Gulfood 2026 Expands to Dual Venues, Positioning Dubai as Global Food Trade Headquarters

The global food and beverage industry faces transformative changes driven by health, technology, sustainability, transparent sourcing, and AI-enabled performance. With the global F&B market projected to reach $11.37 trillion by 2030 and the MENA region recording the world's fastest growth rate, businesses increasingly seek platforms offering scale, intelligence, and cross-border opportunities. Dubai, recognized as a connected trade hub and powerhouse for logistics and innovation, emerges at the center of this momentum.

Gulfood 2026 will serve as the first and largest sourcing event of the year, expanding across two mega-venues to create what organizers describe as a limitless landscape of opportunity for the global food universe. The 31st edition aims to transform Dubai into the global headquarters of a connected, intelligent food economy, featuring 8,500+ exhibitors, 1.5 million+ products, and participation from 195 countries. Strategic government and industry alliances will include Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) India, Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), Business France, Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, Dubai Holding, ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, Meat & Livestock Australia, and National Aquaculture Group (NAQUA) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Major industry participants will include Americana, Barakat, BRF, Camelicious, Fresh Del Monte, Fage, JBS, Maersk, Monin, and Oatly, alongside investors, unicorns, buyers, distributors, wholesalers, and innovative startups poised to scale into global brands. Mark Napier, Vice President Exhibitions Department at Dubai World Trade Centre, stated that Gulfood 2026 opens the global F&B calendar as the first and most influential sourcing event, setting the industry's strategic direction while delivering unprecedented scale and visibility across five new sectors.

For the first time in global food trade history, a sourcing event will operate at full scale across both Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) at Expo City Dubai, expanding to 240,000 square meters to create the largest F&B trade footprint ever assembled. This dual-venue expansion enables buyers to source finished goods, fresh categories, commodities, national pavilions, innovations, and next-generation technologies in a single, streamlined journey. The expansion serves as a strategic anchor to extract greater value from adjacent, high-growth domains across the food ecosystem.

New exhibiting nations for 2026 will include Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kurdistan Region, Luxembourg, Maldives, Qatar, Rwanda, Slovakia, Sweden, and Uganda. Meanwhile, influential pavilions from Egypt, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Türkiye, and the USA will expand to their largest footprints to date. Additional new exhibitors will come from across the globe and every sector of the food ecosystem, including Choco, Bustanica, Farm Frites, MSC, Ostrich Oasis, and RANA.

Dubai World Trade Centre will host high-growth sectors, retail powerhouses, and startup innovation across Beverages, Dairy, Fats & Oils, Meat & Poultry, Power Brands, and two new sectors for 2026: Seafood and Gulfood Startups. Dubai Exhibition Centre will feature innovative national pavilions, bulk commodity trade, strategic government delegations, procurement hubs, and high-level global dialogue, including Extended National Pavilions, Rice, Pulses & Grains, World Food, and three new sectors: Gulfood Fresh, Gulfood Grocery Trade, and Gulfood Logistics.

Anchored by global dialogue shaping economic, regulatory, and trade frameworks, DEC will host the Gulfood World Economy Summit, convening CEOs, policymakers, investors, visionaries, leading scientists, academics, and leaders with the impetus to reengineer the world food economy. India enters as the Official Country Partner for Gulfood 2026, with its F&B market projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4 percent through 2028. India will deliver its largest-ever presence with 600+ exhibitors, including leading companies such as Amul, Everest, MDH, Mother Dairy, and Rasna.

Together, these platforms will transform Gulfood 2026 into a powerful ecosystem for strategic networking, cutting-edge insights, and commercially meaningful connections across the global food value chain. For more information and to register at early bird prices, visit https://www.gulfood.com.