FOOD INDUSTRY TOP TRENDS

A fortnight ago, I had the privilege of chairing a conference session during Gulfood in Dubai. Four eminent speakers presented their views on the top trends in the industry. After a lively discussion, I asked the audience to vote on the three most important. Three of the speakers highlighted food safety. Two mentions each were given to convenience, value for money, health, naturalness, innovation, customer service and traceability. The audience voted most strongly for food safety as the key issue, followed by value for money and health. If a similar poll had taken place in Europe or North America, I imagine that the environment and product benefit would have been additional contenders.