Bustling Dubai is playing host to the 27th edition of Gulfood 2022, the largest annual food and beverage sourcing event in the world. Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA) H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum officially inaugurated the event on 13 February, 2022. Being held at the iconic Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Gulfood 2022 is all set to power the agenda of the international food industry with its stated mandate ‘Connect, create, change the future for better.’ The five-day event concludes on 17 February, 2022.
H.H. Al Maktoum took a tour around the exhibition accompanied by Minister of Climate Change and Environment H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, and Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and CEO of DWTC.
Gulfood 2022 is a show that promises to launch new industry trends, power fast-paced global sourcing, bring together the most diverse world of F&B, and ultimately push the sector conversations from agenda to action.
120 countries are participating in this year’s edition, featuring over 4,000 companies, 150+ speakers, 21 halls of awe-inspiring food exploration, and in excess of 100 award-winning chefs, business leaders, and government heads. Among the expanded 2022 exhibitor line-up are new pavilions from Norway, Panama, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan, showing the growing competitiveness in the industry. The show also includes new participants from Australia, Colombia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and Switzerland. France recorded a strong return this year, with the presence of 69 companies, in a move that seeks to provide the best French food and drinks in the region, most notably Business France, the government institution aimed at supporting companies in export and expansion projects.
The show floor is segmented across eight F&B sectors including beverages; dairy; fats and oil; health foods including organic, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, enriched and fortified foods; meat and poultry; power brands in multiple product categories; cereals, grains, and pulses; and world food with 120 country pavilions featuring niche and specialty products. Six new, quirky products that have caught the eye include charcoal bread, locally-made plant-based cheese spread, Emirati spice-flavoured chips, date sugar, vegan fish, and frankincense-flavoured ice cream!
Environment Minister Almheiri opened the curtains on Gulfood Inspire, one of the segments with over 200 distinguished speakers from diverse fields. Thought leaders, new-age entrepreneurs, culinary talents, and industry commentators are opening up to explore four main themes: E-commerce, Zero Waste, Gulfood Changemakers, and Women Leaders and Chef Talks. The summit features the most impact-making conversations in the world of F&B on a platform to learn, debate, network, and benchmark the latest technologies.
Premiering in the 2022 edition was the Gulfood Top Table, which took experimental culinary to new heights with a star-studded line-up of 100+ award-winning chefs who rolled out over 50 master classes with more than 1000 new culinary creations, besides industry influencers, food journalists, disruptors, and global trend-setters. Exquisite Tea, Art of Fine Butchery, and Oyster Shucking were some of the highly engaging workshops. The Gulfood Top Table which was held on the first two days of the event was opened by Journalist and Hospitality Consultant Claudia de Brito.
Gulfood 2022 is also being recognized as the first sustainable edition with its Gulfood Zero Waste, a global campaign in partnership with restaurants and hotels driving the zero waste initiative globally. Zero Waste is a new movement for not only those in the food business but also connoisseurs of food to rethink on the way food is used and consumed. Across the five days of the exhibition, food waste is being collected from exhibitors as well as the live cooking stations to be sent for producing compost in partnership with The West Lab, a startup specialized in recycling food waste.
Companies with new innovative solutions in minimizing food wastage and other sustainable ideas relevant to the food and beverage industry were shortlisted from hundreds of entries from around the world for the Gulfood Innovation Awards 2022, the winners of which were announced on the inaugural day.
Gulfood 2022 Opening Timings: 13-17 February, 2022 (10 am – 6 pm).
For latest updates visit www.gulfood.com
