Bord Bia today built on the decision of the Saudi Arabian Food and Drugs Authority to grant access for Irish processed, cooked, mince and bone-in beef by outlining the actions it will take in the coming weeks to engage exporters and buyers. Bord Bia sees opportunities for Irish beef in casual dining and quick service restaurants, as well as in international standard supermarkets and in fine dining.
Speaking from Riyadh today on day two of the Trade Mission, Bord Bia CEO, Tara Mc Carthy outlined the next steps for maximising the opportunity for Irish exporters.
"This breakthrough allows us to deepen the already strong trading relationship with Saudi Arabia which has seen an increase in food exports to €135 million in recent years but which until now concentrated mainly on the dairy sector.
We will be targeting a further six key retail buyers and distributors to visit Ireland to meet with suitable suppliers and to see at first hand the excellent standards at each stage of our beef production. Bord Bia will partner with one major foodservice supplier to share research on consumer attitudes. Bord Bia also plans for the first time to place a dedicated person in Riyadh to undertake commercial projects for Irish exporters. This person will be chosen from Bord Bia's well-established Marketing Fellowship programme, which sees high potential and ambitious professionals work in key export markets."
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's meat sector, the largest in the GCC, is experiencing growth and continued development across the supply chain. This market growth is underpinned by favourable demographic trends, higher per capita consumption and rising consumer affluence as well as a move towards Western diets. Continued growth is forecast in the beef sector as a significant domestic production gap needs to be met by imports.
The Consumer Landscape in Saudi Arabia
Bord Bia’s recent research on Saudi Arabian consumers identified strong opportunities in the frozen food and prepared foods categories. The breakthrough of Green Isle Foods onto supermarket shelves in Riyadh and their success in winning the Innovation Award at the Gulfood trade show in Dubai is clear evidence that Irish companies can excel in this region. Bord Bia has already worked with Irish companies in the market to target opportunities for cheese and infant milk formula and will build on this data to inform Irish exporters in the processed meat sector.
Bord Bia has identified the following consumer trends, many of which present, will present opportunities for Irish food industry in Saudi Arabia:
- Increasing preference for western food
- Growth in demand for frozen foods
- Significant growth in online spending
- Adoption of technology for health management
- Continued growth in social media
- 50% of the population is under 29 years of age
- 90% of seniors (over 60) suffer from osteoporosis
Ireland's opportunity also lies in the value of supplying a safe secure supply of quality food to the region. Bord Bia will be using every opportunity to make the link between food security and sustainable production and to show that Ireland, with its temperate climate and its Origin Green ambition to be a world leader in sustainable production, can provide this secure supply.