Middle East

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the potential market strategies for companies in Sub-Saharan Africa amidst the current cost of living crisis. It details how companies can leverage affordability, technology, and values to cater to the…

In spite of rising costs and prices in the past two years, sales of staple foods have been growing in Middle East and Africa. The essential nature of many staples has helped maintain demand for them, even if consumers have been opting for cheaper…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

In 2023, Qatar faces significant challenges following the end of the World Cup and the positive effects that had on the industry. Post-event, manufacturers are navigating efforts to sustain sales levels. For example, many food production companies…

Staple foods in Oman has experienced consistent growth throughout 2023, despite the escalation in prices attributed to inflation and other heightened production costs. Certain categories are deemed indispensable to Omani households, yet Omanis remain…

The staple foods market was characterised by strong price rises in 2023. Following increases in the prices of dairy, all major players announced price increases in the packaged food market. The price of supervised breads increased for the second time…

Instability in Iraq’s financial sector and has led to instability in supply chains and this combined with the efforts of the Iraqi government to control the distribution of staple foods. Since early 2022, the public distribution system (PDS) has been…

In December 2022, Osem announced a price rise for many of its products, including pasta, of 5.9%. Six months later, Osem announced another price hike for its pasta, of 4.5%, that went into effect in June 2023. In May 2023, Shestowitz increased the…

In December 2022, following the price hikes of Tnuva and Unilever, Soglowek announced a price hike of 9.8% on its processed meat and poultry products. The company claimed that this was due to the increase in prices of meat and poultry set by the…

In February 2022, Yachin increased the prices of its canned goods by an average of 24%. In the months following, the prices of canned goods continued to rise. While no major announcements were made regarding the increase in these products, the prices…

In November 2022, Unilever increased the prices of cereal for retailers. These increases went into effect over the succeeding three months. In May 2023, Osem announced a price rise for its products, including cereals, by an average of 4.7%. In May…

In July 2022, the Price Control Committee declared that bread should be removed from price controls. The move required the approval of the Ministry of Economics, which was not forthcoming due to the fear that this would cause price increases for…

Staple foods in 2023: The big picture

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

In 2023, staple foods perform well due to their essential nature. There is a shift towards convenience, as consumers fully resume pre-COVID-19 habits. Bread is the main staple, with rice highly popular. There is also a move to healthier variants as…

As noted in many countries around the world, consumers in the United Arab Emirates experienced weakened purchasing power in 2022 due to the impact of inflation on goods and services. However, in 2023, unlike in many other markets, consumers’…

Sales of stale foods have continued to see healthy growth in retail volume and value terms in 2023, with sales benefiting from a booming economy. The market saw several challenges in 2022 from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global inflation which…

Staple foods in Jordan has been impacted by price inflation in 2023, especially in rice. Jordan imports 90% of its rice from the US which has suffered from a drop in its rice yield, thus putting upward pressure on the price of rice. Foodservice sales…

The United Arab Emirates has banned the export and re-export of rice for four months starting from the end of July. However, the suspension could be automatically renewed. The suspension has been imposed on non-basmati white rice originating from…

Noodles is the smallest category within rice, pasta and noodles in retail volume terms, but it is seeing healthy growth in Saudi Arabia in 2023. These products have found appeal among busy consumers looking for a quick snack or meal option.…