Middle East food marketers face new challenges

These are just some of the enormous challenges facing the Middle East food industry as it fights for space on the region's "dinner table," say the organisers of the region's first Food Marketing Forum.

With the populations of Gulf countries generally a melting pot of nationalities, there is a hugely varying range of shopping habits with the UAE, and Dubai in particular, the most western in style.

Together the GCC states enjoy some of the world's highest per capita incomes and population growths and provide a total food market conservatively estimated at more than US$35 billion - and growing daily.

Nowhere is the growth in population more marked than in Saudi Arabia with numbers expected to rise to 30 million by 2010. The young Saudi population also has an average family size of 6.5 people.

No wonder with an ever-growing number of mouths to feed, Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's largest food import market - annually importing around US$5 billion worth of goods from around the world.

"What consumers eat, where and how often they eat and shop for food depends on a wide variety of varying factors and trends - be they demographic, social, cultural and even, sometimes, political," said Chris Mullinger, director of the 1st Middle East Food Marketing Forum, organised by the Dubai-based Institute for International Research (IIR).

"From whatever perspective they are looking at the Middle East - as importers or regional manufacturers - it is vital for the retail and food service industry to keep track of the latest developments worldwide if they are to stay in the game and keep ahead of the competition.

"Innovation and investment in research and development are also essential as regional food manufacturers face increasing pressure to develop new products and food supply concepts to satisfy consumers."

The forum will hear a major keynote address on global trends in new product development from Margaret Everitt, of the Department of Consumer and Sensory Science at the world-famous Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association in the UK.

Major changes in the Saudi Arabian retailing environment with the expected arrival of big international groups, the changing demographic profile and challenges to the traditional supply chain, are to be highlighted by Kieran O'Brien, a director of IMES Consulting, which has carried out hundreds of food marketing studies in the Middle East.

The world-leading packaging company Tetra Pak will underline the importance of good packaging in marketing food and beverages and Landor, the international experts in branding, will be showing how to develop a successful food brand which stands out from the crowd.

Can you sell food and beverages on the Internet? Simon Bond, of the innovative Impact Proximity company, will demonstrate how it is being done with case studies from Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Snickers and M&Ms among others.

The forum is to be chaired by UAE-based Steve Hamilton-Clarke, managing director of NFO WorldGroup Middle East and Africa - a company with more than 55 specialised market researchers on staff in the region.

"Our aim for the 1st Middle East Food Marketing Forum is to provide a platform which can bring together the region's food industry with many of the world's leading marketing strategists," said Chris Mullinger.

"The entire event has been tailored to keep the professional ahead of what's happening in the industry, providing practical ideas as well as the exchange of information among peers."