Catalan companies take part in Gulfood 2022 with Prodeca

Around fifteen Catalan companies are taking part in Gulfood 2022, the world's most important fair for food and non-alcoholic drinks. Prodeca – Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda is organising their joint participation under the agri-food brand 'Catalonia, where food is culture' with the aim of contributing to the sector's international trade promotion.

The Catalan exhibitors at Gulfood 2022 are:

• LIVEN – ZANUY – Snacks (Vallès Occidental)
• BIDFOOD – Multi-product (Barcelonès)
• LIQUATS VEGETALS – Plant-based milks (Osona)
• EDMA FOOD – Multi-product (Maresme)
• CUDIÉ – Chocolates (Alt Penedès)
• EDUCOLDIET – Sweeteners (Tarragonès)
• CONFIGIRONA – Confectionery (La Selva)
• PONS – Olive oil (Segrià)
• CHOCOLATES TORRAS – Chocolates (Pla de l'Estany)
• VIAGGIO EXPRESSO – Coffee (Vallès Occidental)
• DELAFRUIT – Preserved fruit and fruit juices (Baix Camp)
• EL ABANICO HALAL – Halal cured meats (La Garrotxa)
• DIAT RADISSON – Speciality and dietetic products (Baix Llobregat)
• MCWORLD – Coffee, preserved vegetables, sweets (Alt Empordà)

Gulfood, the benchmark fair for the Middle East market

Gulfood is holding its 27th edition this year, making it one of the longest-running fairs in the Middle East. It is in fact the world's most important annual exhibition for food and non-alcoholic drinks companies, turning Dubai (United Arab Emirates) into a hub of international trade for five days. It is a strategic fair for food companies wanting to establish trade contacts in the Middle East, Asia and East Africa.

The previous edition of Gulfood registered more than 92,000 trade visitors from 186 countries. Attendees were mainly importers, distributors and wholesalers, followed by foodservice and hospitality professionals, retail and institutions.

The agri-food sector in the United Arab Emirates

The UAE has become one of the main re-export hubs for the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, thanks to its strategic location and advanced logistics, with highly sophisticated storage and inventory systems and very well established transport  routes. It re-exports roughly 30% of imported products to 140 markets worldwide.

The country has a growing population and emerging tourist flows, despite last year's obvious containment measures, which has stimulated demand for high-quality, organic and speciality food. It is estimated that the UAE's food and drink sector will need to quadruple its volume over the next five years to meet demand from hotel projects and retailers. The UAE has more than 16,000 food outlets (supermarkets and restaurants).

The Middle Eastern agri-food market is attractive for Catalan and European operators. In 2020, driven by population growth and rising middle-class incomes, the region's agri-food imports grew 7.3% overall, exceeding €405 million, figures that continued to rise in 2021 despite the pandemic crisis. The UAE was the 20th destination market for Catalan agri-food exports in 2020 with €124 million, and other countries also stand out, such as Saudi Arabia, the 19th destination market (with exports up 51.2% in 2020 on the previous year), which are importing ever more Catalan products.