Global wellbeing conglomerate, GMG, is focused on supporting UAE’s food security strategy

As a homegrown company, GMG supports the UAE’s food security strategy – a critical national goal heightened by the recent upheavals in the global supply chain. The company is helping advance national efforts to develop sustainable food production systems through modern technologies while enhancing local production.

Our ‘farm to fork’ strategy is the key driver for this vision, which covers the entire food consumption chain, from homegrown food brands to food retail stores that distribute a plethora of brands under the Everyday Goods division.

In the food retail segment, GMG holds exclusive rights to expand well-known supermarket brands across most of the Middle East region. These include Géant, Franprix, Monoprix, and monop, which belong to the French retailing giant Groupe Casino as well as our recent acquisition aswaaq, which added 22 supermarkets to our rapidly growing retail network.

GMG: A prominent player

GMG’s position is further strengthened by its expanding manufacturing capabilities, establishing us as a prominent player in the country’s food production industry. The current production infrastructure covers six product lines: meat, seafood, Himalayan pink salt, herbs and spices, sausages and cold cuts, and butchery and marination. These make up all our homegrown brands: Farm Fresh, Chef’s Choice, Klassic, Sapora, Noor Al Islami, RUH, and Quality 1st Choice.

This year, we’ve achieved a significant milestone with the opening of four new factories that manufacture a range of food products. Collectively, these factories rank among the largest food production facilities in the UAE. Additionally, we’ve established the world’s second-largest fully automated Himalayan pink salt factory, producing 200,000 kilogrammes daily. Our adaptable, top-tier international machinery ensures we meet current and future customer demands, setting us apart from competitors.

This production process is paired with a digitally-optimised logistics infrastructure. An advanced set of interconnected digital applications and tools aligned to create a seamless flow of goods from port to warehouse and finally the store and/or customer. All of this is monitored through a state-of-the-art command centre to ensure consistent service delivery.

Supporting other enterprises

GMG is keen to support other players in the country’s food value chain while ensuring we fill gaps in our farm-to-fork vision. Our recent strategic partnership with other local producers such as Bustanica, the world’s largest hydroponic farm, is a testament to this objective. Under this agreement Bustanica will supply high-quality leafy greens to Géant Hypermarkets and supermarkets across the UAE, ensuring fresh and organic ingredients/food for our consumers. In addition, GMG has signed an MoU with Silal, which is part of ADQ and one of the region’s largest holding companies, to drive collaboration in the food sector by connecting consumers directly with farmers.

The current trajectory builds on my father, Abdul Aziz Baker’s legacy dating back to 1977. He set up a butchery in Dubai with a vision to enhance the quality of life for UAE residents by offering fresh meat, fish, and cold cuts. Since then, GMG has grown into a global retail and manufacturing conglomerate and a major private sector contributor to UAE’s food security objectives.

We are proud to be a part of a transformative change in the food production system that leverages sustainable practices and modern technology to enhance local production. We believe this is a collective responsibility we can achieve by working with stakeholders and partners with a shared vision of innovation and excellence in food production and retail.

The writer is the deputy chairman and CEO of GMG.