Gulfood 2021, the first live event in the food and beverage sector in nearly a year, unveiled a wealth of valuable business opportunities when it kicked off last week. About 2,500 of the most prominent brands in the food sector attended the fair, to highlight new innovations in the market and seize the rapid changes in consumer behavior patterns.
Gulfood led the sector’s efforts to explore the features of the future of food and beverages, along 20 showrooms, as thousands of international buyers went on the lookout for new product solutions.
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ITALY, A PROTAGONIST AT GULFOOD 2021
Italy was at the forefront of those interested in participating in Gulfood. With the growing interest of the concerned authorities in the country of origin of the products, Italian companies highlighted the quality of their local products at Dubai World Trade Center.
As Italy retains its position as one of the top food exporters to the UAE, Italian food products like pasta, confectionery, chocolate, cheese, and olive oil on display, continued to draw interest from visitors to Italian Trade Agency’s (ITA) ITAlian Food Lab in Gulfood.
Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the United Arab Emirates, said: “As the most competitive global sourcing event for the Ho. Re. Ca. sector with a strong appeal for food lovers, Gulfood is a key event for Italy’s agri-food sector to showcase the diversity of Italian food. In fact the UAE are the second-largest importer of Italian products among GCC countries. In the first 11 months of 2020, despite the general decrease of Italian agri-food exports to the UAE (217 million euros), pasta sales grew by +30%, flour and pastry products by +17%, and cereals by +13%.”
ITALIAN EVENTS AT THE TRADE SHOW
Italy was also the most represented country at Gulfood 2021 among those of the European Union with 120 exhibiting companies. Italian Trade Agency (ITA) organized also this year the ITAlian Food Lab, an area where cooking shows, master classes, tastings, demonstrations and chef competitions took place.
According to Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE and Director of ITA’s Dubai Office: “At the ITAlian Food Lab visitors got a chance to taste new Italian flavours and combinations. Live cooking stations at our stand gave local Chefs specialized in Italian cuisine, an opportunity to display their talent and thus, increase their restaurant visibility.”
Moreover, on February 23rd the final of the Pasta Challenge was held at the ITAlian Food Lab, an initiative organized in partnership with The Emirates Chef Guild with the aim of promoting Italian cuisine, Italian products and the Tuttofood Milano fair.