AIPG Association for International Promotion of Gums

Objectives of association

AIPG takes care of the special professional interests of importers, processors and producers of natural gums, especially gum arabic. Its members include both local importers and processors of the product in Germany, other EU countries, the USA and Japan, as well as manufacturers in the countries of origin, e.g. Sudan, Chad, Nigeria. Accordingly, AIPG sees itself as an association whose main interest is to promote the product image of natural gums, which are used especially as additives in the food and feed sector.

Industry

Gum arabic as tree resin from the acacia species Acacia Senegal or related species is an indispensable economic factor in the African countries of origin (Sudan, Nigeria, Chad, etc.). From there it is exported to the main customer countries on a considerable annual scale (in 2018: 62.800 tons to the EU, 15.600 tons to the USA, 1.900 tons to Japan). Further industrial processing takes place there regularly (e.g. by spray drying) and used mainly in the food industry. The product is no longer only used as a classic additive for food and feed, but with increasing economic potential also as bulk material („fibre“) in a wide variety of food products. In this association, the key players in the supply chain work together from origin to further processing; it has established itself as an important link between producers and exporters in the countries of origin and importers and processors in importing countries. In addition to gum arabic, the association also takes care of other approved additives such as gum tragacanth, karaya gum and guar gum.

Key activities

Focus of the activities is on:

  • Dealing with food law issues e.g. purity criteria for gums traded as
    additives
  • Information for members on all relevant, especially scientific and legal
    product-related questions
  • Representation of interest before the responsible national authorities
    and ministries, EU institutions and international bodies
  • Research work and collection of scientific findings in the field of gums
  • Participation in the re-evaluation of food and feed
  • Organisation of events, such as workshops, seminars, symposia,
    conferences on natural gums.
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companies
President

Ulrike Singelmann, Ernst H. Singelmann GmbH & Co. KG, Hamburg

Office

Secretary General

Atty. Lutz Düshop

Manager Scientific Affairs

Björn-Darjusch Buchmann

Executive Assistant

Christiane Hillesheim-Behrens

Contact

Phone: +49 40 236016-34
Fax: +49 40 236016-10

Email: aipg@wga-hh.de

http://www.treegums.org

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