KAOUN International and DMG events, organisers of THE SAUDI FOOD SHOW announced today that the 2023 launch edition has sold out this week during GULFOOD, four months before its launch opening in Riyadh Exhibition Centre from 20-22 June 2023.

The SAUDI FOOD SHOW is the first to be launched under the joint venture between KAOUN International, the global events organising company of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and organiser of the world’s largest and most influential food trade event GULFOOD, and dmg events, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT).

Over the past 28 years, GULFOOD has cultivated the credibility, loyalty, recognition, and support of the global food and beverage sector, through an unwavering commitment to delivering real global business outcomes and valuable trade deals for participants. For the global food trade, the biggest orders of the year are transacted at GULFOOD annually.  The GULFOOD portfolio caters to the entire value chain and is the single most trusted event brand amongst the world’s F&B community.

Organizers roll out immediate expansion plan for the largest food event in KSA.

With huge demand seen for this first collaborative edition, KAOUN International and dmg events are announcing the immediate expansion of the inaugural format, with additional hall structures to accommodate F&B showcases from many more countries. This provides the KSA industry an uncompromised diversity of suppliers and products.

THE SAUDI FOOD SHOW 2024 has now become the largest and most significant sourcing event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Trixie LohMirmand, CEO KAOUN International, commented:

“With such huge growth opportunities, now is the time to be a part of Saudi Arabia’s food and beverage market, and we are incredibly proud to be developing into new markets and providing further access for our loyal global F&B community. The early sell-out success of the inaugural Saudi Food Show is a manifestation of this trust, unlocking significant business opportunities in international markets for those participants who have followed the Gulfood brand. We are excited by the unreserved support in, and success of, our new event and as demanded by our clients internationally, we are excited to be launching new products into the expanding Saudi market soon”.

“Our customers have come to rely on us as committed and dependable, which puts tangible commercial outcomes front and centre for them,” continued LohMirmand.

Matt Denton, President of dmg events, commented:

“Having operated in the Kingdom for over a decade, dmg has established the leading portfolio of trade exhibitions by matching quality audiences with local, regional & international vendors to create real trade opportunities. Our joint venture with KAOUN International and the first sell-out edition of The Saudi Food Show builds on this legacy and is hugely exciting. By combining our efforts and focusing on these key principles of quality and trade we are offering unrivalled access to this burgeoning market and the uptake has been fantastic. These are just the first steps for our partnership and we expect many more exciting announcements and developments to come.”

The joint venture agreement will see the partners develop an international portfolio of events in the food and hospitality sectors. THE SAUDI FOOD SHOW is set to be the first of many. These new events offer novel solutions to connect the global food and beverage industry, providing platforms to unveil new products, services and technologies, address key challenges and create new business opportunities.

“We have had the pleasure of calling Saudi Arabia home for more than 65 years now, and in the past decade we’ve witnessed Saudi undergo a massive transformation that has solidified its position in the world’s economy. Today, Saudi Arabia represents the largest market in the GCC in many sectors, among them is the Food and Beverage sector” commented Aamer Sheikh, CEO Middle East, Pepsico.

“The launch of The Saudi Food Show has been extremely well received by our UK food and beverage client base. The interest shown from small exporters to larger conglomerates reflects the excitement building around this new event. There is a real focus on the emerging Saudi market, and The Saudi Food Show will help connect our exporters with important contacts in this lucrative market” said organiser representative Ross Marsh of Tradefairs UK.

The Saudi food market continues to grow at an exponential rate, providing huge opportunities for businesses across the sector to flourish. As the largest in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s food and beverage market is expected to grow at a rate of 4.78% by 2027, and it has set a target of localising 85% of its food processing by 2030.

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Ghassan Aboud Group commenced a joint venture with the globally reputed organization Halal Quality Control Group Headquarters (HQC). This occasion marks the introduction of seamless Halal certification solutions for UAE and the wider region. The occasion took place at the world’s largest annual global food and beverage sourcing event, Gulfood in Dubai.

The signing was graced by Mr. Ghassan Aboud, Founder and Chairman, Ghassan Aboud Group and Dr. A.M Al Chaman, Founder of HQC, and European Representative of World Halal Food Council.

The joint venture will provide accreditation solutions that maintain high standards and regulations in line with international Halal Certification Bodies, facilitating the growth of the Halal economy in the UAE and boosting trade to the region through an online application process on its dedicated online platform.

With the Halal economy estimated to be worth $3.2 trillion by 2024 – according to the second edition of the Halal Guidebook released last year – the UAE has established itself as a key player in producing and exporting goods and products across a number of industries as demand surges.

Dr. A.M Al Chaman, Founder of HQC and European Representative of the World Halal Food Council, said: “The partnership is a turning point to promote Halal certification services from the UAE to meet the consumers’ growing demand for Halal products globally. We understand there was a gap in Halal certifications, and we are working with DMCC to provide unified and trusted certification to exporters in the Gulf region to enhance commodity trade flows through Dubai.

Commenting on the occasion, Ghassan Aboud, Founder and Chairman of Ghassan Aboud Group, said: “The partnership between the Group and HQC, which has been established within the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) ecosystem is a significant milestone in our efforts to contribute to the UAE’s position as a leader in the Halal industry. The joint venture has been set up to assist its customers on their journey to becoming Halal-certified and will help realize new avenues for trading through halal certifications and training.”

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HQC has signed  collaboration agreement with HalalFocus as an Advertising and Market Insight Partner. HQC will be trying to bring our input so that both businesses and consumers can stay aware of the latest developments happening in the Halal industry.

HalalFocus went online in 2007. Its Managing Editor is Salama Evans, a Halal specialist and advisor who has had a dedicated field of focus on the Global Halal market after recognising and anticipating the potential rapid rise in interest and demand for Halal products and services.

The goal is to keep people up to date with its growth globally to help move it forward to become mainstream, while it is still struggling to achieve its full potential. HalalFocus is a shared online filing cabinet of news, opinion, research papers, statistics, reports…anything we find useful…and now also including ethical issues that are relevant to the changing world today. SDGs must be recognised and worked towards urgently, especially in the African countries and their work in agriculture.

It was created as a useful contribution to following the growing Halal market movements around the world. There are now well over 7,000 articles in 70 categories, and it is updated regularly.

are of the firm opinion that the Halal sector has become one of the most influential market forces in global trade, representing a paradigm shift that defines a new market based on religious belief and practice. Islam represents 25% of the world’s population now. In addition to this, with a 1.9 billion Muslim population base, Halal goods and services are proving to have an extensive potential cross-over market appeal.

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The International H20 Forum, organized in cooperation with the Religious Affairs Ministry’s Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Produk Halal (BPJPH) under the G20 Presidency of the Republic of Indonesia, was a major successful event, having a strong theme: “Global Halal Partnership for a Sustainable Future“. The importance of this event is to strengthen, develop, and promote global cooperation in a strong but competitive market. Five  representatives from Halal Quality Control Group  were present, of whom Mr. Wasim al Shaman, the Managing Director of Headquarters, was invited as a speaker during the H20 Forum.

Alongside were branch managers from Germany and Belgium to attend this forum. Our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Abdul Munim al Chaman, attended as well. We have successfully registered 9 offices with the BPJPH, as a Country-By-Country approval clause in force for the scheme of implementation. And it is our duty to always be prepared for the future and have solutions in place.

Around 103 foreign Halal Certification Bodies (also known as HCAs) and 30 local Certification Bodies (known as LPHs) were present, alongside ambassadors and embassy officials and ministers. As well as strategic Halal Authorities and Halal Accreditation regulators Zalman Ali from the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura and the T.C. Helal Akreditasyon Kurumu of the Republic of Turkiyë. The Head of the BPJPH, Dr. Aqil Irham, has reported the achievements of the BPJPH made within its 5-year existence which was a major accomplishment. Currently, all Halal Certification Bodies that were previously approved and recognized by the LPPOM MUI are still permitted to issue Halal certificates to the industry exporting its products to Indonesia. Our gratitude goes to all organizers and people that have helped built this forum to a successful event. We sincerely thank all Foreign Halal Certification Bodies for being there and to have met so many new people which was a delight to the soul. For any inquiries for exports to Indonesia, please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance and services.