The Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) has unveiled a 2 million sq m Food and Beverage Park offering state-of-the art facilities for companies involved in food processing and packaging.

The announcement was made during Jafza’s participation in the 10th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition (Gulfood 2005).
Senior Jafza development manager Walid Hareb said the park had been launched to cater to the increasing number of companies in the food business that were establishing their presence in the region. 
It would be built to the highest international specifications and regulations to enable the manufacturing, distribution and packaging of all kinds of foods,” added Hareb.
The official noted that the food industry was a thriving sector in Dubai especially since the last decade owing to the remarkable surge in tourist inflow from all parts of the world.
“There is a huge market for food and food-related products in the Gulf, and Dubai, which is the hub for the region’s hospitality industry, is home to a growing number of international food manufacturers, importers, traders, hotels, caterers and other related entities,” said Hareb.
The various facilities offered to companies at the Food and Beverage Park, located at the free zone’s South Zone, will include on-site water treatment plant operators, cool and cold stores, specialist test labs, employee housing, a choice of varied plot sizes, a Dubai Municipality office and support from the Jafza Environment and Health Department.
The park will have factory units meant for high-capacity food processing and packaging activities, besides offering warehouses in various sizes as per the company’s requirement. The adjoining areas of the Food and Beverage Park are occupied by potential suppliers, which will lead to smoother functioning. Moreover, there are several companies in the Jebel Ali Free Zone that currently provide raw materials to companies in the food industry. The park is situated 10 minutes away from the proposed Jebel Ali airport, which will be the largest air-sea logistics and transportation centre of its kind in the Middle East.
Jafza works in close partnership with the companies that set up operations in the zone, by providing high-level networking platforms, publicity and business matching opportunities.
“Jafza currently houses over 450 multinationals that are into manufacturing, trading or distribution of food and food-related products,” said Hareb.