Strong growth for extruded snacks in MENA

A new market report analysing extruded snack foods in the Middle East and North Africa shows strong growth of USD1,987 million in 2017.  Current developments in the region will raise the value to USD2,555 million by 2023, reflecting a CAGR of over 4% during 2018-2023. These figures are from the "Middle East and North Africa Extruded Snack Food Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2018-2023" offered by ResearchAndMarkets.com.

Extrusion is the process of preparing snacks and ready-to-eat foods by using such ingredients as corn, tapioca, oats, potatoes, and wheat that enter an extruder.

According to NCBI* "an extruder consists of tightly fitting screw rotating within a stationary barrel. Preground and conditioned ingredients enter the screw where they are conveyed, mixed, and heated by a variety of processes. The product exits the extruder through a die where it usually puffs and changes texture from the release of steam and normal forces".

After extrusion, these snacks are processed and converted into semi-cooked or pre-cooked food products to eliminate toxins and micro-organisms produced naturally, while making these snacks healthier as well as safer for consumption.

Trends that are evident in other developing regions including rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, are influencing food choices and opening up MENA consumers to western food cultures. The region is also experiencing rapid population growth and consists mostly of low median age groups. Rising disposable incomes have also positively influenced the growth of this market.

*Food extrusion. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/378548