Relations between Western nations and their Muslim populations are a regular topic in the news these days, but there is one aspect of this interaction that does not nearly get enough attention – halal foods. With an estimated annual market of $580 billion, halal foods are an important and growing global industry with many exciting possibilities for food manufacturers
Translated from Arabic as “permissible under Islam”, halal is a term that can be used not only in the context of food, but also for many other products such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. In fact, in Arabic-speaking countries, halal refers to many aspects of daily life as they are prescribed by the Qur’an (Koran), including personal conduct, clothing, speech, and manners. However, in non-Arabic-speaking countries, halal is generally used within the context of Muslim dietary laws. Over 70% of the world’s Muslim population (estimated at 1.5 billion people) are thought to follow halal food standards.
Although awareness of halal is growing, currently more consumers in the EU and the US are familiar with kosher foods, which are comparatively well-known in Western countries despite an appreciably smaller Jewish population. Kosher foods, of course, follow guidelines prescribed by Jewish dietary laws (kashrut), which are derived from the Torah. Interestingly, there has been some debate recently on whether Muslims can use kashrut standards in place of halal standards for the consumption of meat, given that the method of slaughter is similar.
For the production of halal meat, the Qur’an requires the ritual slaughter of animals. This method, referred to as dhabiha, involves the swift cutting of the neck of an animal, thereby severing the jugular veins and carotid arteries, and allowing its blood to drain. In several Western countries this practice has been questioned in light of animal rights legislation which requires the stunning of animals prior to slaughter, as is commonly done for non-halal meat products. For example, in 2003 the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) in the UK recommended that the method of slaughter for both halal and kosher meat be banned, claiming that the deep neck incision to fully conscious animals caused them severe suffering.
Importantly, however, scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover, Germany have previously shown that sheep and calves butchered with the knife incision method actually show less pain that animals stunned by captive bolt pistol. As described in an article published in 1978 in the Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenzeitschrift, Wilhelm Schultze and colleagues surgically implanted EEG electrodes on sheep and calves that were slaughtered with both methods, concluding that “the slaughter in the form of a ritual cut is, if carried out properly, painless in sheep and calves according to EEG recordings and the missing defensive actions”. In fact, the Hannover team found more pronounced pain stimuli in response to captive bolt stunning. This study is cited by the Bundesverfassungsgericht (the Federal Constitutional Court in Germany) in its permission of dhabiha slaughtering.
Halal of course also defines which foods are not be consumed, which include pork and blood (hence the blood draining as achieved by dhabiha), as well as all products containing alcohol. The smoking of tobacco is also forbidden. All fish products are allowed, and all meat products should be prepared with the invocation of takbir.
An increasing number of major food corporations have developed products to address the dietary preferences of their Muslim customers, introducing a wide variety of halal foods to the market. For example, many fast food chains, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, and Dunkin’ Donuts, have stores in Muslim countries that offer halal foods there. In the US and the UK, many of these chains as well as other restaurants are beginning to cater to the large Muslim populations in these countries. For example, halal chicken nuggets are sold by McDonald’s in Dearborn, Michigan (with a large Arab community) and halal fried chicken has become popular throughout both countries, also among non-Muslim customers.
Nevertheless, a persistent problem for Muslims in the US is the high price of meat products in halal stores and limited selection of halal food products in most US supermarkets. A recent survey by J. Walter Thompson, an advertising agency based in New York, revealed that 44 percent of Muslim-Americans are of the opinion that their needs are not met by the currently available halal food products. The costliness of halal meat is due in large part to the slower slaughtering methods, as well as the hiring and training of Muslim workers. Also, many halal stores must order their products from distributors or halal butchers in other states, requiring long-distance transport that creates an additional cost factor.
Nevertheless, most observant Muslims feel they have no choice but to accept the high price of halal foods. Given the pressure felt by this subset of consumers to purchase according to their beliefs, there are of course unscrupulous vendors, distributors and others who exploit this situation – selling products labelled as ‘halal’ which are in reality non-halal, thereby reaping an extra, but increasingly illegal, profit. In fact, a local law was recently passed in the US state of Ohio, which makes it “illegal to sell, distribute, and/or produce food that has been mislabelled ‘halal,’ when it is determined that the food does not meet Islamic dietary standards”. This is a step in the right direction, especially since there are already similar laws in place regarding the sale of kosher foods.
It is important to remember that halal foods do not just include dhabiha halal meat products. Many observant Muslims find it challenging to adhere to halal standards when consuming food in restaurants, or when purchasing many types of prepared foods in supermarkets. For example, even when halal dishes are offered in restaurants, the issue of potential cross-contamination arises, as the same cooking tools may have been used to prepare non-halal dishes. In addition, many food ingredients – such as gelatin and even monosodium glutamate (which is sometimes prepared using enzymes derived from pig fat) – are not declared on restaurant menus, and their inclusion could render these foods as ‘haraam’ (forbidden). Finally, as alcohol is strictly forbidden according to halal food standards, many foods that use alcohol in the cooking process or as a solvent for food additives (such as vanilla or other extracts) – even if this alcohol evaporates during the production process – are not allowed either.
For these reasons, halal certification is becoming an increasingly important topic, especially in the EU. Multiple private organisations currently exist in each country with the ability to issue halal certification to food manufacturers. Care should be therefore taken to obtain such a certification from an organisation that is recognised both by national Islamic authorities, and by the Muslim customers.
One of the major markets for halal products worldwide is Turkey. Despite its large Muslim population (71 million people, or 99% of the country’s inhabitants), Turkey is one of the few countries in Europe which does not have a national system for the issuance of halal certificates. The Turkish Standards Institution, or TSE, initiated a certification program in 2006 but this project was unfortunately cancelled. As a result, many Turkish companies turn to local Islamic authorities to obtain certificates, or issue their own. The consequence of this is that Turkish companies are only minor players in the global halal market. For example, Brazil exports $6.5 billion worth of halal meat to countries with Muslim populations – a market penetration that Turkish exporters can only dream about at the moment. Nonetheless, with their current production conditions, food companies in Turkey are well-positioned to take a sizeable bite out of this market once the halal certification issue has been addressed.
Along these lines, an international expo on halal products will take place in Turkey this summer. Held in the Istanbul Expo Centre between August 13th and 16th, the Halalist Expo 2009 (www.halalistexpo.com) will provide a platform for both national and international exhibitors to seal new business deals for halal products in this increasingly important market. Currently, many key players from the halal industry are expected to attend, including participants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, China, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Brazil, France, and Germany. In particular, international companies with halal certification in place will be keen to explore new opportunities for exporting their products to Turkey.
In another corner of the world, China’s Shaanxi province is making moves to increase the availability of halal products for their Muslim population there. At Shaanxi’s annual Investment and Trade Forum for Cooperation between East and West China, which opened April 5th in the provincial capital Xian, it was announced that authorities plan to create a halal hub within the free trade zone in Xianyang. Shaanxi is turning in part towards Malaysia to help develop this project, and to help establish halal certification for the region. Working together with Malaysia’s Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry (MECD), private companies are invited to participate in this effort.
Many other countries also have a large and growing Muslim population – often one that is increasingly interested in observing Islamic dietary laws, and with the financial means to do so. Many opportunities exist for food manufacturers to expand into this attractive market, especially working in cooperation with halal certification authorities.
