Marketing Halal beef products

Different parts of the world look for specific criteria in their food products. Grant Winton, with the International Relations and Marketing section of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, explains how the world’s halal market could be an opportunity for Alberta ranchers, producers, and exporters.

“Alberta beef products have an excellent reputation around the world,” says Winton. “When people think of Alberta, beef is one of the first products that comes to mind.”

The world-wide Islamic market looks for specific criteria in its meat products.

“There are millions of people across the Middle East, North Africa, and South East Asia, who look for meat that follows the halal standard,” explains Winton. “Since Alberta is so well versed in beef and meat already, we believe there is a genuine opportunity for Alberta’s beef producers and processors to look at the halal standard as a way of accessing a new market.”

“We probably do half a dozen trade missions to these markets each year,” adds Winton. “Additionally, there are always visitors coming to Alberta, looking to source agricultural and food products. We like to present them with a large spectrum of products we have available. Halal is one opportunity in our toolbox.”

Halal is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law.

“A large part of the animal’s background is examined,” adds Winton, “The slaughter process is a major factor whether an animal can be considered halal. There are a number of provincially inspected facilities within Alberta where an animal is slaughtered to halal standards, and they meet all of Alberta’s animal welfare guidelines. Then, it can be marketed as halal.”

The halal market offers great potential, says Winton. “I hesitate to put dollar figures on it, but the easiest way to look at it is how entire countries would open up to our meat products. Take Indonesia, for example. It is the world’s fourth largest county by population, and it is one that is not presently purchasing large quantities of Alberta beef products. Indonesia’s population is predominantly Muslim, and it would look for halal foods.”

Winton adds that there are a number of processed food products that could follow halal standards as well.

“An obvious one is anything containing gelatin. Gummy bears generally include pork gelatin as one of their ingredients. Pork is never halal, so there are opportunities to manufacture gelatin products, including gummy bears, using a halal beef source instead of pork.”

For more information about marketing halal beef products, contact Grant Winton at 780-6442403.