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ADNEC Group announced this week that registration is now open for visitors and the Global Food Security Summit at Global Food Week 2026, organised in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The gathering will take place from October 6 to 8 at the ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi and will feature an expanded exhibition alongside high-level discussions on food systems resilience. This edition builds on the prior year’s outcomes, which included more than 40,000 attendees and business agreements valued at AED 6.6 billion according to ADNEC Group figures.
Global Food Week 2026 to launch new model connecting businesses and consumers across eight specialised sectors through the introduction of Shop at the Show, a dedicated B2C platform that permits direct purchases from exhibitors. The initiative provides brands with fresh opportunities to interact with consumers while raising awareness of innovative food solutions and accelerating their market adoption. International pavilions will display cutting-edge technologies, traditional delicacies and products tailored to evolving global F&B demands, the organisers stated in a release distributed via Zawya.
A second edition of the Global Food Security Summit will run concurrently, serving as a forum for policymakers, researchers and industry leaders to tackle supply chain resilience and sustainability issues. Business matchmaking sessions are designed to link exhibitors with decision-makers, investors and buyers seeking entry to the UAE market. The event further incorporates new focus areas including alternative proteins, animal feed and a honey symposium held with the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations.
The global food market is projected to generate $9.67 trillion in revenue during 2026, reflecting sustained demand for innovation across the value chain. In the UAE the grocery retail sector recorded $20 billion in revenue in 2025 while food e-commerce reached $1.3 billion that year, according to USDA data. National initiatives aim to raise the share of locally produced items in hotel and restaurant procurement to 25 percent as part of broader food security strategies.
Exhibitors at Global Food Week 2026 will benefit from access to one of the region’s fastest-growing F&B markets and networking with stakeholders across agriculture, manufacturing, distribution and hospitality. The 2025 edition drew participants from 75 countries and introduced 639 new companies and brands, ADNEC Group data shows. Organisers expect the 2026 gathering to surpass previous records in scale and impact.
