cabarkapa, VP of Brand Partnerships & MFC of grocery delivery app Instashop and Yesuprabhakar Yarlagadda, Vice President – Grocery, of the Middle East’s homegrown online marketplace Noon.
Entertainment & Activations:
Throughout the show, Gulfood partners will host a range of activations including home-approach Zero Waste masterclasses as well as main stage workshops and tasting sessions from brands including Haiyatea and Richemont Master Baker.
Among them is Gulfood Top Table, an experiential extravaganza of masterclasses with more than 100 chefs, representing over 100 restaurants and in excess of 1,000 creative dishes. Featured local chefs include Nick Alvis; Khaled Al Saadi; and Nadia Parekh, while global counterparts Syrco Bakker, Head Chef of The Netherlands’ 2 Michelin-starred Pure C; Dharshan Munidasa, from Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Crab; Christian Bau, head chef and host at Germany’s Victor’s Fine Dining and Anthony Demetre, the chef behind London’s acclaimed Mayfair restaurant Wild Honey; will star on the Chefs Talk platform.
Gulfood StrEAT meanwhile, will explore the Middle East’s culinary diversity with local chefs presenting their best street food creations from the traditional to the contemporary and just plain funky. Food truck innovators Blu.chkn, The Meat and Soo Matcha will be feature highlights.
Market Response:
The new Gulfood approach has won an enthusiastic response from exhibitors who have praised its forward-thinking strategy.
“Time and again Gulfood has addressed our industry’s pressing challenges and enabled us to focus minds on solutions,” commented Del Monte. “This year, organisers have taken this concept to a whole new level by directly addressing key industry issues through new events, such as RAW and Gulfood Zero Waste Week. It has set the benchmark in moving from discussion to action and thrown down a challenge to the industry to accept the baton and implement at pace.”
Jean-Philip Habib, Business Development Manager, Arrow Juice Factory is eagerly anticipating the insights from Gulfood Global Visions. “Our industry is increasingly subject to regulation, impacting everything from packaging to waste disposal and the chance to hear first-hand from the policymakers of what we may face in the near future will be incredibly useful and aid the industry in planning,” he said.
Gulfood 2022 will be held under stringent safety and hygiene protocols. DWTC has proved its capability to curate the safest face-to-face business environment and deliver world-class events with the highest safety protocols.
With product sampling and handling a vital interaction at the global F&B event, DWTC’s proven protocols have been further intensified for Gulfood 2022 under strict guidance and coordination with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Municipality to ensure the safest possible business conditions. Wearing of masks is mandatory, with social distancing in place to ensure the wellbeing of all delegates. On-site registration will not be available; registration must be completed in advance via www.gulfood.com.
More information on the event safety guidelines can be found here https://www.gulfood.com/useful-info/safety-guidelines