Fatima Muhammad

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Over 400 food and catering companies will present their products here at the food, hotels and catering exhibition that will kick off at the Jeddah Exhibition and Forum center between May 19-22. The event is expected to draw the attention of mostly those involved in food and catering sectors in GCC countries and also from around the world.



The event, said Waleed Saeed the deputy chairman of Al-Harthi Company for Exhibitions, is now recognized as a gathering that all those involved in the catering sector wait for. He added that it is the biggest exhibitions in the region that specializes in catering, food and hotels.



The main exhibiting countries include Turkey, Algeria, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Sir Lanka, USA, Germany and Saudi Arabia.



The Kingdom is dominating 63 percent of the general food market in GCC region with a total value of $14.9 billions by 2019. The fast food industry is expected to grow in Saudi to reach $4.5 billions by 2014, and food packing is estimated at 21.7 billions by 2014 with a growth rate of 5 percent. The total value of the food market adds up to $20b annually with imports from 200 different countries.