CAIRO: Abu Dhabi is hosting more than 300 companies from across the region and world for an international food show later this month. Ministers of agriculture, environment, finance and trade from the region will join their counterparts in other areas for a conference that will run parallel to the November 22-24 fair at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). “More than 300 exhibitors from 30 countries will be displaying their products and showcasing new innovations during the event. Over 80 per cent of the exhibitors belong to the international food industry; many heading for the first time to the region,” ADNEC said in a statement. SIAL Middle East will also feature national pavilions from Argentina, China, France, Hong Kong, Iran, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States. A high-level Ministerial Conference focusing on the integration of food policies across the GCC will take place on the opening day of SIAL Middle East, the regional version of the world's largest food exhibition, the statement said. A keynote session will bring together agriculture, finance, environment and trade ministers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Romania, Bulgaria and Kazakhstan to discuss common GCC standards for food risk assessment and safety, nutrition, emergency response, and effective communication procedures for imminent risk, it said. The meeting will be held in association with the UAE's Ministry of Environment and the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, it added. “The Middle East foodservice market is worth more than $31 billion. Last year, bilateral food trade between the UAE and Saudi Arabia alone topped $2.67billion,” said Fadi Saad, Director of SIAL Middle East at Turret Media. “As biggest Arab economy and largest individual food importer, Saudi Arabia has a huge influence in sustaining the GCC's foodservice market by supporting the consolidation of the food agenda to strengthen the region's food trade.” SIAL Middle East is the latest addition to the largest network of professional food events held worldwide by the SIAL Group. Under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and the Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the three-day long event is organized by Turret Media in collaboration with Comexposium. Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority is the strategic partner. Since its launch in Paris, SIAL has grown into a global food event. Last year SIAL had more than 9,300 exhibitors and over 216,000 visitors from 200 countries. BM
