Del Monte is planning to acquire farms in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to add to its current UAE and Turkey sites, and is planning new regional product launches at Gulfood.
Starlinger has won a US$5m contract to provide bag-making machinery to Salalah Mills’ new packaging project, as the miller aims to become Oman’s largest packaging producer.
Saudi Arabia will see US$8bn in new aquaculture investment according to the Ministry of Agriculture, while Kuwait’s fish market troubles continue as shrimp prices rise.
US food producers saw record exports to the GCC of US$3bn last year according to new figures, as American trade associations organised events in Kuwait and around SIAL ME.
As Saudi Arabia prepares to privatise its public flour mills, the UAE’s Al Ghurair may become a purchaser, while Agthia plans to enter the kingdom’s wheat flour market.
Almarai has installed a 37,000 bird-per-hour poultry processing line from Ishida, the Japanese firm announced, as it revealed it also made an on-floor sale at Gulfood Manufacturing.
Jordan’s Royal Health Awareness Society will implement Nestlé’s “Ajyal Salima” or Healthy Kids programme, which promotes nutrition and health education to children, the firm announced.
Thompson Reuters has cut its growth forecast for the global Halal food market, saying the market will grow to just under US$1.6tn by 2020, instead of 2018 as predicted last year.
Packaging supplier Linpac will set up a joint venture PET thermoforming facility in Saudi Arabia, in partnership with Zultec Group, the firms announced.
Saudi’s Savola Group has formed a joint venture with Thai Union Frozen, one of the world’s largest seafood processors, to bring new seafood products to the Middle East, targeting US$400m in sales.
Saudi dairy and poultry producer Almarai missed its US$533m sukuk target by more than US$100m last week, a reversal from previous rounds of debt-issuing, which were routinely oversubscribed.
Saudi Arabia remains the most attractive food and beverage market ahead of Egypt, with food consumption growth of 7.6% this year, says a new BMI report.
Scottish food and drink exports to the Middle East grew 20% year-on-year in 2014 to US$350m, and have nearly doubled since 2007, with fish and seafood leading the growth.
Saudi-based Hussain Al Qurashi Group has initiated a new contract with BanaBay to receive 83 tonnes of Ecuadorian bananas a week, with potential for expansion.
Brazilian dessert producer Mr Bey wants to expand its GCC distribution beyond its current Saudi clients, as the firm targets a major increase in its export business.
The Saudi minister of agriculture has criticised the high level of wasted bread in the country, saying 35% is thrown away, during the opening of a new US$218m flour mill in Al-Jamoum.
Nestlé has released its first corporate accountability report for the region, and promises to cut waste, improve children’s health and reduce salt and sugar in its products.
A US-Saudi project aims to help small-scale farmers in the kingdom by tackling their biggest challenges, with a model the academics behind it hope can be rolled out across the region.
Russia’s Halal industry is working to grow its exports to the Middle East, as the country signs a meat-for-grain deal with Iran, and Belarus is set to start UAE beef shipments.
Omani bottled water producer Barzman National has increased its production capacity to cope with rising demand, adding a new 22,000 bottle-per-hour line to its facilities.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Economic City has bagged two new food clients, with Malaysian snack maker Mamee and Saudi cold storage firm Abdullah Abbar and Sons planning facilities in the city.
Silver Fern Farms is rolling out its high-end chilled New Zealand beef and lamb ranges to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, citing growing consumer demand for premium, natural meat products.
Lebanese farmers are facing financial disaster following the closure of the main land route to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, after Syrian rebels seized the Nasib border crossing with Jordan.
In the past eight months, 47 Ukraine companies have received halal certification, with the aim of targeting exports to the Middle East, said head of the Center of Halal Research and Certification in Ukraine ‘Alraid’ Larissa Polishchuk.
Two new sugar refinery projects launched in Saudi Arabia this month in Jizan and Yanbu, with a combined value of US$720m and projected capacity of more than 2m tonnes a year.
Growing numbers of American brands are entering the UAE, according to food distributor Farm Fresh, which is looking to make the most of the new influx.
UAE consumers are finally becoming wise to the attractions of high-quality coffee, thanks to an influx of knowledgeable roasters and baristas, according to a UAE-based roastmaster.
Tough government regulations on energy drinks means the Saudi Arabian market is a challenging one, but it’s also a land of opportunity for US and European brands, says Euromonitor International.
Australia saw its beef exports to the Middle East fall 13% last month, compared to January 2014, according to data from the Department of Agriculture, and compiled by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).
The Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company plans to invest $500m over the next three years to drive sales of soft drinks including flag brand Ravi in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has restarted its support for 1.7m Syrian refugees following a US$52m donation from Saudi Arabia, along with funds from other governments and donors.
Chocolate maker Mars has invested a total of US$140m in new manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE to increase production of its Galaxy and Snickers lines.
French dairy giant Lactalis has entered the race to acquire Arab Dairy Products Company with an offer that tops all earlier bids for the Egyptian cheesemaker.
Saudi Arabia’s milk exports now exceed Germany’s thanks to rapid development, with average export growth of 12.5% a year over the last decade, according to a Tetra Pak report.
Middle East confectionery sales are set to boom, with the Saudi market projected to grow 43% by 2016 according to KPMG, and the region as a whole by 20% in 2015.
The Brazilian agriculture ministry (Mapa) is sending a trade delegation to Egypt and Iran in an attempt to restart embargoed beef shipments and improve systems for importing poultry.
Saudi Arabia’s poultry production is growing strongly, but disease and feed costs are thwarting the kingdom’s aim of domestic self-sufficiency, according to a US Department of Agriculture report.
