Dubai, UAE – The activities of the «Gulfwood Food Industry Exhibition 2026» were launched on Monday.
Which is the most important platform in the fields of production, manufacturing and food packaging in the region.
It is the first exhibition ever to be held simultaneously across two main locations: the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai Exhibition Centre in its new and expanded form in Expo City Dubai.
The exhibition will last for five days from January 26 to 30
In its 31st session, the exhibition attracts more than 8,500 exhibitors.
It showcases over 1.5 million products, along with extensive international participation from 195 countries.
The event creates business opportunities with global food and beverage sector leaders and innovators.
All the way to field surveys with exhibitors and visitors to discuss trends, challenges and qualitative leaps in the food industry.
«Gulfood», the first and largest food supply and innovation event of 2026, offers an unprecedented multi-faceted, forward-looking offering and range of products, sectors and innovations.
At the Dubai World Trade Centre, high-growth sectors, retail poles, and startup innovations are distributed across beverages and dairy, fats and oils, meat and poultry, major brands, and two new sectors for the current year are seafood and Gulfood for startups.
At the Dubai Exhibition Centre, in Expo City Dubai, pavilions will be distributed among participating countries, main product categories and prominent food industry delegations, and will also include three new sectors: «Gulfwood Fresh», grocery trade, and «Gulfwood» for logistics services.
Highlights of the «Gulfwood 2026» events include the «Gulfwood» Global Economy Summit, at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.
It is an exclusive forum that brings together global CEOs, ministers and visionaries to redefine work in food.
This is done through strategic visions and international cooperation.
It also includes the «Future of Food 500» conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
It is a busy four-day knowledge hub, highlighting innovators, startups and visionaries driving the digital evolution of the global food industry.
A platform for promising companies
In turn, the «Gulfwood Next» platform at the Dubai World Trade Centre includes the launching pad for promising startups in the food and beverage sector, to present their innovations to an audience of investors, mentors and strategic partners.
For its part, the «Dubai International Food» platform at the Dubai World Trade Centre brings together Dubai’s top chefs, «Michelin» recognized institutions, and world-renowned food concepts in an immersive and lively experience that showcases Dubai as a leading global center for culinary arts.
«Gulfood 2026» is preparing to launch the «Gulfood grocery trading platform».
Which is specifically designed to serve the fast-moving consumer goods, brands and grocery products sector, which constitutes the main driver of the food economy in the region.
This is a step to keep pace with the rapid expansion witnessed by the retail and wholesale grocery trade sector in the Middle East region, which mimics the major transformations in the food and beverage system.
The platform’s activities will start from January 26 to 30, 2026 at the Dubai Exhibition Center in Expo City Dubai.
To highlight the growing strategic importance of the grocery trade in ensuring product availability, price stability and flexibility of supply chains across GCC countries and regional markets.
Participation of Dubai Industrial City
In addition, Dubai Industrial City announced its participation in «Gulfwood 2026» to highlight the pivotal role it has played over more than two decades in supporting and developing the food and beverage sector.
In addition to enhancing its competitive capabilities regionally and globally, through an integrated industrial system that combines advanced infrastructure, smart logistics services, and a business environment that stimulates innovation.
Dubai Industrial City includes more than 1,100 clients from major international and regional companies.
In addition to 350 factories that have entered into operation, including prominent brands in the food and beverage sector such as «Bachi» and «Al Baraka Dates».
In addition to the Indian company «Himalaya Wellness».
Which is working to establish its first factories outside India to produce pharmaceutical preparations and nutritional supplements made from herbs in Dubai Industrial City.
For its part, Emirates Aircraft Catering Company revealed expansion plans in the field of commercial food services outside the scope of the airlines’ core catering operations.
This is achieved by drawing on her expertise and qualitative capabilities, which have enabled her to establish new superior standards in this field.
In line with these plans, «Emirates Aircraft Catering» and «Bustanak» intend to participate for the first time in the «Gulfwood 2026» exhibition.
They will showcase an expanded range of food service solutions to retail, hospitality and catering partners.
«Emirates Aircraft Catering» displays a range of products designed for environments of large sizes and high complexity.
It benefits from its long experience in supplying major international exhibitions, sporting events and large-scale hospitality operations.
As for «Bostank», the largest vertical farm in the world, it offers several new product lines designed specifically for the modern, fast-paced lifestyle.
It will also highlight its philosophy of providing the best products.
