Saudifood Show opens in Jeddah as Saudi Arabia pushes food manufacturing growth

The Saudifood Show and Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 opened in Jeddah on Sept. 28, bringing together more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 95 countries as Saudi Arabia works to expand local food production and investment under Vision 2030. The events spotlight manufacturing, packaging, automation and trade links in a market that officials say is central to food security and supply-chain resilience.

Why it matters: - Saudi Arabia is using the two shows to push food security, local manufacturing and supply-chain resilience as part of Vision 2030. - The events put commercial buyers, manufacturers, investors and policymakers in one place across the full food value chain. - The Kingdom’s food market is large and still heavily import-dependent, creating room for domestic production to grow. - Saudi Arabia is targeting $20 billion in food-industry investment by 2035. - Food retail sales reached about $59 billion in 2025 and are expected to grow about 4% in 2026. - The Kingdom imported more than $33 billion in food and agricultural products in 2025, including $17.4 billion in consumer-oriented food products.

What happened: - The Saudifood Show and Saudifood Manufacturing 2026 opened Sept. 28 at the Jeddah Superdome. - H.E. Eng. Khalil bin Salamah, Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Affairs, and Eng. Majed Alargoubi, CEO of MODON, attended the opening. - The shows run through Sept. 29. - MODON is the strategic partner for both events. - More than 1,000 exhibitors from over 95 countries are participating. - The events feature more than 100,000 food and beverage products, technologies and solutions. - More than 35 national pavilions are on display, including Türkiye, India, Jordan, the United States, Uzbekistan, Tunisia and Italy. - Trade professionals can attend from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Sept. 27 and 28, and from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Sept. 29.

The details: - The co-located events cover ingredients, processing, packaging, automation, sourcing, distribution, retail, hospitality and foodservice. - Saudi Arabia’s food packaging market is projected to reach $2.63 billion by 2034, with 4.08% growth. - Major exhibitors at The Saudifood Show include Almarai, Arla, Lactalis, BRF, Tanmiah, NADEC, Savola, First Mills, Americana and Seara Food Middle East. - Saudifood Manufacturing exhibitors include Bunge, JBT Marel, Middleby, MULTIVAC, NAPCO, Zamil, ULMA and Provisur. - The Tawasul Meetings Programme arranges pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings at exhibitor stands and in a dedicated meeting space. - Exhibitors are showing technologies across food processing, ingredients, packaging, automation, robotics, cold chain, food safety and sustainable production. - ULMA Packaging is showing digital connectivity and sustainable packaging tools aimed at higher productivity and less waste. - Fortifi brands Provisur, LIMA and Nothum are presenting processing systems that can deliver 30% to 40% higher output in the same footprint and reduce frying-oil use by up to 33%. - The Saudifood Excellence Awards 2026 cover eight consumer-product categories, including Best Sauce, Condiment or Preserve and Best Ready-to-Eat Product, plus beverages, dairy, health and wellness, innovative packaging, Saudi-made products and snacks. - The Saudifood Manufacturing Innovation Awards 2026 cover six categories, including Best AI & Smart Manufacturing Innovation, ingredients, packaging, processing, sustainability and Made in Saudi innovation. - Award winners will be announced on the second day of the events. - First Mills and Durrah Advanced are Gold Sponsors of the Saudifood Show. - Arabian Mills and Snackland are Silver Sponsors of the Saudifood Show. - ITEC is the Silver Sponsor of Saudifood Manufacturing.

Between the lines: - The event mix shows Saudi Arabia trying to link consumer brands with industrial suppliers, not just host a food expo. - The focus on packaging, automation and robotics signals a broader shift toward higher-efficiency manufacturing. - Jeddah’s role as a logistics hub gives the events a trade angle that extends beyond the domestic market. - First Mills and Durrah used the opening to position themselves as core players in Saudi food security and Saudi-made production. - First Mills CEO Eng. Abdullah Ababtain said the company runs four large-capacity mills in Jeddah, Qassim, Tabuk and Al-Ahsa and continues to invest in new technologies. - Durrah CEO Fayçal Benameur said the company’s Yanbu refinery has a daily capacity of 2,500 tons of refined white sugar and supplies customers across Saudi Arabia while exporting to four continents. - Durrah said its Al Bayt brand sells sugar, rice, edible oil and tea across the Kingdom.

What's next: - The two events continue through Sept. 29. - Award winners will be announced on the second day. - Exhibitors and visitors will continue pre-scheduled meetings to build partnerships and sales. - The broader push is toward more local production, stronger supply chains and deeper investment in Saudi Arabia’s food sector.

The bottom line: - Saudi Arabia is using Saudifood 2026 to turn food security goals into a commercial and industrial growth strategy.