Gulfood, a leading trade exhibition for food, drink, food service and hospitality equipment in the Middle East region, is set to launch its inaugural conference titled ‘Global Trends in Food, Beverage and Processing’, this year.

The 'Gulfood Conference' will run alongside Gulfood, which takes place in Dubai from February 21 to 24, said Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), organisers of Gulfood.

The conference and knowledge exchange forum will offer delegates unprecedented access to the experts, analysts and visionaries who are shaping the business and developing the marketing strategies that will lead food, beverage and hospitality businesses into the next decade.

“In addition to being the most important trade exhibition for the food, beverage and hospitality industry which showcases the latest products, services and technological breakthroughs, the Gulfood Conference has enormous value for companies who want to meet and learn from the experts, business leaders and the market analysts,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, chief executive officer of DWTC.

“Not only will the Gulfood Conference provide valuable industry insight to allow companies to build a more profitable business, it will also offer practical tools for invigorating, expanding and launching new business channels,” he noted.

The intensive, information-packed agenda will cover topical issues facing all sectors of the industry, including global trends in foods, regulatory legislation, globalisation, regional expansion opportunities, sustainability, flavours and consumer behaviours, scientific advances in food technology and innovations in packaging.

Keynote speaker Saed Al Awadi, CEO of Dubai Export Development Corporation, will open the conference and highlight Dubai’s credentials and the business opportunities that are abound in the region.

“Dubai has a proven track record as an international manufacturing, services and trading hub – especially in the food and beverage sector where companies from the emirate export to over 130 countries,” said Al Awadi.

“We are delighted to be able to assist companies looking to enter new and exciting export markets and capitalise upon Dubai's infrastructure advantages to capture regional business.”

Estimated to be worth more than $650 billion by 2010 by the World Halal Forum, the global halal food industry is a major business.

Alex Andarakis, CEO of Al Islami Foods, pioneers in halal food market, will provide a detailed overview of the global halal landscape, the responsibilities and opportunities for companies operating in this domain and will also outline a practical roadmap for realising revenue in this rapidly expanding market.

Issues heading the agenda at government level around the world are also scheduled to receive air-time at the Gulfood Conference, with Sudhakar Tomar, a noted agriculture industry expert and the chairperson of the World Pulses Organisation tackling the thought-provoking topic ‘Understanding the Global Food Crisis: How Do we Feed the Next Generation?’

With the global population expected to grow by 50 per cent to nine billion by 2050, and the current world supply of food, water and energy already falling short, Tomar will outline the social, economic and political consequences of this issue.

He will also present a number of interesting measures businesses can implement to help tackle the global food crisis.

Other global issues to be discussed include successful franchising, the health and wellness industry, the future of food fortification, innovation in food packaging, global trends in both raw materials and finished goods and what flavours will appeal to the next generation.

Gulfood is strictly a trade-only event and is open to business and trade visitors from within the industry only.-TradeArabia News Service