Gulfood 2026 Site Visit Report ― Structure of the Middle East Food Market and Japanese Companies' Entry Trends ―

Gulfood 2026 Site Visit Report ― Structure of the Middle East Food Market and Japanese Companies' Entry Trends ―Learn the latest information.

Introduction

Biz Easy visited "Gulfood 2026," an international food and beverage exhibition held in Dubai. Gulfood is one of the world's largest B2B exhibitions in the food and beverage sector, organized by Dubai World Trade Centre. Each year, it brings together food manufacturers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, and investors from around the world, making it a key industry event in the Middle East market.

This year's event was held from February 23-27, 2026, across two venues: Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre within Expo City Dubai (the Expo City venue was being used for the first time this year).

According to the organizers, 2026 saw the largest-ever edition with approximately 8,500+ exhibitors and an expected visitor count of around 145,000 people. Compared to the previous year (2025) which had approximately 5,500 exhibitors and around 100,000 visitors, the exhibition has experienced significant expansion.

This report organizes market structure and trends among Japanese companies as observed during our site visit.

1. Distribution Structure with Significant Distributor Role

Throughout the exhibition, what was particularly evident was the crucial role of distributors in the Middle East food market. At the venue, many distribution companies established large booths and displayed products from multiple brands. Leading food distributors in the UAE prominently showcased their distribution networks and the number of brands they handle, strongly demonstrating their presence as distribution channel providers to visitors. This situation suggests that in the Middle East market, market penetration in partnership with local distributors is more crucial than independent market entry by manufacturers.

2. Japanese Companies' Exhibition Formats and Entry Stages

Japanese companies' participation took two distinct forms.

First, exhibitors at the Japan Pavilion, organized by JETRO. Here, many small and medium-sized enterprises displayed processed foods and seasonings, with activities centered on business discussions with local distributors. This demonstrates that the model of securing sales channels through distributors for initial market entry into the Middle East remains effective.

Second, independent exhibitions by major companies. Companies like Ajinomoto and Itoen established independent brand booths with exhibitions aimed at increasing product awareness and expanding existing distribution channels. Independent participation goes beyond merely securing sales channels—it represents a "market establishment phase" where companies lead the advocacy of their brand's world view, quality, and story, creating continuous business opportunities.

While distributor-led expansion is common in the Middle East market, delegating all sales can make it difficult to maintain brand management control. Many distributors handle multiple brands simultaneously, and the allocation of sales resources and promotional investment tends to be determined based on sales volume, turnover rate, and short-term profitability. As a result, there is often insufficient resource allocation for developing new category markets or building brand awareness.

Consequently, sales activities tend to focus on short-term volume expansion and price competition, potentially creating structural issues where long-term brand value accumulation and positioning strategy execution become limited.

Against this background, Japanese companies' Middle East expansion is transitioning from a "phase centered on export business discussions through agents" to a "phase of leading brand penetration independently." In this latter phase, local marketing execution capability, partner management, KPI management, and customer touchpoint design become critical. Given these structural constraints, companies are likely to establish systems for self-directed market management through measures such as setting up local subsidiaries and deploying local teams to secure brand leadership.

3. Market Development Activities Evident in Country-Specific Exhibition Areas

The exhibition featured exhibition areas organized by country and region, with promotions of each country's companies' products and brands conducted on a national basis. Notably, European and Asian countries deployed large country-specific booths, and we observed active market penetration advocacy efforts on a national scale. The existence of these country-specific exhibition areas demonstrates that the Middle East market is recognized as an important business expansion destination for food companies worldwide.

4. Food Innovation Program Implementation

This year's exhibition featured "Gulfood nxt," an official program focused on technological innovation and business trends in the food sector. A stage was set up within the venue, hosting sessions and panel discussions on topics including FoodTech 500 rankings announcements, alternative proteins, digital transformation of food supply chains, food waste reduction, and circular economy technologies. Additionally, pitch events by startups and networking opportunities with investors were provided, facilitating discussions on technological trends and business models in the food sector. These programs confirmed that Gulfood serves not only as a platform for food trade but also as an international forum addressing technology, investment, and business trends in the food industry.

5. Implications for Middle East Market Entry

Through this site visit, we reconfirmed that pre-entry strategic planning is critically important for entering the Middle East market. In particular, the following points represent important considerations that should be thoroughly examined before entry:

• Which distributor(s) to partner with

• Whether to pursue exclusive distribution or non-exclusive (multi-agent) arrangements

• Whether to focus on UAE-only or pursue cross-GCC expansion

In the Middle East market, the distribution structure is built around distributors, and the design of contract terms and sales systems significantly impacts subsequent business expansion. Entering without sufficient strategic planning can require substantial time and cost to revise sales systems and contract terms later. Therefore, designing an entry model based on a thorough understanding of market structure is essential.

6. Gulfood's Positioning for Food and FoodTech Companies

Gulfood is not merely a trade show but an important business platform where companies can directly understand the structure and distribution realities of the Middle East food market. In particular, the following types of companies stand to benefit significantly from exhibiting and visiting:

• Food manufacturers and foodtech-related companies considering Middle East market entry

• Companies seeking to establish relationships with local distributors and develop sales channels

• Companies aiming to understand market trends, competitive landscape, and enhance brand recognition

Even at stages where entry strategy is not yet clearly defined, Gulfood provides significant value through its ability to facilitate understanding of market characteristics and distribution structures, as well as opportunities to build relationships with potential partners.

7. Summary

Food industry players entering the Middle East market face complex considerations including entry model design, distributor selection, and local operational infrastructure establishment. While the Middle East represents a growth market, it is also a market where missteps in distribution structure, agent selection, and contract design can easily result in loss of market leadership.

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