His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research officially inaugurated SIAL Middle East 2011 today at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Their Excellencies Saqr Al Ghobash, Minister of Labour; Rashid Bin Fahad, Minister of Environment;  Azuldin Abdullah Hussein, Minister of Agriculture in Iraq; Rashid Al Shariqi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority; Jamal Al Majid, Al Majid Group; and a number of senior officials attended the opening ceremony.

The VIP delegation toured the exhibition halls, and were joined by ambassadors from UK, Turkey, Iran, Argentina, Pakistan and Italy.

Held annually, under the strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, SIAL Middle East is part of the world�s largest network of professional food events, which include SIAL Paris, SIAL China, SIAL Canada, and SIAL Brazil. The event brings together professionals involved in buying and selling food products, services and equipment in addition to the latest innovations in the food industry.

The trade show features 500 food and equipment manufacturers and suppliers, in addition to 14 national pavilions from Turkey, Argentina, Korea, China, Taiwan, Iran, France, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, USA, Pakistan, Tunisia and the UAE. 70% of these companies will be exhibiting for the first time in the region.

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In addition, SIAL Middle East 2011 is also hosting 500 key buyers under its specifically designed SIAL Purchasers Club, SIAL Innovations Awards, Africa & Middle East semi-finals of the WACS Global Chefs Challenge and Hans Bueschkens Young Chefs Challenge, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Investment meetings and The Grocery @ SIAL Middle East.