Two upcoming sweets, snacks and confectionery expos will showcase the entire value chain from the first step of manufacturing process to sales of finished products including raw materials and packaging.

The region’s only expo dedicated to sweets, Sweets Middle East – the third international exhibition for the sweets, confectionery, snack food and ice cream industry – will take place from November 2 to 4 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The exhibition is open for trade and business professionals only.

The first international exhibition for processing, machinery and packaging for the sweets, confectionery and snack industry, Sweet & SnackTec Middle East 2009 will be held in conjunction with Sweets Middle East, and will serve producers, suppliers, importers and exporters of the sweets, confectionery and snack machinery industry from across the Mena region and GCC countries.

The growing hospitality industry is strongly influencing the growth and size of the sweets and confectionery market and is already worth Dh300 million in the UAE and growing at 10 per cent annually.

Currently relying on over 80 per cent imported products the UAE Government has a keen interest in fostering the development of the food processing industry having invested $1.4 billion since 1994 to develop a value-added food-manufacturing sector to target local and re-export markets, say reports by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).

The result is that there are around 150 food processing plants in the country representing a large number of the region’s food manufacturing capability.

Valued at $3 billion (2007) the UAE’s food processing industry is growing at 11 per cent a year, according to a report by the DCCI, owing its growth to being the world's third largest re-exporter.

“Confectionery is one of the major winning categories and the results of confectionery in 2008 are quite staggering given the difficult trading conditions that became apparent especially during the second half of the year,” said Yngve Bia, president, Generation Research, who compiled the TREND confectionery index.

“Clearly the confectionery category has been very much less hurt by the global economic downturn than other categories,” Bia added.

Imports in the GCC region reaching $12 billion annually and worldwide chocolate sales accounting for $4.2 billion make Sweets Middle East and Sweet & SnackTec Middle East an important regional platform for the Gulf’s snack, sweets and confectionery industry.

Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the region’s leading organiser and Koelnmesse organiser of the world’s leading confectionery show, ISM, have partnered to launch the two shows. – TradeArabia News Service