AFP
Pizza ice cream cones and yogurt with a nine-month shelf life are some of the innovative products being showcased at the largest food trade fair in the Middle East this week.
Despite debuting more than a decade ago in Italy and then appearing in Brazil, Portugal and New York City, pizza cones — pizza slices rolled into a cone for a more portable, take-away-friendly snack — have yet to catch on as a runaway phenomenon.
At Gulfood this week, Pizza in Conoexhibited its version of the pizza cone in the hopes the concept will take off in the Middle East, particularly at airports, malls and theme parks, reported HotelierMiddleEast.com. The chain already has outlets in Morocco, Egypt and Kuwait.
Pizza cones are perhaps most popular in New York City, where there are a handful of restaurants that specialize in the calzone-cum-pizza-pocket, including Crispyconesand Cono Italiano.
The idea has also migrated north to Toronto, where The Mad Italian debuted the concept last year as ‘hot cones.’
French company Eurodélices’ Milky Lux line was also spotlighted as a product to watch by Hoteliermiddleeast.com, for the fact that the company’s yogurt and Crème Desserts have a nine-month shelf life.
Milky Lux yogurt comes in four flavors — peach, raspberry, strawberry, and wild berries — and is currently available in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Vietnam and China.
Crème Dessert comes in vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, caramel, praline, coffee and chestnuts.
Meanwhile, Del Monte’s ready-to-eat chocolate-covered strawberries was given the Best New Frozen or Chilled Food Award, while Passina Products was given the Best New Non-Alcohol Beverage award for its Five Senses line, a premium drink infused with white tea, spices, herbs and fruits which the manufacturers claim helps reduce cholesterol, decrease blood pressure and improve the function of blood vessels.
Gulfood is the largest food trade show in the Middle East, attracting 3,800 exhibitors and 55,000 buyers from 152 countries around the word to Dubai. The show kicked off February 19 and wraps up February 22.
