Four key players from the soybean crushing and vegetable oil refining industry in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region attended the 2019 American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Annual Meeting & Expo in St. Louis, Missouri from May 3 to 9. The AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo is a premier international science and business forum on fats, oils, surfactants, proteins and related materials.
“The event really exceeded my expectations,” says Mostafa Mehanna, the General Manager of WADI Food in Egypt. “As a GM who is leading a company, I spend my time looking for new opportunities in terms of opening new markets, getting new customers, or launching new products. Even when we work on increasing profitability via margin increase or cost savings, we seek ideas towards productivity improvements or decreasing cost of distribution. However, this week was an eye opener for me on how new technology and the latest developments are critical for improvement, savings, and competitor advantage. Speakers have delivered their ideas, and new edible oil technologies clearly and effectively that reflected their large experience. Thank you, USSEC, again for giving me this opportunity to be part of this important event.”
“The AOCS 2019 annual meeting was an outstanding gathering of the oilseeds sector's professionals,” says Lassad Abdelmoula, CEO of EA (Etablissement Abdelmoula) in Tunisia. “It was a unique opportunity to get exposed to the latest research topics and trends as well as the new technologies that are shaping the future of the industry. Technical sessions as well as hot topics coverage were rich in content not only in terms of research but also for regulations, processes and controls.”

Berrada Karim, Adjunct Director Production of Lesieur Cristal in Morocco thanked USSEC for the invitation, saying the conference was “really interesting.” He added, “Technical sessions bring a lot of information on new technologies in the field. And the exhibition allows us to deepen the discussions with the exhibitors on the different subjects. Thank you again, USSEC, for your hospitality and the friendliness you showed, which allowed us to have a pleasant stay.”
 
“I’d like to thank you very much for the AOCS conference and exhibition, which I found it the most specific event for our activity,” states A. H. Amer, CEO of Damietta for Oils in Egypt. “The technical courses enrich my knowledge as academic and I believe it will enrich all the team in our factory.”