Dubai: The third edition of the Future Food Forum 2022, organised and hosted by the UAE Food & Beverage Manufacturers Business Group, in partnership with Dubai Chamber and Food Tech Valley, kicked off Wednesday, covering topics including sustainability, food security, retail supply chain management, digital technologies and the future of farming among other topics.
The two-day event from October 5-6, held at the Grand Hyatt Dubai, the Future Food Forum hosts a 600+ C-level delegation including ministers, senior government officials, business leaders, academics and representatives from global brands and local start-ups as well as international experts from Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, the UK, US, France, Switzerland, and Denmark, to discuss future opportunities and challenges facing the sector.
In his opening address, Abdulla Al Saleh, Under-Secretary, Ministry of Economy, stressed the need for the UAE to improve local food production and technology adoption in the sector.
Re-export market
He said that the UAE is the world's second-largest re-export market for agriculture and processed food in the world after the US and plays a vital role in maintaining food and agricultural supply in the region.
He added, "To achieve food security goal, the UAE has adopted the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) model. Under the programme, the UAE has so far concluded three CEPAs with India, Indonesia and Israel and is in talks with several other strategic partners.''
Saleh Lootah, Chairman of the UAE F&B Manufacturers Group, said, "We are honoured to host the third edition of the Future Food Forum, which puts the spotlight on the fast-evolving F&B manufacturing industry. We have learned a great deal from the challenges of the pandemic and climate change that have disrupted the food chain in recent years. Today we know that the key to the progress of the F&B sector lies in the collaboration between the F&B sector, regulators and academia. With the Future Food Forum, we aim to provide deep insights into the value of innovation, sustainability and digitalisation, knowledge sharing and a platform for collaboration to transform the F&B sector and pave the way for a sustainable future."
The Future Food Forum 2022 is once again bringing stakeholders together for in-depth and interesting discussions to promote a circular economy and pave a way for the transformation of food manufacturing.
Key leaders at Future Food Forum 2022 will shed light on the challenges and opportunities available and why government organisations and local and international manufacturers need to play their role in the F&B sector to contribute to the region's sustainable economic growth and food security.
The two-day event features several panel discussions to assess F&B business and the government's engagement with manufacturers. Topics to be focused on include sustainable food manufacturing, innovative strategies to promote food security, digitalisation in F&B manufacturing, circular economy, innovation and regulatory challenges and opportunities.
The Forum is supported by leading F&B manufacturers and technology companies, including Agthia, IFFCo, Nestle and GE.
