North American food production and distribution giant Del Monte, which has been present in the Middle East markets for many years, is planning to diversify its product offering and also expand geographically.

Del Monte, which already operates farms in Turkey and the UAE, is planning a major presence at the upcoming Gulfood exhibition at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

The 21st edition of the world’s largest annual food and hospitality trade show will run from February 21 to 25 attracting over 5,000 international food industry companies from 120 countries besides an anticipated 85,000-plus visitors from across the globe, including international heads of state, ministers, government officials and national trade associations from five continents.

Operating from its regional headquarters in Dubai, Del Monte has an increasing involvement in the farming operations within the region, growing fresh produce on off soil technologies as well as from the ground.

“We already have a farm in the UAE and Turkey and will soon be owning farms as well in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Reinforcing further our vertically integrated model is allowing us to control the quality every step of the process and guarantee we pick the freshest for our consumers”, stated Mohammed Abbas, Del Monte Mena vice president.

2016 will be another key year in Del Monte’s expansion with the launch of new product categories and services both towards B to B and B to C. Some of them will be showcased at Gulfood 2016 for visitors to experience them, he said.

"Del Monte is always seeking new opportunities to innovate and stay attentive to its consumers’ needs. The biggest trend in the F&B industry would probably be the rise of health consciousness among consumers. Del Monte is continuously launching new product categories and line extensions to match this growing demand. Our fresh-cut fruits and vegetable ranges satisfy today’s health and wellness-conscious consumer demands with a level of convenience that fits perfectly into their active lifestyles. We also aim to be ahead of these demand, by launching innovative products; that was the case of our green juice for instance, launched earlier last year," he added.

Meanwhile, Charlie Antoun, the brand manager of Eathos Dubai - the regional restaurant operating platform which recently introduced Lebanon’s leading F&B chain Kababji to the UAE and is planning to bring additional international names to the Mena market, said he has already diarised his Gulfood visit.

“We will be at Gulfood because we have to be. As the leading F&B platform in the GCC with expansion plans to bring new brands to the region, we need to keep up-to-date with emerging trends, look into new and additional suppliers and there’s no better place to do this,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service