Food Business Africa rebrands to Food Business Middle East & Africa

KENYA – Food Business Africa – Africa’s leading publication for the food and beverage industry – is transitioning to Food Business Middle East & Africa, marking the first ever rebrand and change to the magazine since it’s founding in 2013.

The change in the name of the publication and its associated website, is reflective of the shift in focus of FW Africa, the publisher of the magazine, as it seeks to complement its deep dive on Africa over the last 12 years to henceforth place more emhasis on the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent and the Asian continent in its coverage, considering the strong links between these regions over the centuries.

“As the leading publisher in African and Middle East region, we appreciate the tremendous progress we have witnessed in Africa over the last decade – and the work we have done over the years has contributed immensely to the growth of the food and beverage industry in the Continent,” says Francis Juma, the Founder & CEO of FW Africa.

“The Middle East is increasingly becoming an important player in the food and beverage industry, with significant transformations and investments witnessed across major economies such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Israel and many other countries in the region. We have also seen important developments within the North-African economies such as Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, as the private sector becomes a key part of the agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing industry in these countries,” Juma adds.

“We are continuosly seeking new ways to inform our readers across the food and beverage industry of the latest technologies, market trends and innovations, and adding more diversified and deeper insights from the Middle East, Indian sub-continent and Asia in general into our magazine and websites will definitely enable our readers across these regions and internationally to discover more opportunities in these fast growing regions of the World.”

He explained that while the magazine and website will continue to have news articles and features from across the World, including Europe, Americas and other regions, the publisher will endeavour to place emphasis on opening new opportunities for its readers into Africa, Middle East and Asia.

New insert focused on food ingredients to debut in the magazine

According to Juma, the publisher has also announced the introduction of Food Ingredients Middle East & Africa – an insert within Food Business Middle East & Africa, that will be focused on the latest innovations, trends and technologies in the food ingredients space in the region and globally.

“Food Ingredients Middle East & Africa is more than just an insert within Food Business Middle East & Africa. It provides us with the unique platform to take a deep dive into the extremely important subject of food and beverage innovation, which continues to undergo tremendous evolution, driven by changing tastes and preferences, urbanisation and rising incomes of consumers across Africa, Middle East and Indian sub-continent,” Juma reveals.

He further adds that he foresees this new insert as the catalyst for further transformation of the food and beverage industry in these regions, as the industry undergoes the next wave of transformation.

According to Grand View Research, the specialty food ingredients market in the Middle East & Africa is projected to generate a revenue of US$ 11.44 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 3.9% per annum, to 2030.

Juma reveals that the insert will be included in each issue of the magazine, from the March/April 2025 edition.

“Food ingredients play an increasingly important role in the food and beverage industry in the Indian, Middle East and Indian sub-continent, especially as the regions face unique challenges brought by climate change, shifting consumer preferences and the need to provide affordable, nutritious and safe products to a young and increasingly urbanising population,” Juma explained.

“Food ingredients are key to extending shelf life and hence reducing waste, boosting nutrition and wellness, improving texture and mouthfeel – to making products sweet, salty, sour or even bitter. These are just a few of the unique attributes offered by these vital components in the food systems across the World – which number in the thousands of attributes.”

The magazine and website will provide the latest updates on food ingredients application, food innovation, regulatrory and policy updates and commodity markets of key ingredients used in the food and beverage industry, he concludes.

The transition to Food Business Middle East & Africa follows the changes made over the last year to rebrand the magazines and websites published by FW Africa to reflect the expanded geographic, strategic positioning and topical scope of the company’s publications.

FW Africa is the No.1 publisher for trade magazines and websites for the food and agriculture; healthcare; hospitality and home and personal care industries in Africa and Middle East regions, with eight industry-focused titles to its name.

Other resources published by the company include Dairy Business Middle East & Africa, Sustainable Packaging Middle East & Africa, Feed Business Middle East & Africa, Milling Middle East & Africa and HORECA Middle East & Africa.

Others include HealthCare Middle East & Africa and Home & Personal Care Middle East & Africa.

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