The Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association (SFMA) will be leading 46 food and beverage companies to Gulfood 2020 with the aim of developing partnerships as the Middle East diversifies its food and beverage (F&B) offerings.
The event, a leading annual food and beverage trade exhibition, will run from February 16 to 20 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
The demand for affordable high quality Asian inspired food and food products is growing in the Middle East as consumers in the region become increasingly sophisticated in their taste preferences, said a statement.
Singapore’s food and beverage brands are keen to deepen partnerships with Middle East enterprises in packaged and fresh food, new food products, and convenient meals.
Enterprise Singapore also sees partnership opportunities with Middle East enterprises in eco-friendly food packaging, functional foods, developing new flavours and textures, and healthier food options.
For Middle East enterprises, there are opportunities to leverage Singapore’s food innovation eco-system to develop and test-bed new products for the Middle East and Asia.
The delegation comprising 35 returning and 11 companies new to Gulfood, will also be involved in business networking sessions with Middle East investors, traders and distributors. These Meet-The-Buyer sessions are organised and supported by Enterprise Singapore.
A total of 21 food prototypes with strong commercialisation potential developed by Singapore food manufacturers in collaboration with institutes of food science and technology, will be on display. The prototypes capture consumers’ trends on eco-friendly food packaging and sustainable food sourcing and ingredients.
They are the latest offerings from Singapore’s food innovation ecosystem: a network of startups, supporting industries in flavours, ingredients and food packaging, and research institutes, which support close to 900 food manufacturers in Singapore. Refer to ANNEX A for details on the 21 food prototypes.
Singapore food manufacturers will also feature new products ranging from meat-free and plant based foods, easy-to-cook noodles that are non-fried and made with purple wheat with no MSG, to dim sum made with healthier ingredients and processes.
Nael Islam, regional group director for Middle East and North Africa, Enterprise Singapore, said, “The Middle East has consistently been one of Singapore’s top 10 food export markets since 2015. In the Gulf States particularly, food exports from Singapore have increased steadily for the past three years.”
“The trusted Singapore brand’s emphasis on food safety and quality, and Singapore companies’ ability to adapt to local preferences have been key in forging strong partnerships with Middle East enterprises. We see opportunities for Singapore food and beverage brands, from a range of price points to cater to the growing consumer demand for more diverse food options,” he said.
“Middle East companies interested in developing new food products, such as ready-to-go meals and healthier food options, can also leverage Singapore’s food innovation ecosystem with its high standards in sourcing, processing, manufacturing, and packaging, and close collaboration with research institutes, when partnering Singapore food enterprises,” he added.
Jimmy Soh, deputy president, Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association (SFMA), said: “Singapore food companies know creating high-quality unique products through innovation is one way to differentiate from the competition.”
“The 21 prototypes on display at the Singapore pavilion, were developed through our Food Innovation Product Award (FIPA) challenge for companies to co-create sustainable, healthy and convenient food products with research institutes,” he said.
“Companies have to undergo a nine-month innovation methodology to develop business capabilities, gain consumer and market insights, and facilitate the commercialisation of novel food ingredients, processing methods and products. The SFMA has supported about 80 food companies to launch around 70 new food products to market, so far. The capability to support the innovation of localised food products is a key value proposition Singapore companies bring to the region’s growing food and beverage industry and changing consumers’ tastes,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service