Makeup, meds and sports wear: Why halal has become big business
By
Sophie Morlin-Yron, for CNN
Updated 1217 GMT (2017 HKT) August 29, 2016
Halal industry takes off in Brunei 02:49
(CNN)You might think of halal as just being a set of Islamic rules about meat, but t
he global halal industry incorporates everything from medicines to cosmetics. And the industry is growing fast.
One report valued the global halal food and beverage market at
$1.37 trillion in 2014, which represented 18% of the entire market, and the number of Muslims worldwide is expected to increase from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.8 billion in 2050, according to
Pew Research Center.
In Europe, the halal market is growing at an estimated annual rate of between 10-20% -- depending on what products you include -- a demand driven by a general desire for Sharia compliance among a growing Muslim population, according to Paulius Kuncinas, business analyst and managing editor, Asia, at
Oxford Business Group
Halal is an Arabic word meaning permissible according to Islamic Sharia law, and can refer to both goods and services acceptable to Muslims. It can encompass food, catering, medicines, and clothing such as sportswear, according to a report by Euromonitor International.
Halal products are typically known as being
pork free, alcohol free, and for the specific method of slaughter. The
animal should not be stunned, but killed by a cut to its throat, and the procedure must be performed by a Muslim.
The process
varies from certifier to certifier, and can sometimes also include ensuring that the producers are not involved with alcohol or pork, Kuncinas explains. "The
suspicion is that you may contaminate the produce," he says.
Brunei's halal vision
Because the rules are so stringent,
halal is all about credibility and quality control, and one country hoping to benefit from its strict halal standards is Brunei.
The small southeast Asian kingdom has in
recent years built a strong reputation as a halal producer, part of a move to diversify its economy away from oil and gas. And it is well positioned to succeed, with a reputation as a country that adheres strictly to Sharia law, Kuncinas explains.
In Brunei, even the cook preparing the meal must be Muslim, which is not the case in Muslim countries such as Malaysia, says Ibrahim Badawi, executive chairman of
Brahim's, a Malaysian company producing halal ready meals.
"Brunei has probably not been promoting as much halal as what Malaysia has done," he says, "but the potential is there.
"The strength of Brunei's halal industry
basically comes from the government," adds Badawi,
"because it's actually governed by the government.
It's a single body --
not like certain countries where they don't have the government but individual companies doing halal ... and the credibility is not there. "
He adds that although
Brunei may too small to sustain large-scale animal agriculture, the meat need not be reared within the country itself to be halal.
"The Brunei government has farms in Australia that do halal slaughter," Badawi says. "To ensure that the meat is slaughtered according to the proper rites, someone has to be there at the time of slaughter."
Brunei Halal, a company
run by the Brunei government, with its products certified by the Islamic Brunei Religious Council, has seen success in the UK, where its meat, snacks, drinks and spices are sold by supermarket chains Tesco and ASDA.
Brunei has also been courting investors in the UK, and beyond, for its "Bio Innovation Corridor," an industrial and technological park in Brunei that will promote the development of halal industry in the country.
Halal branching out
The appeal of halal can extend beyond religious rules. Kucinas says that
even some non-practicing Muslims consider halal products to be of superior quality. To them a
halal certification is a stamp of approval that signifies wholesomeness and high quality due to rigorous controls and checks throughout the supply chain.
He compares it to the
way some Western shoppers associate organic produce with better quality. "While
the West has a burgeoning organic food market, the Muslim countries have halal," he says.
But in
contrast to organic produce, which typically costs more than non-organic, halal products are not generally more expensive says Kuncinas.
And these days,
halal producers are branching out beyond food.
"I just visited the
leading annual halal exhibition in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), and it is becoming a very broad movement in terms of products," says Kuncinas. "You even have
halal beverages nowadays. Non-alcoholic sparkling wine produced by the likes of Cava is but one example," he adds.
Halal pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are also taking off. Creams, makeup and medicines can contain animal fat, gelatine, and other animal residues and the halal products are either completely vegan or checked to ensure there are no ingredients forbidden by Islamic law.
According to Euromintor, there are
now halal foundations, blushers, lipsticks, anti-agers and skin whitening products, with Unilever Indonesia among the companies producing halal cosmetics.
"It's one of the
most promising and potentially high value-added industries," Kuncinas says.
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/29/world/halal-industry/index.html
BAD marketing! PLUS Muslims didnt ask for their rights! In the West it took a while for the Muslims to demand Halal food (sure it happened a decade a go but before that many were eating Kosher or some just abandoned and ate anything from "ahle kitab")....
Halal as a brand gained momentum sometime in 2009 ....it has been on the rise but slow...
There is research going on in the sector but it is also slow....
Now when Muslims know they can demand and tourism is trying to reel in the money from middle east....Here is how much it has gained
With travel blogs/ Muslim travel blogs telling people where they can eat or not/ what to do in xyz citizes and so on....Countries finally learned that like Vegetarian, Halal is also a market:
How Thailand is making itself more appealing to Muslim travellers.
THAILAND is famous for its parties, red-light districts and cheap booze, but lately it’s been making changes to draw in a new crowd — Muslim holiday-makers.
https://www.news.com.au/travel/worl...s/news-story/8f066d943600bdb5b0a4baae8ada01e5
Bangkok's Al Meroz is Thailand's first fully halal hotel https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/bangkoks-al-meroz-is-thailands-first-fully-halal-hotel
It was in mid to late 2000s that Bangkok airport had a surau/ prayer room with area to do wudhu to attract more Muslim travellers
Japanese actually spent few years in learning about it then they went all up:
Japan’s halal industry gathers pace but experts say there’s more to do
BY TAKAKI TOMINAGA
KYODO
As the influx of foreign visitors to Japan includes Muslims, there has been discussion about how Japan can best accommodate their religious dietary restrictions and other needs.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2...gathers-pace-experts-say-theres/#.W-hM0tUzbIU
https://halalexpo.jp/en/
http://www.islam.or.jp/en/halalfood/
Why Japanese Chefs Are Embracing Halal Food
The once isolationist island nation of Japan seems to be pushing forward in a real way to embrace halal-certified food—which is a pretty smart move considering Japan’s relative proximity to some of the nations with the world’s largest number of Muslims.
https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/78dkqx/why-japanese-chefs-are-embracing-halal-food
What are the barriers to growth in the halal industry?
COMMENTS
By Euronews • last updated: 07/09/2018
Halal food is the largest and most diverse sector within the Islamic economy.
The word ‘halal’ relates to what is permissible under Islamic law, and in food terms this involves animals being slaughtered and processed in a particular way. In addition, products should not contain pork or alcohol.
According to the State of the Global Islamic Economy report by Thomson Reuters, Muslim expenditure in the food and beverage sector will exceed $1.9 trillion by 2022.
The sector’s expansion has resulted in the emergence of numerous halal startups, from baby food and confectionary to ready-meals.
STANDARDISATION
Despite this expansion,
a lack of international halal food standards and uniform certification is threatening to curb the sector’s growth.
Whilst Malaysia is the current world leader in the halal food rankings, according to a report published by Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre and Thomson Reuters, the UAE has made significant inroads to becoming a reference point for global regulation.
The
Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology – a body responsible for all the standards linked to health, safety, consumer protection - has certified around 200 UAE companies and more than 7,000 halal products.
According to the Director General, His Excellency Abdulla Al Maeeni, this scheme is based on international standards and is the first of its kind worldwide.
The intention is to provide transparency and reliability, whilst aiming to boost the sector’s presence in the international market, in turn benefiting producers worldwide.
“Once we have standards, then they [the food producers] can produce in commercial quantities, because they will have a bigger number of people, and markets, accepting the same product,” explains Al Maeeni.
ESMA
✔@esmaGOV
https://www.sharjah24.ae/en/uae/319388-uae-uk-technical-cooperation-in-accreditation-for-laboratories-and-conformity-assessment …#ESMA is constantly seeking to be in line with the leadership's directives to
#Develop the
#Islamic_economy. The
#uae has already taken many steps towards establishing an
#integrated #global_system for the
#Halal sector.
#AbuDhabi#Dubai
4
6:17 PM - May 15, 2018
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MISCONCEPTIONS
Other significant barriers to growth are the misconceptions that surround the halal industry.
“A lot of companies, especially in Europe or in Western parts of the world, don’t understand halal” says Al Maeeni, “That's why [Western manufacturers] are missing out on opportunities.”
However, according to ESMA’s director general, altering as little as one ingredient in a regular food product could make it halal compliant, thus facilitating its distribution to a wider consumer base.
WILL HALAL FOOD OUTPACE THE WIDER INDUSTRY?
Al Maeeni believes that the halal food sector could potentially outpace the wider industry.
"If you look at the different elements of the different sectors within the global economy you'll find the halal industry is the sector that is most improving,” he says, “It will have a good impact and payback to the industry within a couple of years.”
Forecasts from analysts suggest that the halal industry will grow by around ten percent per annum.
HALAL FOODIES AROUND THE WORLD
A patisserie-loving Parisian woman who goes by her Instagram handle 'By' - says she's delighted about the rise of halal food outlets in French capital.
US-based British national Shirin uploaded this shot of her favourite halal Thai spot in Manhattan, but says London has more options.
And London-based Fatima shared this image of her favourtie burger in the Big Smoke, commenting that it's “so easy to find a halal restaurant” there.
https://www.euronews.com/2018/09/07/what-are-the-barriers-to-growth-in-the-halal-industry
