• Agreement introduces MLC technology for clean-label manufacturing — enabling efficient, sustainable, and consumer-friendly food production.
  • The partnership boosts AAFG’s innovation and R&D capacity to accelerate product development, support local manufacturing, and drive rapid market growth.

Al Ain, UAE – Al Ain Farms Group (AAFG), the UAE’s largest national provider of protein and beverages, has signed a strategic joint development agreement with Finnish food-tech innovator FoodIQ to bring cutting-edge food manufacturing technology to the region for the first time.

This partnership marks the first major public milestone for AAFG since its recent formation, signaling a bold new chapter in local food innovation. Under the agreement, AAFG will be the first company in the world to implement FoodIQ’s patented Multi-Layer Cooker (MLC) technology on an industrial scale outside Finland, enabling the UAE to locally produce a new generation of clean-label, natural, and high-protein foods.

“At Al Ain Farms Group, our mission is to deliver quality, innovation, and sustainability for the future of food,” said Hassan Safi, Group CEO of AAFG. “This collaboration not only puts the UAE on the global map for food-tech adoption - it also empowers us to rapidly meet growing consumer demand for healthier choices while using local ingredients. It is a milestone moment for our Group”

The MLC is a smart, modular food manufacturing system designed for flexible-batch production that can seamlessly switch between different high-viscosity recipes - from yogurt to plant-based milk, cheese, and protein smoothies - all while preserving the nutritional value of real ingredients with no additives, no preservatives, and with significantly reduced energy use, water consumption, and minimal production waste.

Founded in 2015, FoodIQ is a pioneer in flexible food production for health-conscious markets. Its MLC machine is already in use at its global R&D center in Finland and trusted by leading Nordic food companies for flexible-scale productions. The AAFG collaboration now brings this innovative technology to the UAE with three product ranges expected within six months, followed by broader scale-up into both dairy and plant-based categories.

“We’re proud to bring our MLC platform to the UAE with a partner that truly shares our values,” said Robert Savikko, CEO of FoodIQ. “Together with AAFG, we’re not just introducing new technology - we’re setting a new benchmark for clean-label, sustainable food manufacturing, built on quality, transparency, and innovation.”

The signing took place at one of Al Ain Farms Group site location, Marmum Dairy’s facilities in Al Ain. The event was attended by senior leadership from AAFG and FoodIQ, and representatives from Business Finland, underscoring the strong bilateral ties between the UAE and Finland.

The ceremony included a guided tour of the facilities, a presentation of the MLC technology, and a tasting session of clean-label products made possible through the new platform.

The agreement directly supports the UAE’s Food Security Strategy 2051, the National Strategy for Industry and Advanced Technology, and Net Zero 2050 - advancing scalable, efficient, and sustainable local food manufacturing aligned with national goals.

This partnership reinforces AAFG’s growing role as a regional R&D leader in functional, natural foods, and contributes to the UAE’s emergence as a global hub for sustainable food-tech innovation.

About Al Ain Farms Group

Al Ain Farms Group (AAFG) is a national protein and beverages brand, delivering wholesome, high-quality, and accessible nutrition across fresh dairy, poultry, juice, and eggs. Operating across a fully integrated farm-to-shelf model, AAFG ensures freshness within 24 hours — supporting the UAE’s food security goals with products made locally and trusted regionally.

The Group brings together five of the UAE’s most trusted names in food production:

  • Al Ain Farms – Founded by the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed, a pioneer in the UAE dairy industry and one of the largest integrated dairy and poultry companies in UAE
  • Marmum Dairy – One of best-known brands in dairy, especially with its yoghurt category
  • Al Ajban Chicken – One of the UAE’s first and most technologically advanced fresh poultry producers
  • Al Jazira Poultry Farm Golden Eggs – Home of the iconic Golden Eggs, known for traceability and innovation
  • Saha Arabian Farms – A regional egg producer with operations across the UAE and Saudi Arabia
  • AAFG is part of Ghitha Holding PJSC, and backed by Yas Holding LLC, two UAE-based investment groups driving national self-sufficiency and sustainable food systems.

About FoodIQ

FoodIQ is a 2015-founded, Finland-based food-tech company disrupting the global food industry with its proprietary Multi-Layer Cooker (MLC), an advanced next-gen technology, enabling flexible, local, clean-label (additive-free) production of virtually any high-viscosity product with rapid recipe changeover.

FoodIQ is currently rolling out the technology globally, and operates its Finland-based global headquarters and industrial-scale factory and R&D centre, that also serves some of the most prominent Nordic food companies, under contract manufacturing arrangements. To clients globally, FoodIQ’s offering includes both the world-leading MLC technology and ongoing product development and R&D support, including access to 10+ years of R&D and clean-label product recipe development expertise utilising the MLC.

FoodIQ's MLC technology, in brief:

  • The technology enables local production using local ingredients, and with a gentle, precise process that preserves the nutritional value of whole food ingredients and eliminates the need for using additives, producing healthy, tasty and wholesome food products
  • Rapid switchover time between products, enables removing large-plant bottlenecks with unprecedented flexibility and efficiency
  • Compact system: able to homogenise, pasteurise, mix, cut, heat, cool, all in one unit, with less waste, and longer product shelf life
  • Optimised for flexible-batch (300-1,000kg/batch and up to 20,000kg/day, and scalable by multiples of this by adding units), pumpable high-viscosity product including dairy, plant-based, and hybrid
  • Base ingredients can be any natural proteins, fats, and fibres interchangeably: milk, cocos, oats, fruit, oils, peas, rice, etc., to create products like sauces, mayonnaise, yoghurt, smoothies, cheese, etc., fermented or non-fermented 
  • FoodIQ provides ongoing support, including recipe development and operational and maintenance (on-site and remote).

Media Contact:
Noura Charaf | noura.charaf@alainfarms.com
Dina Jdaa | alainfarmsgroup@apcoworldwide.com