25% annual growth in sales of sustainable food packaging products in the UAE

Experts and specialists in the food and packaging industries said that the trends of digital transformation and reliance on artificial intelligence greatly support the expansion of the implementation of sustainability plans in all industries related to the food sector, explaining that Dubai and the Emirates were the forerunners in digital transformation and the application of sustainability in those areas.

On the sidelines of participation in the activities of the “Gulfood Manufacturing 2025” exhibition, which recently concluded its activities at the Dubai World Trade Center, they pointed out that the UAE markets are witnessing a growth in demand for sales of sustainable packaging for food commodities at rates ranging between 20 and 25%, pointing out that the most prominent challenges facing the application of digital transformation and sustainability in food-related industries focus on the high cost of using sustainable manufacturing technologies and tools and the lack of awareness of the feasibility of these uses among some.

In detail, Babar Hussein, senior sales officer at Gulf Links, said: “The UAE markets are witnessing an accelerated transformation in the application of digital transformation in sectors related to the food industry and the application of artificial intelligence technologies, which in turn supports the expansion of sustainability plans in general in those sectors.”

He added, “The application of digital transformation and artificial intelligence improves production processes and reduces the waste of raw materials used and losses in production processes. It also supports mechanisms for manufacturing materials used in packaging in a sustainable manner, which rely heavily on these technologies.”

Hussein explained, “The UAE markets, according to market indicators, are witnessing annual growth in demand for sustainable food packaging products at rates of up to 25%, especially by supporting the activity and momentum of the business, tourism and hospitality sectors.”

For his part, Marketing Director at Biobaypro, Samir Ahmed, said, “Digital transformation and artificial intelligence, with the development of these technologies, greatly support the implementation of sustainability plans in food-related sectors, whether by reducing the loss at large rates of raw materials compared to traditional production processes, or by manufacturing sustainable packaging materials for food commodities, which in turn relies heavily on advanced technologies to adapt sustainable raw materials into advanced forms that resemble products manufactured from other materials.”

He added, “The annual growth rates observed according to market indicators of demand for sales of sustainable packaging products for food commodities are estimated to range between 15 and 20 percent.”

The General Manager and Director of Business Development at Hot Pack, Shyam Parkash, said: “Dubai and the UAE are pioneers in implementing digital transformation systems and adopting artificial intelligence in the food-related industrial sectors, which in turn supported the expansion of the application of sustainability plans in these areas in general, which made the local markets a regional center for displaying the latest these systems through the (Gulfood) exhibition platforms.”

He added, “The UAE markets are witnessing an increasing annual growth in the demand for sustainable packaging products for food commodities, which is one of the most prominent means of implementing sustainability in the food industry sector.”

He pointed out that “the most prominent challenges facing the use of artificial intelligence and the implementation of sustainability plans are the high cost that these systems require to be implemented in factories, in addition to the lack of awareness, whether among some manufacturers or merchants, because the high cost will also apply to the goods associated with these systems when sold to merchants.”

Infolec Company Director, Tony Dash, pointed out that “the trend towards sustainability more effectively in food-related industrial sectors has become largely and fundamentally dependent on digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence, which in turn faces the challenges of the high cost of using these relatively new technologies in the markets and the extent of awareness of the importance of use.”

. Digital transformation and artificial intelligence support sustainability plans in the food industry.