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Gulfood Awards to champion food and beverage innovation

Bill Bruce15 Oct 2009

The search is on for the best food and drink brands, services and suppliers, after Gulfood and FoodBev Media announced the launch of the inaugural 2010 Gulfood Awards.

The 2010 Gulfood Awards will celebrate the people and companies behind the region’s exceptional food and drink industry, with 21 categories designed to reward and champion innovation and excellence.

Gulfood is the region’s largest and most important industry event of the year and a strategic platform for buyers and sellers to conduct direct business face to face. The exhibition is a showcase for manufacturers, distributors and suppliers from around the world, representing all of the key sectors within the food and hospitality trade.

“The meteoric growth in the foodservice market is evident at Gulfood, now one of the world’s leading trade fairs and the biggest food and hospitality event in the MENA region,” said Mark Napier, director, exhibitions & events at Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of the exhibition. “With more than 3,500 companies participating at the 2010 event, and over 45,000 visitors expected, we felt it was high time the people, brands and companies driving innovation and quality were recognised for the contribution they have made to the region’s international reputation for excellent food and beverages.”

Entries are open to products and initiatives launched since 1 March 2009 and will be judged by an international panel of independent industry experts who will announce the winners at a special awards ceremony and reception during the Gulfood exhibition to be held from 2124 February 2010.

The 21 categories include:

  • Best new non-​alcoholic beverage
  • Best new functional food or drink
  • Best newcomer brand or business
  • Best new Halal food
  • Best new health food or beverage ingredient
  • Best health education initiative
  • Best packaging innovation – food
  • Best packaging innovation – beverages
  • The Gulfood Barista Award – in association with Restaurant & Café Middle East
  • Best foodservice product innovation
  • Best foodservice technical innovation
  • Best environmental initiative.

“Gulfood is the premier event for food and drink innovation in the region and these awards recognise and celebrate the best new ideas on a world stage,” said FoodBev Media chairman, Richard Hall. “The winners will have played an important role in helping build a market valued at $10bn in 2009 in GCC food imports alone.

“As Gulfood provides a unique global platform for those in the foodservice and hospitality industries to meet decision makers and influencers from across the entire Middle East, Africa and Indian Sub Continent, we felt this event is the only one that can provide the scale and appropriate international profile and are delighted to partner with DWTC to organise these important awards.”

For full entry details and criteria for each category, visit the Gulfood website. Interested trade visitors are advised to pre-​register, where they can qualify for free entry.

Industry business professionals on the day of the show will be able to buy either a Day Pass for AED 60, or a Four Day Pass for AED 120. Gulfood is open from 11am-​7pm 21 February 2010 to 24 February 2010, and from 11am-​5pm on 25 February 2010.

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