FoodTech Summit

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12:10
  1. Al Multaqua Ballroom

    Facing a New Reality: AI - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

    AI is set to transform the food manufacturing industry, bringing both significant opportunities and challenges. As AI reshapes food manufacturing, critical questions emerge: How can organizations leverage these tools responsibly to drive a much-needed technological revolution? What trends will define the next five to ten years in innovation and efficiency? What risks must be managed to ensure ethical and effective AI adoption in food production and supply chains?

    In this Keynote, Dr. Mark van Rijmenam will explore how AI is revolutionizing food processing, enhancing automation and enabling the use of digital twins to optimize production. He will also address potential risks, such as data privacy concerns and the ethical use of AI in a sector that is ripe for innovation yet traditionally slow to adopt new technologies.

12:45
  1. Al Multaqua Ballroom
    • Navigating food evolution manufacturing with confidence and strategic partnerships
    • Building a sustainable food system to feed the future: sustainable practices for a healthy planet
    • Enhancing sustainability across the factory floor: Technologies for sustainable food security
    • Sustainability and ethical considerations: Addressing the ethical implications of new technologies and guiding companies to balance innovation with ethical responsibility
    • Call for collaboration among industry stakeholders, policymakers, and innovators to drive sustainable growth and meet global food industry demands
    • Waste reduction, efficiency, affordability as well as food technology as a key technology of the 21st century
    • Decarbonization– Carbon credits for food manufacturing: Understanding your impact
13:40
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    • Rising demand towards disruptive food technologies – The game changers
    • Achieving agility, sustainability and efficiency through advanced tech implementation
    • Data analytics and AI in action: How are data analytics and AI being used in food manufacturing today?
    • From IoT to automation, AI, digital twins, new materials and 3D printing, which technologies are really impacting F&B manufacturing?
    • Opportunities and advantages of leveraging AI in product innovation, in improving productivity and efficiency with enhanced safety
    • How are the new technologies contributing to improving quality, food safety and enhancing sustainability?
14:20
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    • Exploring innovations in food manufacturing: How cutting-edge technologies are reshaping the concept of food, food manufacturing and storage
    • Key factors of cost, compliance and other potential barriers to using data technologies – Seamlessly integrating analytics and new technologies into operations
    • Production shifts and the move towards automation
    • Production strategies to increase operational efficiency and performance
    • Transforming manufacturing facilities through automation and IOT integration
15:00
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    • How are the global and overall cost hikes impacting F&B manufacturing businesses and what measures are being taken to address these?
    • Strategically fulfilling the food and beverage needs of a growing population
    • How can the region continue to stimulate innovation with the current high cost of capital?
    • What role can and should financial institutions and investors play in facilitating access to capital and in contributing to food security and new innovations
    • F&B manufacturing loans: Financing for food production
12:10
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    • Explore the logistics of food transportation while minimizing environmental impacts: Efforts and solutions to make logistics more sustainable
    • Striving towards process optimization in logistics
    • Reconfiguration of food supply chains for efficiency, safety, transparency, and trust
    • Addressing and mitigating constraints in food and beverage logistics and cold storage
    • Achieving comprehensive traceability throughout the food supply chain
    • Analyzing potential vulnerabilities and risks in the food supply chain
12:50
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    • Food manufacturing equipment and process optimization capabilities: Adopting digital traceability in food processing
    • Implementing turnaround strategies for internal efficiency enhancement
    • Innovative food processing facilities by setting up research institutions
    • How is digitalization helping companies futureproof their facilities?
13:30
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    • Packaging innovations – Meet the solutions providers and end users forging the path to better packaging
    • Plastic alternatives – materials old and new, uses and how they compare?
    • Sustainable packaging solutions effect costs for F&B manufacturers and end-users?
    • What are the financial considerations and implications when considering non-plastic packaging solutions?
14:10
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    • Rising to the pursuit of balancing taste and health: Unveiling the latest sugar reduction solutions to deliver exceptional products that meet today’s consumer demands
    • Overcoming the citrus crisis with innovation: Supporting the industry to overcome barriers through research and cutting-edge technologies.
    • R&D within ingredients and new innovations and trends shaping the industry
    • Addressing the synthetic vs natural debate from various perspectives: consumer knowledge, perception and trust around health concerns; costs; quality; sustainability
    • Trends and innovation in chocolate manufacturing – challenges for chocolate produce
14:50
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    • Introducing plant-based alternatives into food manufacturing – the impact and the opportunity
    • How do we ensure enough high-quality nutrition in all regions of the world?
    • What is key to getting to industrial production of alternative protein?
    • Scaling up the production capacity and the significant R&D strides
    • Plant ingredients, mycelium, fermentation - how do alternative approaches compare across quality, sustainability, scalability and viability
15:30
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    • How consumers and customers are shaping the future of food manufacturing?
    • Food demands and trends of the future?  New ingredients? New consumptions habits
    • Rise of functional foods and nutraceuticals for health and wellness
    • Investment trends and access to capital in the next few years: Innovations in packtech for enhancing sustainability and reducing food waste
    • What role can the innovators and pioneers play in the future of food security, particularly in the Middle East?
    • What is needed to cultivate more food ecosystem startups?
    • Addressing labor shortages in the supply chain and fostering talent development
    • Career and training prospects and future of professionals in the new evolving industry
11:30
  1. Al Multaqua Ballroom
    Workshop Overview

    Clean label means making a product using as few ingredients as possible and making sure those ingredients are items that consumers recognize and think of as wholesome—ingredients that consumers might use at home. It seeks out foods with easy-to-recognize ingredients and no artificial ingredients or synthetic chemicals, and it has become associated with “trust” with manufacturers of food. 

    Clean label is not a scientific term. Rather, it is a consumer term that has been broadly accepted by the food industry, consumers, academics, and even regulatory agencies. The primary purpose of clean labels is to address the consumer's concerns about substances in food that may adversely affect their health and prevent the mislead that can happen due to false claim. 

    Key Objectives

    In this workshop, participants will understand the key elements of clean label:

    • Natural ingredients: no artificial additives
    • Simplicity: less chemicals and chemical ingredients
    • Transparency: information on how ingredients are sourced and how products are manufactured
    • Minimal processing: processing using techniques that consumers don’t understand to be artificial
    Agenda

    The workshop would cover and explain the outcomes about:

    • Consumer perception of clean label and their drivers
    • Requirements of food labelling
    • What is clean label and its principles
13:00
  1. Al Multaqua Ballroom

    Key Objectives

    To address the global hikes in raw material prices by educating participants on cost reduction techniques and demonstrating practical applications without compromising on quality and appeal to consumers

    Key Points

    • Address key industry challenges.
    • Educate and Highlight: Science and benefits of sugar and juice reduction.
    • Demonstrate: Practical applications and live demos.
    • Engage: Interactive sessions and discussions.
    • Problem-Solve: Address challenges and provide tailored solutions.

    Agenda

    • Welcome drink and interactive session!
    • Introduction to changing consumer needs
    • Introduction to the Global beverages Landscape and key challenges
    • Introducing Cost-Effective Solutions with less sugar and juice
    • Scalability: Benefits for all manufacturers
    • Q&A: Discuss implementation.
    • Conclusion and Future Directions
    • Key takeaways
    • Future innovations

    Meet Your Expert Workshop Leader:  Midey Gonzalez Azofeifa, Regional Innovation Director

    A Food Science Engineer from Costa Rica with a specialization in physicochemical and functionality of food ingredients from Wageningen University and an MBA in Strategy Marketing from the University of Amsterdam. At this moment as part of the IFF Innovation Program Re-Imagine Wellness she supports globally IFF FLAVORFIT™ portfolio for Savory and sweet flavor modulation across categories for healthier and tastier food. With more than 25+ years of work in food and food ingredients, midey has a special passion and focus on solutions for sugar reduction and all possible ingredients and technologies used for this purpose and how you can make use of them to influence the perception and acceptability of the final product. She is highly involved globally around this topic with a social responsibility to support and bring healthier products with less sugar to the consumers.

14:30
  1. Al Multaqua Ballroom
    Workshop Overview

    This masterclass explains how mycelium is transforming food production and manufacturing. Participants will discover mycelium’s unique properties, advanced fermentation technologies, and its role in creating sustainable, nutrient-dense alternatives to traditional food sources. The session will focus on innovative mycelium-based food products, the environmental advantages of fungi in reducing resource consumption, and real-world applications that demonstrate mycelium’s potential to redesign and revolutionize the global food system for a sustainable future.

    Key Objectives
    • Explore mycelium-based innovations for redesigning food systems.
    • Showcase innovations in mycelium cultivation and product development.
    • Enhance food security through mycelium-based solutions
    Agenda
    • Understand Mycelium’s Role in Food Systems: Learn about mycelium’s unique properties and its potential to create sustainable food alternatives
    • Explore Mycelium-Based Manufacturing: Gain insights into advanced fermentation technologies and practical aspects of producing mycelium-based foods
    • Identify Challenges and Opportunities: Examine current challenges and future trends in scaling mycelium-based foods through real-world case studies

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