Top regional leaders from the food and beverage manufacturing business attended the recently concluded inaugural edition of Future Food Conference at the Address Hotel Dubai.

The conference’s main theme was centred on “Transforming Our World of Food and Beverage Manufacturing”.

The forum featured Mariam Al Mheiri - Minister of State for Food Security, UAE; Majid Saif Al Ghurair, chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Abdulla Al Maeeni - director general, Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), UAE; Saleh Lootah - chairman, UAE Food and Beverage Manufacturers Group; Abdulla Aujan - executive chairman, Aujan Group Holding, Saudi Arabia; Mella Frewen - director-general, Food and Drink Europe, Belgium; Tariq Ahmed Al Wahedi - CEO, Agthia Group, UAE ; Thamer Temairik - CEO, Halwani Bros, Saudi Arabia; Nadim Nakfoor - SVP, Pepsico Middle East, UAE ; Tarek Sakka - CEO, Dubai Refreshments, UAE and Ahmed Belyouha - chairman, Emirates Macaroni Factory.

The conference kicked off Mariam Bint Al Mheiri chairing an Elite CEO round table. Leading F&B brands and manufacturing CEOs shared their success, views, challenges and requests to H.E on the importance of a national food security strategy whilst Al Mheiri expounded the importance of food security which she said is ensuring accessibility of safe, nutritious and sufficient food for all at all times.

She also introduced the FOODTECH Global Challenge that comes with a $1 million prize thereby inviting innovative ideas across the food supply chain on technologies, methods, used to solve food system problems here in the UAE.

“The first Future Food Forum established an important platform for constructive dialogue and cooperation on food security matters, while it also laid the groundwork for new partnerships and innovative solutions that address global challenges and create new business opportunities,” said Al Ghurair, adding that the forum succeeded in achieving its objectives which support Dubai’s shift towards sustainable growth.

The two-day forum was an engaging platform for industry experts to address the challenges faced by food and beverage manufacturers, producers, brand and label owners, retailers, logistics and technology service providers, government organizations and other law enforcement agencies involved in the business of food manufacturing

Among the hot topics discussed at the forum were, The role of the Food Industry in securing a robust National Food Security Strategy, Merits and pitfalls of promotion-focused Food Retailing, e-commerce trends that are redefining traditional food business – how the industry should re-position,  understanding the possible emerging best practices and adapting to challenges within.

 “We would like to support F&B manufacturers in reducing both their energy costs and environmental footprint through solar power generation,” said Rory McCarthy, chief commercial officer of Yellow Door Energy. “We’re honoured to be a part of this esteemed forum that brings together industry magnets. Together we can harness the sun’s energy to achieve economic and sustainability objectives.”

Saud Abu Al Shawareb, managing director of Dubai Industrial City said: “In line with the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030, our mission is to contribute to the advancement of the industrial sector in the UAE and the sub-sectors identified as a priority, which include the development of an advanced and sustainable food and beverage industry.”

“Dubai Industrial City is pleased to support the Future Food Forum, which gathers key decision-makers, investors, F&B manufacturers and entrepreneurs to discuss core issues and exchange insights on the future of the industry in light of the technological advancements the world is witnessing today.

 “We are here not only to showcase our solutions and infrastructure but also to represent our business partners by discussing ways to improve manufacturing and trade efficiency and to enhance the ease of doing business,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service