The AgriFood Growth and Water Abundance (AGWA) cluster at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) convened government leaders, global and regional food companies, investors, regulators and innovators at PALT 2026, to advance Abu Dhabi’s alternative protein and novel food ecosystem and address the conditions required to move next-generation food technologies from innovation to commercial scale.
Held at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, the programme examined some of the sector’s most pressing commercial challenges, including the economics of fermentation and the importance of feedstock, energy, infrastructure and scale; changing market dynamics for alternative proteins and novel foods; the funding gap between pilots and industrial production; and the role of regulation, halal frameworks and consumer trust in supporting wider adoption.
As part of Abu Dhabi’s wider efforts to create an enabling environment for novel food innovation, the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (ADQCC), in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and with support from AGWA, unveiled the guidelines for the safe conduct of tasting and sensory evaluation of novel foods prior to full UAE market authorisation. The framework supports alternative proteins, cultivated foods, precision fermentation and biomass fermentation products, while enabling industry perspectives to inform the evolving regulatory environment.
PALT also marked further progress in Abu Dhabi’s planned protein fermentation ecosystem, with Al Ghurair Foods expected to join the Starfish consortium as a strategic feedstock partner. The company will provide locally produced dextrose, a critical fermentation input, strengthening the local supply chain supporting the planned facility as it progresses through the engineering phase.
The development builds on ADIO’s wider efforts through AGWA to establish an end-to-end ecosystem for future food industries. Through AGWA, ADIO is coordinating the regulatory, investment and industrial capabilities needed to support the growth of alternative proteins, novel foods and next-generation food production in Abu Dhabi. This builds on partnerships with Vivici, The EVERY Company and New Agrarian to advance industrial-scale alternative protein production using fermentation technology, alongside continued efforts to strengthen the infrastructure, supply chains and commercial pathways required for the sector to scale.
Speakers and participants included representatives from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADQCC, ADAFSA, Nestlé, Arla Foods, Al Ain Farms Group, Vivici, Al Ghurair Foods, UPSIDE Foods, Perfect Day, and other organisations across the global food and alternative protein ecosystem.
Through AGWA, ADIO is connecting investment, research, technology, regulation and industry to accelerate the development and commercialisation of food and water solutions. By 2045, AGWA is projected to contribute AED 90 billion to Abu Dhabi’s incremental GDP, create more than 60,000 jobs and attract AED 128 billion in investment, supporting economic diversification and the emirate’s long-term food resilience.
