Gulfood 2026: The Global Stage of the Food Industry
Held annually, Gulfood is the world’s largest specialized food and beverage trade exhibition and the leading industry event in the Gulf and Middle East region. The show is particularly significant for regional buyers, as over 95% of food products consumed in Gulf countries are imported. Combined with substantial re-export volumes through the UAE–estimated at USD 15.8 billion–this positions Gulfood as a critical global hub for international food trade.
Gulfood serves as a major international business platform, bringing together more than 8,500 companies from 125 countries and over 130,000 professional visitors from 195 countries worldwide. In 2026, the exhibition space at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) will be expanded to 127,000 square meters, including temporary pavilions.
From January 26 to 30, 2026, Gulfood will be hosted across two venues in Dubai: the traditional Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and the new Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) in Expo City Dubai. More than a sourcing platform, Gulfood is where business meets product, investment meets innovation, and logistics meets real-world solutions.
At Gulfood 2026, USMEF will showcase its largest booth ever at this Middle Eastern exhibition, located in the Meat and Poultry Pavilion. The stand will feature participation from U.S. beef producers, traders, packers, and exporters, including Greater Omaha Packing, Creekstone Farm, Lincoln International, Global Wings, United Source One, Sysco, Mirasco, and Interra, alongside joint USAPEEC member companies such as Tyson Foods, AJC, Lamex, PMI Foods, Intervision Foods, and Trade Café Limited. JBS North America will be represented within the joint JBS booth. Among the visitors to the USMEF booth are importers and distributors from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The exhibition is complemented by a series of co-located industry events, including the International Exhibition of Ingredients, Additives, and Functional Components for Food and Beverage Production; the International Exhibition of Equipment, Technologies, and Solutions for the Foodservice and HORECA sectors; and the Middle East Food Industry Forum, featuring technical sessions, presentations, and roundtable discussions.
Hundreds of halal food manufacturers and industry specialists from 50 countries will participate in Halal World Food, recognized as the world’s largest annual halal food exhibition.
Gulfood’s truly global reach is further reinforced by the presence of 120 official national pavilions.
Gulfood is the central meeting point for the global food and beverage ecosystem. It is where trade conversations begin, contracts are signed, and strategic decisions shaping the future of the industry are made. With over three decades of industry leadership, Gulfood continues to evolve, and in 2026 expands its scale and ambition to reflect the complexity of today’s global food trade.
Source: USMEF
