Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Bahrain's first-ever Food and Hospitality Expo proved to be a three-day food extravaganza attracting international exhibitors, retailers, hospitality suppliers and scores of visitors.
It was a visual fiesta and a treat for the taste buds where visitors indulged in an array of food products and enjoyed watching live cooking displays.
The focus of the expo was not only to display food but also to showcase a variety of products and food and beverage trends.
One visiting housewife, Junita Tarigan, 43, from Umm Al Hassam, said: "I love to cook and I came to see what is new in the food market."
During the three-day event, staff from various hotels and restaurants on the island gave live demonstrations presenting a variety of food from pastas, sushi, sashimi and noodles to ice, fruit and vegetable carving.
On display at stands were various imported food stuffs such as cheese, olives, pickled products, imported and local fish and the list goes on.
"We already have a presence in the market and we are here to show the visitors some of our exclusive products and to let them have a taste of it. We want people visiting our stand to enjoy our live cooking," said Vergel Flores, fresh food manager at Lulu Hypermarket in Dana Mall.
Although nothing was on sale at the expo it was a good opportunity for people to taste, make a note of the product and visit the stores. "I have tasted some wonderful cold meat sandwiches and papri chaat at the Al Osra supermarket stand and Lulu hypermarket stand and have made a mental note to buy those when I visit the stores next time," said Bahraini housewife Umm Ali.
According to figures supplied by Bahrain Exhibition and Convention Authority (BECA) the market for the food processing sector in the GCC states has recently grown to nearly $7 billion (BD2.65 billion) from $1 billion in 1995.
"Bahrain was selected as the setting for Food & Hospitality Expo 2009 due to its proximity to the northern Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait," said Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, acting chief executive of Beca. "In addition, many of the top international players such as Coca-Cola, Del Monte, Kraft & Nestle have set up licensing agreements with local manufacturers to produce their brands.
"By bringing together an international audience of food and hospitality industry professionals and the media, this key industry event will help exhibitors from different parts of the world leverage their investment by utilising Bahrain's position as a re-exporting hub," she said.
