The U.S. Dairy Pavilion at this year’s Gulfood included 22 USDEC members featuring high-quality U.S. dairy ingredients and versatile U.S. cheeses that meet the nutrition and taste needs of consumers around the world. Positioned as the world’s largest annual food, beverage and hospitality trade show, Gulfood 2019 in Dubai helped the more than 98,000 attendees from 193 countries learn about U.S. Dairy’s highly respected, deep product portfolio.

The sustainably-sourced milk supply from the United States offers an unparalleled range of creativity and innovation for customers. It is estimated that milk from 1 in 7 trucks leaving American dairy farms ends up in products and ingredients sold overseas, making serving export markets an ever-important area of focus.

Economic growth^[1] in the MENA region is forecasted to reach an average of 2.6 percent in 2019-2020, supporting imports of dairy products. MENA^[2] will account for as much as 24% of world dairy imports in 2027.

Beyond the large presence at Gulfood, the industry is meeting the evolving needs of the region’s dairy demand by establishing partnerships with retailers and culinary institutes. Throughout the year, USDEC has ongoing programming to further support U.S. cheese entry into key retailers across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait. The multifaceted retail program builds on product education and merchandising training for buyers and store staff as well as sampling support to encourage consumer trial.

With more than 600 varieties of U.S. cheeses, the region can benefit from the infusion of many new cheeses and award-winning popular choices as well. USDEC also launched a cheese certification program to educate chefs about the craftsmanship, variety, innovation and versatility of U.S. cheese and grow demand within the foodservice sector.

The Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a key market for U.S. Dairy, with a rapidly growing population that is interested in high-end products and a conducive business environment that is open to trade. U.S. dairy products exported to the Middle East, Morocco and Egypt from January-November 2018 amounted to 62,882 MT worth around $224 million.

The U.S. dairy community is increasing engagement and visibility in the MENA region of both cheese and ingredients to benefit the region’s vibrant business success.

Visit ThinkUSAdairy.org or the Arabic microsite for more information on what the U.S. dairy industry has to offer. 

[1] https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena/publication/mena-economic-monitor-october-2018-a-new-economy-for-mena

[2] http://www.agri-outlook.org/commodities/Agricultural-Outlook-2018-Dairy.pdf