More than 400  brands from 30 countries are taking part is the second edition of a leading food and beverage exhibition in Saudi Arabia.

Foodex Saudi, which was inaugurated yesterday (November 17), will run till November 20 at the Jeddah Centre for Forums.

Leading brands on show at the event include Fakieh Poultry, Al Tazaj, Afia Oil, Cafe Mauro, The Frozen Yogurt Factory, Evian, Valrhona, Choco Melt, Butler, Magic, Abu Bint and Tabasco.

Simon Blabby, head of exhibition at Reed Sunaidi Exhibitions, the organisers of the event, said: “We’d like to thank Prince Khalid bin Saud bin Khalid bin Turki Al Saud and the Ministry of Agriculture for their continued patronage and support of Foodex Saudi—we believe that there is no better time than now for these initiatives.

“The Saudi food sector is expected to grow by 55.3 per cent over the next few years, reaching $70 billion per annum. Being the largest consumer in the Gulf, the kingdom’s food and agricultural commodities account for 15 per cent, or $17.5 billion, of its imports, with agricultural imports projected to grow by as much as 76 per cent by 2016.

“The exhibition provides a platform for local and international businesses to come together and further develop Saudi Arabia’s F&B industry.”

Visitors in attendance aim to network, establish new connections and discover new-to-region brands from international destinations including Austria, Greece, India, Thailand, Mexico and Malaysia.

Catering to every sector in the F&B industry, Foodex Saudi is offering a wide range of exhibitor profiles and products, including confectionary and baked goods, organic and health foods, seafood, poultry, game and meat, frozen foods and ready to eat, and food technology and packaging.

The opening day also marked the kick-off of the three-day Saudi Food Forum, with the keynote address focusing on the responsible development of the kingdom’s $70 billion F&B industry.

The topics to be covered during the three days in session include food security and safety, import and export, supply chain and logistics, Halal food standards, and food marketing.

The Saudi Chef Competition is a new addition to the agenda this year, which encourages chefs to compete on a spectrum of culinary talents, with the winners being determined by an international panel of industry professionals.  - TradeArabia News Service