MANILA - Philippine food companies that participated in the Gulfood 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates closed the four-day expo with initial sales amounting to USD23.6 million, or around PHP1.2 billion. In a statement Wednesday, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) said the value is expected to increase as local food firms had business-to-business matching activities at the Gulfood 2022. According to CITEM, this is the country's 17th participation in the Gulfood and the largest delegation so far. Forty-eight Filipino food firms were part of the delegation, with nine of them having physical presence during the four-day expo and 39 showcased their products online. "The Philippines is a great sourcing destination for food products because of its diverse agricultural landscapes and rich gastronomy. Especially with this pandemic, the demand for healthy and halal-certified food products is high, and the country is poised to be a leader in this categor