Halal food market in Europe is expanding unevenly
The halal food industry in Europe has been expanding, partly owing to the growing Muslim population. The high Muslim migration to Europe from war-torn Middle Eastern countries has also fuelled demand for halal food in some key European markets such as Germany. In some EU countries, the market is still suppressed despite high Mulsim population as some politicians alleged that the secular values of their countries are being betrayed and halal food in supermarkets is fostering separatism.
In terms of growth potential, it has always been the supply side which suppressed halal food demand in Europe. The term halal is quite a delicate matter, and to some extent complicated. A simple halal label on food packaging or a halal sign on shop fronts can be enough to convince some Muslims customers. But for some others, the criteria can be stringent. They would ask all sorts of questions and demand more evidence such as a halal certificate from a reliable certifying halal body.
In the past, conservative Muslims seldom used food-services due to lax norms in the halal food industry. The trend has now been changed as there are more checks in place to make sure that the food is according to Islamic law (Shariah). Halal food has now grown quite popular and widely accepted. International food chain such as KFC, Subway, Nando’s etc has also started serving halal food. Moreover, supermarkets are also selling halal ready meals in Europe. The halal ready meal segment is still in a nascent stage across Europe, though the market is growing.
We expect that the halal food industry will not just help raise demand for halal food but will stimulate the whole supply chain from abattoirs to food shelves.
Commodity Inside understands that halal food can also present additional benefits to the local food industry. The UK can be a significant halal food exporter due to its high-quality standards and relatively well established halal food market status in Europe.
This article is based on our recently published report on the halal food industry in Europe.
To learn more about the report please contact us at Research@commodityinside.com