Building Resilience From The Line Up: ULMA Packaging On What Food Security Really Takes

Food security is often discussed in terms of farms, ports and storage silos. Gamal Ali sees it differently. As Managing Director of ULMA Packaging Middle East, he argues that a great deal of a nation's food resilience is decided much later in the chain, on the packaging line itself. Ahead of Saudifood Manufacturing 2026, he shared his view on where the industry is under pressure, what ULMA Packaging is doing about it, and where the region's food manufacturing sector is headed.

Packaging As A Link In The Food Security Chain
Ask Gamal what food security means for ULMA Packaging this year, and he doesn't start with policy or supply; he starts with the product itself. "Packaging is not simply about containing a product," he says. "It is about preserving quality, extending shelf life, reducing food waste." In his view, protecting food from the moment it leaves the production line to the moment it reaches a consumer's table is the job packaging was always meant to do.

That job has taken on new weight across the region, as governments and manufacturers pour investment into building up local food production. Gamal frames ULMA's role in that shift as a supporting one: helping producers run more efficiently without adding to their environmental footprint. The company's #ULMAweCare sustainability programme is built around that balance, pushing customers toward less material use, recyclable and compostable formats where they make sense, and longer shelf life that doesn't compromise safety. For Gamal, the maths is simple: less wasted food is one of the clearest wins packaging can offer both sustainability and security at once.

Meeting Pressure With Precision, Not A Standard Playbook
Manufacturers today are being pulled in several directions simultaneously, expected to run leaner, greener and more automated lines while holding product quality steady. Gamal says ULMA Packaging resists the temptation to offer a single fix for every customer. Instead, the company works application by application, helping clients rethink packaging design, cut material use, tighten line efficiency and get ahead of sustainability rules before they arrive.

Behind that flexibility is a steady stream of R&D. ULMA's engineering teams are working to get its machines running thinner films, mono-material structures, fibre-based formats and compostable packaging, all without giving up the productivity or food-safety performance manufacturers rely on. Much of that work runs through the company's Technology Centre, where new materials and formats are tested against real production conditions before they reach a customer's line.

What To Expect From ULMA At Saudifood Manufacturing 2026
For ULMA Packaging, Saudifood Manufacturing has become a key date on the regional calendar, less a trade show than a direct line to the market. "It provides an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas with customers, understand evolving market needs and showcase innovations that create real value for food processors," Gamal says.

This year, the focus at the ULMA Packaging stand will be on how digital connectivity and sustainable packaging can reinforce one another on the production floor, lifting productivity, cutting waste and improving overall equipment effectiveness. Visitors will also get a look at the breadth of ULMA's packaging technology portfolio, which Gamal says is precisely the point: having enough range to match the right machine to the right application, rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all solution. Just as importantly, he sees the show as a chance to hear what challenges customers expect to face next, and to start shaping solutions around them early.

Four Forces Reshaping Packaging In The Region
Population growth, tightening food security policy and shifting consumer habits are moving the Middle East's food industry fast, and Gamal points to four trends driving that change:

• Greater automation, helping manufacturers keep output steady in the face of labour constraints.
• Sustainable packaging, with recyclable and mono-material formats moving from a niche request to a standard expectation.
• Food waste reduction, driven by packaging built to extend shelf life and protect product quality across the supply chain.
• Digitalisation and Industry 4.0, giving manufacturers connected systems to monitor performance and make sharper decisions on the line.

For Gamal, none of these trends stand alone. "Sustainability and productivity go hand in hand," he says. "Our objective is not only to help customers reduce the environmental footprint of their packaging, but also to improve competitiveness through smarter, more efficient packaging solutions that are ready for the future."

Q&A With Gamal Ali, Managing Director, ULMA Packaging Middle East

What do food security and resilience mean for your business this year?
For ULMA Packaging, food security begins with protecting food throughout its entire journey, from production to the consumer. Packaging is not simply about containing a product; it is about preserving quality, extending shelf life and reducing food waste. Across the Middle East, governments and food producers are investing heavily in local manufacturing to strengthen food security, and our role is to support this transformation with solutions that improve efficiency while reducing environmental impact.

How are you navigating current industry pressures?
Food manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve efficiency while meeting higher expectations for sustainability, automation and product quality. We work closely with each customer to identify the most suitable packaging solution for their specific application, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, and we continue to invest in technologies that let our machines process thinner films, recyclable mono-materials, fibre-based packaging and compostable materials without compromising productivity or safety.

What are you preparing or looking forward to at Saudifood Manufacturing?
Saudifood Manufacturing is one of the most important events for the food manufacturing industry in our region. It gives us the chance to exchange ideas with customers, understand where market needs are heading and showcase innovations that create real value for food processors. This year we're looking forward to showing how digital connectivity and sustainable packaging can work together to improve productivity, reduce waste and enhance overall equipment effectiveness.

What key trends are you seeing in the market?
The Middle East food industry continues to evolve quickly, shaped by investment in food security, population growth and changing consumer expectations. We see four trends standing out: greater automation, sustainable packaging, food waste reduction, and digitalisation through Industry 4.0. At ULMA, we see sustainability and productivity as two sides of the same goal.