Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi will host SIAL Middle East, the Middle Eastern edition of one of the largest food industry exhibitions in the world, in November.
The event will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from November 22 to 24 under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, a statement issued by the authority said.
Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority director general Rashid Mohammad Al Shariqi said it was a privilege for Abu Dhabi to host the event given that the food industry in the Middle East was a $35 billion (Dh128.5 billion) market.
He said it would also give international food firms the ideal platform to reach out to around two billion consumers in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The event would be unique and include an international exhibition for dates and date products.
Regional flavour
Al Shariqi said the dates exhibition at the event would give it a distinctly regional flavour.
First launched in Paris in 1964, SIAL has grown into what is described as the largest network of professional food events that together represent more than 9,300 exhibitors from around the world and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors.
SIAL Middle East is the fifth such exhibition after shows in Paris, Shanghai, Montreal and Buenos Aires.
The Cuisine Du Sial Chef's Competition Area, held in co-operation with the Emirates Culinary Guild, is expected to be another major crowd-puller. It will include a culinary competition area for up to 600 chefs competing for titles such as Best Pastry Chef, Best Artist, Best Cuisinier and Best Arabian Cuisinier.
Turret Media's Fadi Sa'ad, project manager for SIAL Middle East and event organiser, said Abu Dhabi's reputation as a state which was implementing a legal framework of global standards in food safety had also added weight to its selection as the venue for the event.
"We expect more than 400 exhibitors from around 30 countries to participate in the event," Sa'ad said.
Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority Communication and Community Service Division director Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa said a forum on the future of the food industry in the Gulf region would be held on the event's sidelines. A contest for selecting 100 new products not yet available in the region would also be held, he said.
