Food & Beverage

Latest Food & Beverage sector features, company profiles, and executive interviews from across Europe and the Middle East.

Latest Food & Beverage Corporate Stories

SIAL ME Braces Itself for Record Visitor Numbers

The sixth edition of SIAL Middle East, the region’s fastest-growing professional trade exhibition for the food, beverages and hospitality industry, returns to Abu Dhabi this month and is expected to welcome a record turnout thanks to a new show format and 6,500 pre-registered visitors; an increase of 30 percent on 2014.Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority; global food innovation and future trends will headline the agenda at this year’s event, which takes place at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 7-9 December 2015.Speaking at the press conference, Ali Yousef Al Saad, Chairman of the organising committee for SIAL 2015 and Acting Director of Communications and Community Service Division at Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), said: “Innovation is at the heart of our industry, you only have to look at the wide variety of exhibitors showcasing their unique and captivating products to see the advancements this diverse and progressive industry is making. “Our new-look line-up for this year covers the full spectrum of issues linked to innovation and global food trends, including sustainable food consumption and organic trends, improving local sourcing, the rise of eat and tweet trends and fresh approaches to reducing waste from micro to macro levels.”SIAL Middle East 2015 will feature more than 900 exhibitors, buyers from 50 major airlines and 30 international pavilions underscoring the growth and popularity of the event. The show opens with the inaugural, invitation-only

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GCC Imports from the US Hit Record US$1.8 Billion

Industry professionals from the food, beverage and hospitality sectors will join leading industry exponents from across the region at SIAL Middle East 2015, on 7-9 December, with a lineup of four focused summits scheduled for the three-day event.The summits will address key issues and global trends impacting the industry, along with expert insight from regional and international leaders who will share groundbreaking and innovative approaches, technologies, ingredients and business models across the entire food supply chain.According to the Food Export Association of the Midwest, US exports of consumer food products, including cheese, table condiments, backed snack foods, butter, chocolate, french fries and ice cream, rose seven percent in 2014 and totaled more than US$1.8 billion.The UAE accounts for 40.5 percent of the region’s total US consumer food imports, making it the second largest market in the region, behind Saudi Arabia.“The perceived high quality of US imported consumer food products and the brand recognition has resulted in an extremely receptive audience in the region,” said Ali Yousef Al Saad, Chairman of the organizing committee for SIAL 2015 and Acting Director of Communications and Community service Division at Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA). “High per capita income and an increase in the number of tourists, registering high brand recognition, are further driving demand.“SIAL 2015 will discuss strategy and approaches for local food suppliers to redress this trend.”The event will open with the World Food Innovation Summit on Monday 7 December, 2015. More than 500 delegates will participate in forums dedicated to underscoring solutions and innovations to the

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Revamped SIAL Middle East Exhibition Drives Food & Drink Innovation

Global food innovation and future trends will headline the agenda for the new look SIAL Middle East 2015, the region’s fastest-growing professional trade exhibition for the food, beverage and hospitality industries, which returns to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 7-9 December, 2015.Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority - SIAL Middle East will feature a number of new initiatives addressing food trends from around the world. The three-day industry showcase will open with the inaugural, invite-only SIAL World Summit and will be attended by an expected 700 delegates and 40 high profile speakers.“The UN expects the world’s population to hit nine billion people by 2050, which, combined with the increased calorific intake of a growing, more affluent population, is predicted to dramatically hike food demand in the decades to come,” said Ali Yousef Al Saad, Chairman of the organizing committee for SIAL 2015 and Acting Director of Communications and Community service Division at Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA).“As well as the ongoing problem of food security and scarcity, this year’s new look SIAL Middle East will also focus on innovation and global food trends in meeting increased demand and catering to a diverse world where cultural influences, economic forces and nutritional education and awareness will continue to impact food production and availability.“ADFCA, with the full support of the leaders of the nation, is committed to further developing a sustainable food sector

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Delta Food Industries FZC : UAE’s Cream of the Crop

Delta Food Industries is capitalising on a strong first four years of operations inside Sharjah Airport Free Zone, UAE with its latest capital investment which will see enhancements across capacities, range and efficiencies as the Company enters the next stage of its international development.

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C&C Group : Sustainable Growth on an International Scale

C&C Group is responsible for producing some of the most renowned alcoholic beverages in Europe, and indeed the world.

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AmRest Holdings SE : People, Brand, Scale

With 854 restaurants, AmRest Holdings maintains its status as the largest independent restaurant operator in Central and Eastern Europe.

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Aspiring Halal Hubs

An interesting trend is developing in the halal sector: regional hubs are developing in places that have some local demand but not size.

Blake Gould By Blake Gould

McDonald’s Introduces Table Service in Germany

In a bid to reinvent the brand’s image as a “modern, progressive burger company”, McDonald’s is trialling table side service in Germany. Under the new Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook, the world's biggest fast-food chain has been testing a myriad new ideas, including kiosk ordering, all-day breakfast in the UK, custom burgers and even a completely new restaurant brand in a bid to revive slumping sales and better compete with both localised and global franchise chains, ranging from Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc to Burger King. “This is where McDonald's is headed,” Easterbrook said at a McDonald's in the Frankfurt Airport that serves more than one million customers a year. Diners at that restaurant can now choose to be served at their table after placing an order at the front counter, by means of a digital kiosk or with a waiter carrying a tablet computer. McDonald's has tested table service in other markets already and touted Germany as the ideal location for its introduction. Easterbrook made the announcement at the reopening of Germany’s biggest restaurant, which has more than 500 seats. Germany has been a challenging market for McDonald's, which has struggled to find the right recipe for selling to the nation's health and cost-conscious diners. McDonald's executives have identified Germany, the United States, Japan and Australia as priority markets to rollout the waiter service. Easterbrook, a Briton who took the helm on 1 March 2015, is only the second non-American to take the job. His challenge is to halt a slide in sales around the world. In meetings with financial analysts last week, the new CEO called

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Waste Not Want Not : Managing Food Waste in Business

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) suggests 4.2 million tonnes of food went to waste in the UK in 2012 alone. 

Andrew Fowkes By Andrew Fowkes

Bella Bulgaria : The Belle of Bulgaria

We speak with Elza Markova, CEO of Bella Bulgaria, in a Q&A discussing how the company has become the belle of the food industry.

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