South Africa Food Forum conference

19-21 June 2016. Johannesburg. Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. A South Africa Food Forum conference was organised alongside the continent’s largest food and beverage industry trade expo: Africa's Big Seven Food Forum (AB7).

Its seven specialised sectors covered everything from fresh produce and ingredients to manufacturing technologies, processing and packaging equipment, retail ready products, hospitality and catering equipment and much more.

With 300 exhibitors and over 14 thousand buyers from more than 72 countries attending the event, it served as a platform for industry experts to discuss trends, technological developments and challenges that influence business in the sector. The three-day programme offered lively discussions and debates across a range of subjects and provide insight into the industry developments delivered by the most
recognised industry gurus.

Nigeria’s D-Dynamic-D is one of more than 100 African exhibitors at the show and said it targeted retailers and processing companies with produce that it says will appeal to “West Africans around the world”.

Mapula Wanjau

“In addition to raw commodities, including ginger, sesame and hibiscus, we will be displaying processed Nigerian foods such as pounded yam flour, plantain flour and the finely ground ogi/pap flour. We are at AB7 looking to find partners who can benefit from sourcing foods desired by West Africans.” DDD spokesman Ibrahim Bayero. 

Daleen van der Merwe

Extract of the programme:

• Forward-thinking human capital strategies, Mapula Wanjau, Human Resources Business Lead, South Central and East Africa, Mondelez
• Consumer insights on the labelling of food products, Prof Daleen van der Merwe, Associate Professor and Research Coordinator: Consumer Sciences, North-West University
• Economic challenges for primary producers supplying the food chain, Wessel Lemmer, Senior Economist, AgriBusiness, ABSA. See TV interview with Wessel Lemmer  on CNBC Africa
• Good Governance Africa (GGA) a pan-African based research and advocacy non-profit organisation presented an open discussion on the theme of Ethics and Doing Business in Africa. The round table discussion will take place during the SAITEX and Africa's Big Seven events and will include topics including: Ethics, Corruption, Relationships, Business enablement