FoodTurkey-September-October-2018

food industry that is unlikely to be
curbed in the near future.
There is also strong potential for halal
certified products in non-majority
Muslim markets, where consumers
are looking for safe and ethical products.
The increasing popularity of the
halal market in Europe is driven by
Russia, France and the United Kingdom.
The halal market in these countries
has continued growing since
2004, albeit at a slower pace than
Asian markets. A major opportunity
can be found in the Australia/Oceania
region, where the halal food market
saw growth of 33.3% in recent
years.
The most promising halal markets
span over a range of different
countries. As the largest populations
of Muslim’s are located in the
Asia-Pacific region, both majority and
non-majority Muslim countries in this
region would have high demand for
halal products. However, markets in
North Africa and the Middle East are
particularly lucrative markets, as several
countries have majority-Muslim
populations.
The halal food industry is also growing
in countries that have smaller
populations of Muslims, but that have
food quality and safety concerns,
such as Australia, the United States
and European countries.
Key halal markets include Indonesia,
United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Saudi
Arabia, Iraq, Morocco, Iran, Malaysia,
Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Kuwait, Jordan,
Lebanon, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, Syria,
Oman and Pakistan. Emerging halal
markets with relatively large Muslim
populations include India (177
million Muslims), China (23 million),
Russia (16 million), the Philippines (5
million), France (5 million), Germany
(4 million) and the United Kingdom
(3 million).
To sum up:
- 25% of the world’s population is
Muslim, nearly 1.6 billion people.
- Food products prepared following
a set of Islamic dietary laws and
regulations, which determine what is
permissible, lawful and clean, are classified
as halal.
- The halal food market has grown
quickly over the past decade, and is
now worth an estimated $632 billion
annually on a global scale.
- Strong economic growth and rising
per capita incomes have fuelled demand
for diversified halal products,
enabling higher consumption levels
and more opportunities for halal
food producers.
- Halal consumption is not limited
only to the Muslim population; other
consumer goods are seeking halal
food due to halal food’s excellent
reputation for healthy and safe food
products, and the humane treatment
of animals.
14 FOOD TURKEY September/October 2018