DUBAI: Gulfood 2024, the largest annual global food and beverage sourcing event in the world, opened its doors for a second day at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), with continuing huge footfall following a successful opening day.

Gulfood is bringing together food and beverage communities from over 190 countries in Dubai for the 29th year.

Across 24 halls, over 5,500 exhibitors including 125 country pavilions continued to make real business connections and conclude commercial deals and partnerships totalling billions of dollars.

Bryony Hilless, Australian Consul-General Dubai, and General Manager Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, commented, “Australia exports almost US$3.2 billion to the UAE and close to US$1.3 billion of that is actually comprised of food and agricultural exports. So it's a really significant component of the two-way trade that we had between Australia and the UAE. Australia has been at Gulfood since the beginning, and have seen it grow from being a regional trade show into this global phenomenon. It is absolutely a global event when it comes to the food and beverage industry and it is where you have to be if you've got an amazing product."

Greg Tyler, President and CEO of USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, added, “Last year during the show we recorded US$2.6 million in sales on the spot, with an additional US$7.5 million after the show, and made 160 new contacts. 2024 is going to be a much bigger show - I expect that we're going to have some very good foot traffic for the remainder of the show."

"Gulfood serves as a pivotal showcase, offering us a pioneering platform to engage with industry peers, unveil cutting-edge innovations and seize new business opportunities. Aligned with our core values, the exhibition's global prominence fortifies our standing within the F&B industry, facilitating strategic partnerships and extending our footprint across varied markets” said Rizwan Ahmed, Executive Director at IFFCO Group.

Abdul Karim Al-Hamdawi, General Manager of the promotional program for Tunisian canned olive oil, confirmed that participation in Gulfood is among their priorities due to its significant importance in the global food and beverage sector. He stated, “Tunisia's participation in Gulfood 2024 aims to support exports of Tunisian canned olive oil to the Arab Gulf markets, which are considered promising markets. Gulfood 2024 will enhance the presence of Tunisian olive oil in global markets in general, and enable Tunisian olive oil companies to develop commercial relationships and enhance international cooperation in this field to gain access to new markets”.

For almost three decades, Gulfood has been at the cutting edge of the industry, a platform showcasing the latest innovations in the food industry. Gulfood is creating a platform for companies in the food industry to present their products, services, and solutions to influential buyers from across the globe, facilitating intercontinental business deals and serving as the ultimate focal point for the world of food and beverage sourcing.