Saudi Gazette Many local and international food production experts from 200 domestic and international companies showcased the latest food products while looking out for new partnerships in the Saudi market at the third edition of the food and beverage international exhibition "Saudi Foodex 2015", which kicked off Thursday. The exhibition, organized by Reed Sunaidi at Jeddah Center for Forums and Events, witnessed participation of 32 countries and a variety of national and international food products. A large space was occupied at the show by competitive organic food companies and diet food firms. Nader Gori, general manager of Arab Foundation for Foodstuffs, said, "Saudi food market is moving towards diversification of production. Expansion of the food industry deserves support at all levels. All participating companies are welcome to enter into a variety of partnerships. "The companies can offer their products and target businessmen in their relevant industries and are sure to get good response as the Saudi market is made up of high-density population and is dominated by young people. The Saudi market, which has high purchasing capabilities as well as consumption rates increasing 14% annually, is a new territory for quality products." He pointed out that Saudi Arabia, whose population is rapidly growing and consequently there's an increase in consumption of food and beverages, is an ideal market. Currently it imports more than 85% of its total food and beverage requirements, thus it creates interest in the establishment of a major industrial base to provide the needs of 31 million citizens and residents currently. Roney Haddad, director of the exhibition, expressed his happiness at the enormous participation of domestic and international companies in the exhibition. He said "The exhibition represents a good platform to learn about the latest developments in the food industry of the world, and it is expected to produce good strategic partnerships in the field of food industry with the great support of national industry." He pointed out that the "exhibition has become a platform of professional display for international and local food companies in order to communicate and make deals among themselves. "It also helps chefs to highlight their talents and skills," he said, adding, "The Saudi market is characterized by opportunities and is a promising market in the food industry, which is estimated about SR180 billion annually." Ms. Haya Sunaidi, chairman of Reed Sunaidi Exhibitions, expressed the hope that the exhibition would prove to be a platform for the definition of the modern trends in the industry and showcase food from across the world. She said the national industry enjoys a high quality and succeeded in penetrating more than 90 international markets. She stressed the need to work on quality such that the right price is kept at the same time. She emphasized the need to take advantage of the momentum that is currently seen in the state to diversify the productive base, especially in the trade and industrial areas. Santiago Otamendi, a snack merchant from Spain, said, "I have visited many exhibitions and this is our first time in Saudi Arabia. It is interesting, though we did not yet get a good response, but I hope our products will surely attracts locals." Franc, a baker from Australia and an exhibitor, said, "We usually sell our 50 different products through distributors, and we are here today to introduce our special breads in Saudi market as our first step into Arab markets." "We are trying to understand the Saudi market and we hope our products will attract locals, and I hope it will turn out to be a good market for us," he added.
