International shop window of foodstuffs and equipments intended for the hotel and collective catering, the GULFOOD trade show will be held from 21st till 24th February 2010, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. To face the increasing success, more than hundred of French companies will be part of the event in 2 French Pavilions: about 60 will attend the Food and the Ingredients sectors and about 40 in the Equipment division.
 
 
n French Pavilion: FOOD (Sheikh Maktoum Hall) & INGREDIENTS (Sheikh Saeed Hall) – SOPEXA
 
This year, 62 exhibitors will be animating the 820 square meters of the French Food and Ingredients Pavilion, organized by SOPEXA with the support of the French Ministry of Agriculture. The event will bring together a large selection of genuine high quality ingredients, food products and beverages from all regions of France.
 

The French Pavilion will not only showcase a profusion of products but will put them in action with cooking classes organized by L’atelier des Chefs and SEB Group, offering to the visitors an opportunity to taste and enjoy the French products in many healthy and flavorful ways. The exhibitors’ products will be used to cook both French and local recipes, demonstrating how they can be easily prepared and revealing how perfectly suited they are for international and oriental cuisine.

Furthermore, for the 3rd year in a row, the French Poultry Board will be a sponsor of the Dubai International Food Safety conference. With this gold sponsorship, the French Poultry industry proves its commitment to current food safety and production issues and its will to enhance safety of the food supply chain. This year, a French lecturer will also give a speech at this conference. Dr Gilles SALVAT, Head of the French Food Safety Agency Research Laboratory on Poultry and Fish, will share his expertise on sanitary risk management on the 23rd of February.
 
“We are very proud to present such an array of French specialties and qualitative products at this new edition of Gulfood” commented Eric SANTIER, Managing Director for Sopexa Middle East. ”France, as the World’s no. 1 exporter of processed food products and Europe’s leading producer of farm and agri-food products, is targeting the Middle East Market as an opportunity for future growth, with this year more than 60 exhibitors on the French Pavilions in the Sheik Maktoum and Sheik Saeed Halls. The French presence at Gulfood is ever growing, reflecting the abundance of high-quality and tasty products France has to offer. At a crossroads of cultural and climatic influences, France has an incredible diversity of landscapes and vegetations that are all reflected in the diversity of its food products “added SANTIER.
 

Historically French exports to the Middle East were essentially made up of poultry, dairy products and apples. Today however, the offering has become much wider, with also significant exports of sweets, delicatessen products, mineral water and other beverages.
France is the 5th food provider of the Middle East and the 2nd European one, with a total of € 779 million. Between 2004 and 2008, French exports have increased by more than 30 %.
The two main markets in the region for French products are KSA and the UAE, who together represent 50% of this turnover. They have respectively imported for €173 million and €123 million worth over the first 11 months of 2009, according to French customs’ official data.
Sources: Sopexa Group, French Customs.

© 2010 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)