: Admin | : 2017-06-10
Halal products are those that are "lawful" or "permitted" (Halal) according to Islamic laws. This excludes certain products and by-products that are unlawful/prohibited (Haram), such as swine/pork, those that have gone through improper slaughtering processes or been contaminated from Haram products/ingredients. The market for these food products has already seen notable growth and is expected to further grow in demand (Gooch et al. 23-24).
The North American Halal food market is growing at a rapid rate, with estimates from Consulting that the global market is $580 billion, and that global Halal trade is roughly worth $80 billion, or 5% of total agri-food product trade. It has been estimated that in the future, Halal trade might grow to account for 20% of the world's food trade. The North American market is currently estimated to be approximately $12 billion (Hogan "Halal 101"). A VCMC study on the Halal meat industry in North America, estimated that the Halal fresh meat market in 2010 was between $370-520 million (Gooch et al. 24).
With a notable and expanding Muslim population, Canada's Halal market is currently estimated at $1 billion (Hogan "Halal 101"). Growing at roughly a 13% annual growth rate, Canada's Muslim population is projected to represent 7% of Canada's total population by 2031. According to the VCMC, the majority of the Muslim population in Canada resides in Ontario (61%), followed by Quebec (19%), and British Columbia (10%). With regards to cities, the majority of Muslims live in Toronto (47%), Mississauga (12%) and Ottawa (9%): all located within Ontario. The Canadian Muslim population also represents an opportunistic consumer group whose characteristics include being well educated, larger households (4.4 people per household, as opposed to 2.5 per household on average), and commonly include meat as a part of their diet, spending more money on meat than the average consumer (Gooch et al. 19-20).
A number of large Halal brands are present in the Canadian market, including Al Safa, Maple Lodge – Zabiha Halal, Crescent Premium Foods Inc., Madina, and Spring Lamb/Opal Valley. These brands produce a variety of fresh and frozen, value-added processed, and deli/wiener products, with a range of options that include chicken, lamb, beef, turkey and vegetarian products, and several pizza products (25).
According to the VCMC, outside of Canada, export opportunities are available for a variety of products that cater to Muslim consumers. The majority of Islamic countries are also net food importers with significant young and growing populations, strong economic growth and rising incomes. These factors are particularly increasing demand for a wide range of Halal certified products in the Middle East, which already has a Muslim population of 475 million and imports over 80% of food requirements. It is estimated that the worldwide Muslim population may reach 2.2 billion by 2030; 35% of the world's population (Hogan "Halal 101").
Within the U.S., there is the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), which is a not-for-profit Islamic organization dedicated to supervising and certifying the production of Halal food products. Similarly to Canada, the growing Muslim and Jewish consumer populations in the U.S. are fuelling opportunities for Canadian Halal and Kosher food manufacturers who are looking to enter the market. With a Muslim population of over eight million, the U.S. can offer a growing and lucrative market to exporters ("Halal 101").
Reproduced as it is from http://www.agr.gc.ca
