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Leading UAE halal food manufacturer Al Islami Foods has opened its biggest food production facility in the Middle East in Sharjah’s Hamriyah Free Zone. According to Al Islami Foods, the new 10,000 square metre (32,800 sq. ft.) factory is expected to create over 100 new jobs, increase the company’s food product production by 150 percent and allow it to launch a range of new products.
Al Islami Foods is one of the largest food manufacturers and distributors in the Arabian Gulf region, offering more than 100 frozen and speciality food products. The company currently employs about 350 people across its operations in Brazil, India, Kuwait and the UAE. Exporting to the GCC states, the broader Middle East, plus markets such as the Seychelles, Maldives and Mauritius, the new Sharjah factory will help the company increase production of Halal processed meat products to 18,000 metric tonnes per year.
The new state of the art facility will also enable Al Islami to offer a range of new food solutions, such as products for the in-flight catering industry, sous-vide (vacuum packed) solutions for the hospitality industry and cooked products for the HORECA (hotel, restaurant and cafe) sector.
With a heritage dating back to 1970, Al Islami Foods distributes over 100 frozen food items under two brands to local and export markets. Al Islami-branded products include whole chicken, chicken parts, burgers, chicken nuggets, franks, snack foods, seafood, vegetables and fruit, while the Aladdin brand offers a range of food products for children.
Favourable business terms and a strategic location have made Hamriyah Free Zone Authority increasingly popular for food manufacturers. Earlier this year, the zone launched ‘Sharjah Food Park’, a regional hub for the Middle East and North Africa’s multi-billion dollar food industry, dedicated to food import, export, storage, manufacture and packaging. Covering a total area of 11 million square metres (118 million square feet), and offering warehousing, office space and labour accommodation, the new zone will be the region’s largest dedicated facility for food industries.
Established in 1995, Hamriyah Free Zone is Sharjah’s largest free zone and the second largest industrial hub in the UAE. The free zone houses over 6,500 enterprises from 157 countries, attracting foreign investment from more than 500 industry verticals in the key sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, maritime, steel, construction and food products. The free zone allows 100 percent foreign ownership, exemption from commercial levies, repatriation of capital and profit, no corporation or income tax and no import or export tax.
Source: Al Islami Foods
