Spanning 150+ exhibitors and live cooking demonstrations, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s pavilion brings the very best that the US agricultural sector has to offer to this year’s Gulfood, currently taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre (20-24 February).

The USDA has been participating in Gulfood for more than 25 years. This year’s USA Pavilion covers a total area of 1,592sqm and houses 158 exhibitors, including more than 25 that are new to the market. International buyers and importers have access to a great variety of US products throughout the five spaces in the USA Pavilion, covering the Worlds of Food, Meat, Poultry, Dairy, and Pulses and Grains.

Promoting US food, beverage, and agri products

On 20 February, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator Daniel B. Whitley and US Consul-General Megan Gregonis officially opened the USA Pavilion to visitors. During Gulfood, Whitley and Gregonis are participating in cooking demonstrations that promote US ingredients, and have been meeting with exhibitors and other key partners. 

“Last year, on-site and projected sales from US exporters at Gulfood exceeded US$250 million, demonstrating the tremendous global interest and demand for American food and farm products,” said FAS Administrator Whitley. “I’m thrilled to be back at Gulfood opening the USA Pavilion and am confident that buyers attending the show will be extremely impressed by the variety of high-quality US foods, beverages, and agricultural products available from exhibitors this year.”

USDA staff from 18 of FAS’s international offices will be available to answer questions and coordinate business-to-business meetings at the USA Pavilion. The team recruited 90 potential food and beverage buyers from countries in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East to attend the show, meet with US exporters, and help boost sales, all underscoring the importance of Gulfood as a global business platform.

Cooking demos and quality-awareness campaigns

Other noteworthy events at the USA Pavilion this week include cooking demonstrations and competitions organised with the International Centre for Culinary Arts and hosted by renowned chefs representing the US Poultry and Eggs Export Council, US Meat Export Federation, US Dairy Export Council, and other US-state-level agricultural export promotion organisations.

Gulfood this year also features the launch of FAS’s Regional Office of Agricultural Affairs ‘Fork and the Road’ campaign, which will use storytelling to promote US food and farm products in the MENA region and increase awareness about the high-quality and variety of U.S. agricultural products.  

For further information on the on-going Gulfood event, visit: www.gulfood.com