In today’s rapidly integrating world, ideas and cultures are allowed to intermingle freely. This trend of globalization has lead to traditions that were only observed in certain parts of the world to become popular practices around the world. A phenomenon that is evident in the popularity of Italian cuisine throughout the globe. In a similar fashion, halal food has been rapidly grown into prominence in recent years. Even as little as 10 years back, Halal food was nowhere to be seen in most non-Islamic countries yet currently it represents almost 20% of the $7.8 trillion dollar global food industry.
This quick rise in demand can be attributed to several factors the most obvious reason being the growing Muslim population. There are already 1.6 billion Muslims around the world and it is expected that the Muslim population will surpass the Christian population of 2.2 billion before the end of the century. At the same time more Muslims have become aware of the importance of consuming Halal food only, which prompted them to change their lifestyle and buy more Halal products. The disposable income of the Muslim population is also on the rise allowing more Muslims to afford Halal products. Another unexpected reason for the rising demand has been due to increased consumption of Halal food by non-Muslims, mainly millennials. Most people do not associate the stigma that Islam has in many parts of the world with Halal food. The new consumers select Halal products because of the superior quality resultant of strict regulations and hygienic manufacturing processes.
However the preparation of Halal food, especially meats, is comparatively more expensive than their non-Halal counterparts. This creates an opportunity for fraudulent practices within the market. Producers can label normal products as Halal products and then sell them at a premium price point which has caused low consumer and producer confidence. This is why there has been a dire need for universal certification of Halal products. Each country has had its own certification which can cause confusion and further distrust from the consumer. Only in the recent years has the UAE come up with a standard certification for Halal products through the Emirates Authority of Standardization and Metrology (ESMA). The basic guidelines state: there must not be any pork or pork related products, no blood or its byproducts, the animals must be humanely slaughtered, the animal must be alive when slaughtered, there can be no traces of alcohol, and the animals must be slaughtered in the name of Allah. The establishment of a standard procedure to gain certification has now encouraged a few large firms to enter the market.
Nestle, the current largest food company in the world, was one of the first adopters of the Halal products. At the moment they have about 150 Halal factories around the world. Despite receiving criticism after the initiative to include Halal products, the market and number of products provided by them are expanding. They recognize that the market for Halal food is flourishing, hoping to capitalize on it. Many other companies have followed suit, including hypermarket chains such as Whole Foods, Safeway Inc., and Giant Food Stores. They now sell Halal products throughout their branches around the world. This has allowed halal foods to come into the mainstream market rather than just relying on traditional corner stores.
Most Islamic nations are unable to produce enough Halal foods to meet rising demands. Ironically this has lead non-Islamic countries being the main suppliers of Halal goods. An in-depth look of the market shows that countries such as Brazil and Australia are the major suppliers of both Halal meats and non-Halal meats. This is because these countries already have most of the infrastructure required. With a few small tweaks they were able to produce large amounts of Halal meat allowing them to dominate the market.
In the context of Bangladesh these adjustments are not required. With a majority of the population being Muslim, Halal practices are implemented throughout the country. This calls for our immediate need to improve infrastructural weaknesses in order to attain certification from the ESMA. The certification will allow Bangladesh to reach the major Halal food consuming nations such as Pakistan and Indonesia as well as the Halal importing countries such as Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Given the close proximity of these nations and the potential of the cattle market in Bangladesh, the nation has the potential to become a major player in this market.
