UAE’s F&B community launch innovative new products at Gulfood

The UAE’s growing community of food producers has been turning heads at this week’s Gulfood, with a number of homegrown innovators launching and championing a variety of new-to-market products at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

As the UAE government pursues a multi-pronged food strategy to reduce the country’s reliance on imports, a range of homegrown startups and established food sector heavyweights have leveraged Gulfood to readdress the import-export imbalance.

One of the market entrants, Abu Dhabi-based Below Farm, is seeking to increase reliable and cost-effective access to exotic and flavourful mushrooms by growing locally, with the additional benefit of facilitating fresh produce supplies quicker than international competitors.

Gulfood’s new-to-market products

Bronte Weir, co-founder, Below Farm said: “We are excited to be launching Below Farm at Gulfood in the UAE. Our goal is to supply affordable, hard-to-come-by products of good quality from the region for the region. We will be supplying a sustainably-grown range of mushrooms, including king oyster, shitake, and lion mane, which are a great alternative to seafood. The response from retailers has been incredible and we are looking forward to seeing our products on the UAE supermarket shelves in the very near future.”

Elsewhere, AWS Distribution – a leading FMCG distribution company that has operated in the UAE for over 40 years – has launched a dedicated range of private-labelled brands to help meet gaps in consumer demands, especially around affordable products, that have been escalated by supply chain issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.