WITH new technologies and Big Data and Analytics (BDA) increasingly redefining industries across the globe, Gulfood 2018, the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade show, will provide the perfect platform for more than 5,000 leading food industry players to benchmark just how innovation and foodservice technologies such as e-commerce and delivery apps are the real game changers in the sector.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide revenues from BDA will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.7 percent to surpass &203 billion a year by 2020 as businesses search for ways to tap into exactly what consumers want.

The Gulfood Global Industry Outlook Report 2018, an independent report by Euromonitor International, commissioned by show organizers Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) ahead of this year’s show, states that with a rapidly-growing, highly-urbanized younger population driving demand for packaged food and beverages, with global food and beverage sales set to top $1.8 trillion annually by 2021, ”Internet purchasing is changing the delivery of products not just for storage and home-delivery formats but also in terms of access to local brands and short order supply”.

The report adds: “Scaling up to meet this demand by leveraging technology, both blockchain and consumer-facing technology, is crucial. Investing in the supply chain and delivery logistics is essential to meeting not just the critical demands of the young, thoughtful consumer, but as a pathway to meeting future demand for personalised, tailored products of the consumer of 2030.”

Internet retail and e-commerce is fastest growing retail channel across the global food sector, according to the report. The MENA region is witnessing the biggest rise and is set to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 39 per cent) through 2021. Home delivery and takeway is the fastest foodservice channel in North America, Latin America, MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa, growing fastest in Sub-Saharan Africa, at a CAGR of 8.9 percent. Annual growth for the next three years in the MENA is forecast at 5.1 percent.

And Gulfood, which runs from Feb. 18-22 at DWTC, gives critical players in the food supply chain, regionally and globally, a tailored opportunity to highlight how they are embracing technology to service the changing face of the industry.

“The UAE, under the visionary approach of its leaders is at the forefront of innovation across business and society and Gulfood aligns impeccably with that. As the world’s largest food and beverage trade show, Gulfood gives more than 5,000 exhibitors a unique opportunity to showcase their latest products and services, many of which will have been inspired or created by the positive impact technology is having on the world,” said Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, exhibitions & events, DWTC.

“The sectorised layout of the show offers buyers unrivalled access to their target exhibitors, and more facetime with those showcasing the latest technology-driven solutions they require. Furthermore, the Gulfood Innovation Awards highlight and reward those at the cutting-edge of the industry.”

With product innovation pointing to health benefits on the rise as manufacturers seek to capture health-conscious millennials, French Meat and Poultry leader Doux, is one such exhibitor that has embraced R&D in animal nutrition to meet consumer demand. The firm returns to Gulfood 2018 with its new Doux Fitlife, the first halal frozen chicken fed with flaxseed, a natural source of Omega 3. Due to this exceptional feeding, the consumer can eat Omega 3 and be in good health naturally. The product has been shortlisted for the Best Meat & Poultry Innovation for the Gulfood Innovation Awards.

Séverine Martinez, export marketing & communication project manager from Doux, said: “It is paramount in this industry that you listen to your clients and consumers. Healthier food, sustainability and traceability are now crucial factors for vendors and end users alike. Every "finished product" in the Doux range is associated with a specific batch number that allows you to know the product's history: the origin of the spawn, the location of the breeding, the food and the care received, the date and time of slaughter or any other action that has been implemented. This stored information is then summarized in the electronic breeding sheet, so the Doux Group is able, at any time, to know very precisely and for each batch, which breeder the poultry grew and with what food they were fed, to ensure our renowned premium quality and taste.”

“In addition, from breeding, all chicks and chickens are monitored and tested to ensure the absence of germs. More than 12,000 analyses are performed on all group sites each year.”

Leading UAE food manufacturer IFFCO insists its innovation and adoption of new technologies has been driven by its customers. Sudhakar Gupta, director of international business development from IFFCO, said: “The UAE is making great strides implementing big data and blockchain into the system, but for us as a company, we firmly believe that innovation only works from the consumer, backwards. If you are not listening to your customers you are not innovating.

“We work hard to understand what our consumers want. We adapt that data collection into our products to ensure our finished product item is delivered to meet demand for quality, wellness and price point.”

Gulfood 2018 is a trade event open strictly to business and trade visitors. Ahead of its 23rd edition in 2018, Gulfood has established a position as the world’s largest annual food and hospitality show. — SG