Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA); SIAL Middle East 2019, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre, concluded its second day and welcomed a large number of visitors to its 10^th anniversary edition to be held until December 11.

SIAL Middle East is known as one of the region’s best platforms for the food, beverage and hospitality industry. Organised by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) in cooperation with French “Comexposium” Group, one of the largest international exhibition and conference organisers, and in strategic partnership with ADAFSA, this year’s event is the biggest edition since its launch in 2010.

The second day of the exhibition saw a plethora of culinary activities and competitions. The three winners of SIAL Innovation were announced which showed 50 of the most innovative food and beverage products from exhibitors. Winners included SC Honest Fields Europe SRL for their ‘Smoked Seaweed and Sea Salt Organic Puffs’ from Romania for the Gold Award which were organic puffed snacks without any gluten, lactose or palm oil. The Silver Award went to Green Good Eco-Tech FZCO for their ‘Sandwich Pack’ from the UAE, that consisted of an eco-friendly and 100% recyclable sandwich container made of wood-pulp and cellulose window. The Bronze Award went to Manuka Doctor Limited for their ‘Wild Flora Honey with Cacao’ from New Zealand consisting of a flower honey infused with cocoa with no refined sugar, colours, preservatives, nuts, dairy or palm oil.

There were also exciting and interactive features on offer such as the Food Forever Experience, Food Art at the cooking demonstration area, the UAE National Coffee Championships and for the first year, the Gahwa Coffee Championships, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT – Abu Dhabi). All attracted large audiences and gave an insight into all types of different offerings in the food and beverage industry.

Food enthusiasts were also treated to key events such as the La Cuisine Culinary Competition which saw over 1,000 chefs competing in 19 different competitions with 4 overall winners. Roaming Chefs was also a much anticipated event which saw senior chefs from La Cuisine participate in multiple guided tours around the show to meet with exhibitors.

The 5th Edition of the Abu Dhabi Date Palm Exhibition also attracted a large number of buyers and visitors. Commenting on the importance of this year’s edition and the success it achieved, H.E. Dr. Abdul Wahab Zayed, Secretary-General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, said: “The Abu Dhabi Date Palm Exhibition continues its successful path and pivotal role in highlighting the importance of dates and enhancing food security, as well as enhancing the position of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as the capital of dates, and a platform for the development of this sector, by providing support and facilities for the largest growers, producers and importers of dates. The exhibition offers ideal opportunities to communicate and meet suppliers of dates from all over the world, in the UAE. ”

H.E. added: “The Abu Dhabi Date Palm Exhibition is the most prominent event of its kind in the world, where companies cooperate in the field of date palm, and it represents the largest distinguished international platform that offers exhibitors the opportunity to showcase their products and enhance their presence in the global market. This year’s exhibition featured more than 87 exhibitors specialising in date palm fruit products from 12 countries and 3,000 trade buyers from the Middle East region. This confirms the success of this important commercial platform in establishing the position of Abu Dhabi as a key player in the date sector at a regional and international level, especially after its success in attracting huge numbers of big buyers interested in importing dates. "

Exclusive investment partner for SIAL ME, the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) made an impactful participation at SIAL ME with its contribution to sustainable agricultural development that improves the lives of thousands of people through income generating projects, scientific research services, technology transfers, revolving loan programmes and developmental activities.

H.E. Mohamed bin Obaid Al Mazrooei, President and Chairman of AAAID, said: “Food security in the Arab world is facing major challenges due to a food gap estimated at USD 32.8 billion. In this context, the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development strives to reinforce food security through its partners and over 50 affiliate companies working to provide sustainable agricultural and food products. In this regard, AAAID has found in SIAL Middle East a specialised platform to showcase the latest products in the field of food production and processing. Whereby AAAID is pleased to participate at this year’s edition of SIAL ME, and was excited to organise a Roundtable Meeting on December 9, 2019. The meeting aimed at highlighting the opportunities available in Arab countries in the fields of aquaculture, industrialisation and the promotion of intra-Arab trade. This is through the participation and attendance of a number of dignitaries and decision makers and a group of businesspersons and entrepreneurs in addition to a number of investors from the GCC and various Arab and foreign countries. “

Al Mazrooei added: “AAAID also organised its Affiliate Companies Meeting, on 10 December 2019, the second day of SIAL Middle East. A number of subjects were discussed during the meeting, including the transfer of successful experiences in increasing the profits of companies and their ability to solve problems and overcome obstacles, strengthen trade exchange between companies in which the Arab Authority contributes, and fortify relations and exchange of expertise and information.”

Additionally, AAAID, represented by H.E Mohammed Bin Obaid AL Mazrooei President of AAAID, and Al Rajhi International for Investment, represented by Mr. Muteb Al Zomea, Advisor to the CEO, signed a statement announcing the establishment of Trans-Agri Company during the meeting.

Saeed Al Mansoori, Executive Director of IDEX, a subsidiary of ADNEC, said: “The event has seen significant growth in participation from leading local, regional and international organisations working in the food industry this year. The exhibition is one of the world’s leading food, beverage and hospitality events that aims at promoting the future of business tourism in Abu Dhabi, and we are proud to have country pavilions from Brazil, China, India, Korea, Kuwait, Morocco, Russia, Philippines, Canada, Greece, Poland, Thailand and Italy, as well as other pavilions at the Abu Dhabi Date Palm Exhibition such as Sudan, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine.”

The third and final day of the exhibition will see the continuation of both the Gahwa Championships and the UAE Coffee Championships along with the opportunity to interact with top chefs and food professionals with Roaming Chefs. The Hosted Buyers programme will also continue with dedicated private space for Hosted Buyers to meet with a selected batch of exhibitors, which enhances the level of external contracting condition through 'Speed Networking Sessions'.