Egypt has resumed imports of breeding animals from Australia, four months after agreeing to restart trade in livestock between the two countries, the Australian government announces.
Dubai chocolate maker Delice has started selling its products in London department store Harrods’ chocolate room, and plans launches in three more markets this year.
Saudi food producer Savola Group announces second quarter profits of US$137m, up 32%, as it seeks to sell its packaging unit and its CEO reveals he is to step down.
Sharjah food producer Delta Food will invest US$11m in expanding its facilities in the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone) to drive expansion into new markets.
Sidel has partnered with Health Water Bottling (HWB) in Saudi Arabia to install two of its next generation Matrix PET lines, which will start operations in February 2015.
Saudi dairy firm Almarai ha seen its second-quarter profits rise 8.8% year-on-year to US$116m, with sales up 14.4% to reach US$826m, as the company faces higher wage and commodity costs.
Gulf Printing and Packaging (GPP), the exclusive packaging provider to McDonald’s in the Middle East, has signed a US$22m deal to take a plot at Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad).
Lebanon’s food exports grew 33% by volume in 2013, but falling prices meant growth by value was less than half that rate, according to a Blominvest Bank report.
Growing non-GCC sales lifted the profits of Dubai’s Al Islami Foods, pushing it to triple production with a new factory, the firm announced in its annual results.
The UAE’s Saif Al Khaili Group has signed up to build a food processing facility in Abu Dhabi Ports’ Kizad Food Cluster, as part of a major industrial project, Kizad has announced.
The recent conflict in Iraq has pushed the country to the brink of a food supply crisis through risks to harvests and growing refugee numbers, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned.
The US$130m Qurun Aquapolis aquaculture project in Oman announced the appointment of its lead contractor this month, with construction scheduled to be completed by 2016.
Governments across the Middle East are trying to enforce price controls on food staples ahead of Ramadan, as consumers report price rises of up to 40%.
Italian food exports to the GCC were up 21% in 2013, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia leading the growth and sales, according to figures from Italian food export organisation Cibus.
The Arab world’s Brazilian coffee imports rose 20% year-on-year by volume in the first five months of 2014, while revenue fell 7.7% over the same period.
Almarai and PepsiCo announced a joint plan to invest US$345m in projects in Egypt over the next five years, taking advantage of the growing stability in the country.
Brazilian food processor Marfrig is planning to set up its first factory in the Middle East within the next five years, with Saudi Arabia the most likely location.
Saudi Arabia's poultry production will rise 52% over the next four years, as the country's total agricultural sector is set to hit US$1.7bn in value, according to a new report.
Brazil’s food vendors are leveraging the FIFA World Cup to woo Middle Eastern buyers by setting up trade meetings to coincide with the football tournament.
Qatar has created a farmers’ association, backed by the Ministry of Economy and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI), to promote agricultural development in the country.
Saudi dairy and poultry producer Almarai has signed a deal for berth and processing facilities at King Abdullah Port (KAP), in order to import its own animal feed.
Saudi Arabia's younger consumers and working women are driving a gradual shift towards microwaveable meals, but wider change will be slow to come, according to research firm Euromonitor.
Saudi Arabia's ready meal, coffee, tea and spices market grew 118% to reach US$7bn in value between 2007 and 2012, but growth will slow in coming years, according to a new report.
Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) is to form a US$595m food packaging joint venture with Korean petrochemical firm SK Global Chemical, the firms have announced.
Experts at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have called on increased monitoring and investigation of livestock to stem the spread of MERS across the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia is threatening to impose trade sanctions on the Netherlands following anti-Islamic and anti-Saudi statements from a far-right Dutch politician.
Saudi Arabia is building two new grain silos worth US$79m along with a US$53m flour mill in its eastern Al-Ahsa province, the country's grain authority has announced.
UAE retailer Lulu Group is planning to expand eastward with a US$200m investment to open Halal-only hypermarkets in Malaysia, with other south-east Asian markets to follow.
Saudi Arabian authorities have warned seven domestic and international infant formula manufacturers and importers that they face severe penalties for illegally driving up the price of their products.
The Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) is courting Brazilian companies as it promotes its new Halal zones on a promotional tour of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
China and the UAE pushed for an increase in bilateral food and agriculture trade between the two countries during a visit to Abu Dhabi by a high-level Chinese trade delegation last week.
Egypt's Al Nouran Sugar has secured US$357m in financing for a new sugar facility which will create 3,000 new jobs and produce 588,000 tonnes of sugar a year when operational.
Non-stick coating bakeware specialist FBS Prestige has seen phenomenal demand from the Middle East as the country’s bakery sector evolves, its CEO and chairman says.
Any further escalation in the ongoing crisis in Ukraine could have a serious and adverse impact on the food supply situation in the Middle East, including countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to the World Bank.
The Saudi Arabian dairy food market is set to grow 6.7% a year to 2017, but water shortages and government pressure may force a shift to more imported dairy ingredients, according to a new report.
Private equity firm Abraaj Group has acquired a stake in Moroccan chocolate company Kool Food and plans to expand distribution in the Middle East and Africa.
The UAE’s new food safety law will see higher penalties for those found to be endangering food safety, according to the draft legislation presented this week by the country’s law makers.
Australian agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce led a delegation to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain this week to boost Australian agricultural trade with the region, following problems with live sheep imports.
The regional plastics industry must innovate and offer more value-added products in order to thrive in the food setors and others, an industry leader said this week.
Syria may be facing increasing food security threats as drought threatens this year's harvests, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.
