Frozen food products will be in high profile at the 24th running of Gulfood, slated for February 17-21 at the Dubai World Trade Center. This year’s edition is likely to top the 2018 event, which pulled in more than 97,000 delegates who traveled to the United Arab Emirates from around the world to check out products and services showcased by over 5,000 exhibitors.
The five-day F&B extravaganza will again feature an impressive roster of industry leaders giving talks on everything from public health to the latest food manufacturing technology. And, as always, a high point in the schedule will be product innovation competitions, where there is no shortage of frozen food contenders.
Among frozen product finalists in the Innovative Frozen or Chilled awards category is Zandbergen World’s Finest Meats’ plant-based Beyond Burgers entry. It “looks, cooks and is satisfying like beef,” says the Dutch company, which has won a number of new product contests at international venues in recent years.
Also in the running in the Innovative Frozen or Chilled prize competition is Canard S.A.’s Duck Confit Bar. The 500-gram offering features boneless frozen duck thigh confit with skin, to serve up a bit of crunch with the flavorful munch.
Hari & Co. of France is contending for top honors in the Most Innovative Organic Product category with its Organic Frozen Chickpea Burger (Galettes Pois Chiches). Promoted as a “healthy gourmet alternative to meat,” the faux chicken product is made of 100% organic plant-based ingredients and distributed in 360-gram retail packs.
AgroSprint Zrt of Hungary hopes to sprint into first place in the most Innovative Health & Wellness Product competition with its Spring Smoothie Mixes, which include preservative-free vegetable as well as fruit ingredients.
There are two frozen products in the highly competitive Most Innovative Halal Food competition. Global Food Industries LLC of Sharjah, UAE, a past winner at Gulfood, has returned as a finalist, this time with its Plant Protein, Pea, Kale & Quinoa Burger. Also in the running is Jhura Beef (pulled beef) from Bengal Meat of Bangladesh. It features slowly cured and cooked beef brisket accented with a blend of spices.
For more information about the competition, along with registration instructions and details about many other special events on the menu at Gulfood 2019, visit www.gulfood.com.
