Gulfood 2023

Gulfood 2023, the 28th edition of the world’s largest B2B food and beverage sourcing exhibition, was held from 20 to 24 February 2023 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)Gulfood. This landmark show stood 30 percent larger than its previous edition, welcoming over 5,000 exhibitors from more than 120 countries and drawing more than 102,000 professional visitors across 191 markets. A brand-new dedicated zone called Gulfood Plus was launched for first-time exhibitors, offering a dedicated platform for emerging food suppliers to showcase innovative products, among which 1,500 exhibitors attended Gulfood for the very first timecdn.asp.ev. Unlike regional expos such as THAIFEX in Bangkok or HCMC FOODEX in southern Vietnam, Gulfood is the central trading hub for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where halal compliance is the non-negotiable foundation for all packaged food imports. Buyers attending the show covered importers, wholesale distributors, supermarket chains, HoReCa operators and private-label brand owners from the GCC countries, North Africa, East Africa and South Asia. For Tastell, a Chinese international trade enterprise specialising in premium roasted seeds and nut snacks, this exhibition was our first formal attempt to explore the high-potential MENA market, and it brought us profound, eye-opening insights that reshaped our overseas product development roadmap.

At our booth, Tastell presented our flagship roasted snack portfolio, including low-acrylamide roasted sunflower seeds, seasoned pumpkin seeds, blanched cashew kernels and broad bean snacks. We brought complete quality documentation such as ISO22000 and HACCP certificates, sensory evaluation reports and lab test results covering peroxide value, moisture content and harmful thermal by-products. Before Gulfood 2023, our main export markets focused on Southeast Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. We had built mature formulas targeting moderate saltiness and clean flavour preferences for those markets. However, during on-site sampling and face-to-face consultations, we quickly realised the core difference of the Gulf market: halal certification was not merely an optional bonus but a mandatory entry ticket. Many buyers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Egypt turned away immediately when learning that our nut products had not yet obtained formal halal accreditation. Even buyers who loved our nutty aroma and stable crispness told us frankly that without valid halal documentation, they could not distribute our goods into mainstream retail channels. This was the most direct and valuable lesson we took away from Dubai.

We also noticed unique local flavour preferences during our conversations. MENA consumers generally favour richer roasted nut notes, while they are highly sensitive to excessive salt and artificial bitter aftertaste. Many distributors suggested we develop unsalted or lightly salted plain nut lines, which fit local habits of pairing nuts with coffee and tea. In addition, the hot and arid climate across the Middle East imposes stricter requirements on packaging. Buyers repeatedly emphasised high barrier packaging materials to block moisture and oxygen, preventing lipid oxidation and rancidity during long-distance sea shipping and high-temperature warehouse storage. These practical demands were rarely highlighted in our previous exhibitions for temperate or Southeast Asian markets. Our sales team held dozens of pre-scheduled B2B matching meetings, collected over 90 qualified buyer enquiries, and discussed trial orders, mixed-container shipments and private label cooperation. Although only a small number of tentative frameworks were signed on site, every conversation helped us sort out clear market entry standards.

We took time to join industry seminars and observe competitor displays across the halls. The core themes of Gulfood 2023 circled around food supply chain resilience, halal standard harmonisation, sustainable packaging and clean-label snacks. We compared our products against nut suppliers from Turkey, Iran and the United States. Those established regional suppliers already held complete halal certificates and had adjusted their specifications for the MENA market for years. We recognised that our advantages lay in stable roasting technology, controlled acrylamide formation and consistent batch flavour supported by flavour chemistry research, yet we lagged behind in halal certification and climate-adaptive packaging design. It was clear that price competition alone would never win trust in this market; compliance, traceability and long-term quality stability mattered far more.

Of course, we also encountered realistic challenges. Payment terms, long logistics cycles, complicated local customs notification procedures and scattered halal auditing bodies across different MENA countries all raised operational costs for new entrants. Some buyers also had strict minimum order quantity requirements, which created pressure for us as a new supplier without local inventory. Instead of rushing into large orders, our team decided to take a prudent approach: we prioritised halal certification application, adjusted our formula library for no-salt and low-salt roasted seeds, and redesigned high-barrier packaging suitable for tropical and desert storage conditions.
Looking back, Gulfood 2023 was not a show where Tastell secured massive orders overnight. It was a reality check and a strategic turning point. It taught us that every regional market has its own irreplaceable core rules. While the CEE market prioritises EU food safety standards and Southeast Asia pursues flexible flavour localisation, the MENA market revolves around halal compliance. After returning from Dubai, we added halal certification to our top priority list and built a separate product specification package exclusively for Middle Eastern clients. We will continue to treat Gulfood as our key annual platform for the MENA region. With upgraded certification, optimised formulations and climate-friendly packaging, Tastell aims to bring safe, delicious Chinese roasted nut snacks to more Muslim consumers across the Middle East and North Africa in future editions.