The retail sales of fresh food in the UAE have outpaced packaged food, with over 1 million tons of vegetables sold in 2024. Meat sales reached over 536,000 tons, while fruit sales totaled 514,000 tons. These figures were disclosed by Dubai Chambers during a Gulfood business briefing attended by global delegates.
Omar Khan of Dubai Chambers stated, "Because Dubai is a culinary destination like no other, we are able to have a wider range of fresh food experiences and products from all over the world, whether it's Beluga caviar or Maine lobster or Kobe beef from Japan." He noted the diversity in food consumption, highlighting retail outlets as major consumption points.
The UAE's food retail market is expected to reach $1.5 billion soon. Khan remarked, "The retail e-commerce market was very small, but was growing very fast and Covid accelerated it." He mentioned logistics innovations, noting, "Even if you have a yacht today in Dubai Marina, you have a Carrefour boat that would come to you."
Online food ordering services have experienced growth, with companies like Talabat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Careem initially growing at 13.3% and stabilizing at 7%. The competitive landscape is expanding with diverse offerings.
Dubai hosts over 9,400 restaurants, with a 4% year-on-year growth in some categories. Asian restaurants lead with over 3,700 outlets, followed by 2,300 Middle Eastern and over 800 North American restaurants.
Khan shared insights on Dubai's population, comprising both tourists and residents. "The number of tourists that we're welcoming for business and pleasure stood at 18.7 million last year," he said, comparing it to Dubai's population of just over 3.5 million.
Source: Khaleej Times