Organic and natural food experts from the region today said that the uptake of these products is on a major rise in the region, particularly in the GCC, with the market growing at over 50 per cent annually.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Middle East Natural and Organic Products Expo 2008 (MENOPE 2008), they said that the Gulf markets are witnessing huge conversion to organic food on the back of increasing shift to healthy lifestyle. Among the organic and natural foods, fruits and vegetables lead the share followed by diary products.
“Middle East is one of the fastest growing markets for organic and natural foods and GCC states are emerging to be major consumers for these products,” said Eng. Nadim Al Fuqaha, Managing Director, Global Links, organisers of the show.
MENOPE 2008 was opened by His Excellency, Humaid Al Qutami, Minister of Health today. The expo will run at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) from November 16-18 2008. The show is supported by the UAE Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment and Water.
MENOPE has a wide variety of exhibitors from across the globe – some 175 companies are showcasing their products at the show from 35 countries.
The show comes in the backdrop of the growth in the organic and natural food products sector in the range of 20-25 per cent annually with the Middle East emerging as the fastest growing market.
MENOPE 2008 this year is a bigger show with the merger of Arab Naturals Expo & Conferences, offering a large regional platform for the organic industry and to fuel the growth of global organic movement in collaboration with all the international community.
Internationally, the exhibition is supported by the International Federation of Organic and Agricultural Movements (IFOAM), Korea Health Supplement Association (KHSA) etc.
The expo will showcase a variety of products spanning Herbals and Spices, Foods & Beverages, Cereal Products, Supplements, Health Care products, Natural Living, Natural Cosmetics, Healing Products, Natural remedies, Traditional Medicines, Spas, Relaxation facilities, Pet products, Fabrics etc.
