{"id":307390,"date":"2022-02-16T19:20:35","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T22:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/plant-based-avanca-no-mercado-de-alimentos-do-golfo\/"},"modified":"2022-02-18T18:30:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T21:30:43","slug":"plant-based-foods-advance-in-gulf-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/plant-based-foods-advance-in-gulf-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"Plant-based foods advance in Gulf markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dubai \u2013 Vegans and consumers searching for healthier products could have much more options. Most food brands signal this trend at this year\u2019s Gulfood. The term \u2018plant-based<\/strong>\u2019 is no longer an exception now; it is seen in many booths at the most notable food show in the Middle East, Gulfood.<\/p>\n

Plant-based foods have been combined with other sustainability strategies. The entirely natural ice cream brand, House of Pops<\/strong>, is an example. Founded in the United Arab Emirates and using coconut milk in its formulations, the company delivers gluten-free or refined sugar-free vegan products with compostable packaging. \u201cI came from Costa Rica, where popsicles are typical ice cream. And I thought of bringing something more refreshing here because everything I could find was heavy and creamy and, in the climate of Dubai, it makes sense to have healthier products with fruits<\/strong>,\u201d revealed Marcela Sancho (pictured above<\/em>), co-founder of the brand, in an interview with ANBA.<\/p>\n

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House of Pops has everything from food trucks to carts and bikes<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The company was founded in 2018 and today has over 17 points of sale. The brand already has a presence in Dubai schools. \u201cWe participated in an educational campaign to show children what sustainability is like and, at the same time, present a fruit-based product that is also healthy,\u201d said Sancho. Among the assorted flavors of the brand, there is also space for Brazilian a\u00e7a\u00ed, another highlight of Gulfood this year.<\/p>\n

No cows<\/strong><\/p>\n

The healthy appeal of the Emirati brand\u2019s products coincides with one of the pillars of a Brazilian company looking forward to expanding in Dubai. NoMoo<\/strong><\/a> has been producing vegan cheeses<\/strong> since 2015 and has non-vegans as 88% of its customers. \u201cThese are mostly people with lactose intolerance, and I received a lot of positive feedback on how the product helped to make these people\u2019s experience more \u2018inclusive,\u2019\u201d said CEO Marcelo Doin.<\/p>\n