A RECENT report published by Food from Britain (FFB), the market development consultancy for British food and drink companies, suggests there are significant opportunities for UK bakery and confectionery producers in the Gulf States.

These countries not only contain large numbers of ex-patriates and tourists, but their high concentration in clusters means they can be effectively targeted through the many retail and foodservice outlets that

specifically cater for them and the specialist distributors that serve this channel, the report says. Of the 700,000 expats in the area, made up of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, 150,000 are from the UK.

The current value of UK food and drink exports to the Middle East is £337 million, “But with the right marketing and expertise, these exports could potentially be doubled in the next five years”, said Chris Brockman, FFB’s head of research and consultancy.