[ad_1]
Global health company GMG and ADQ-owned Silal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to drive collaboration in the food sector by connecting consumers directly with farmers.
Through the agreement, GMG Consumer’s food retail portfolio will support local farmers (up to 1,100 farms) contracted by Silal to source fresh local produce directly from local farms to consumers. The new partnership, signed at Abu Dhabi International Food Exhibition, will accelerate GMG’s long-term vision of sourcing 30 percent of its fresh food locally.
The first phase will cover more than 30 product categories and will initially be available in Geant supermarkets. As the program matures, more products will be added in due course and sold under GMG’s other retail brands, including Monoprix and Franprix.
local business ecosystem
Mohammad A Baker, Vice Chairman and CEO of GMG, said: “As a local business, we have a responsibility to advance the local business ecosystem. We have partnered with many local businesses to bring their products to hundreds of million customer network. The partnership with Silal enables us to support an important pillar of the country’s socio-economic growth while contributing to key national goals and enables us to realize our farm-to-table vision.”
Marc Laurent, President, Consumer Goods Retail, further added: “We continue to grow, collaborating with like-minded peers to bring fresh, locally sourced produce to our customers. Our partnership with Silal will further help us strengthen our food retail portfolio (Géant, Monoprix and Franprix) in the marketplace while raising awareness of the importance of consuming fresh produce from local farms.”
Sourcing food locally helps GMG support sustainable agriculture strategies. Eliminating long-distance transport involved in food imports can help promote eco-friendly food production while contributing to the UAE’s green agenda.
food safety
The new agreement highlights GMG’s efforts to contribute to the national food security agenda. The UAE-based conglomerate is investing heavily in food manufacturing and currently has six state-of-the-art factories supported by research and development kitchens and food laboratories.
The facilities cover six product lines: Meat, Seafood, Himalayan Pink Salt, Herbs and Spices, Cold Cuts, and Butchery and Curing. GMG’s vast business portfolio covers the entire consumer journey from food manufacturing and distribution to retail. The company intends to cover the entire food consumption chain from farm to fork in the coming years. The partnership also supports GMG’s strategy of having 150 SME business partners in the UAE. — trade arab news agency
[ad_2]
Source link