x
ABOUT THIS REPORT This report aims to provide a detailed overview of the global halal food and beverage market, including up-to-date trade figures and an informed perspective of the overall market landscape and its dynamics. It is not intended to be a definitive description of halal from a religious perspective; it is intended to enable the reader to make informed decisions with regard to this evolving market paradigm, whether from the perspective of government policymaking or for commercial strategy. For many readers, it may raise as many questions as it answers, but it is our hope that the questions it raises will be informed ones. Estimating the size of the halal food and beverage (F&B) sector presents its own particular complexities. No system is in place to track the trade in halal-certified products. Moreover, it must be stressed that certification in itself is not the defining parameter; rather it is a confirmation of compliance. A product can be halal without any third-party certification, and indeed many natural products, such as grains, fruits and vegetables, are halal by their very nature. Certification becomes an issue with meat and poultry and their derivative products, by-products and associated ingredients used in related product recipes, and the dynamics of the international marketplace have made certification an increasingly important and challenging aspect, as this report illustrates. Unless otherwise stated, the export and import data contained in this report has been derived from the Trade Map section of the International Trade Centre website http://www.intracen.org/itc/market-info-tools/trade-statistics/. Data collected during the month of July 2015. The reliability of statistics used in this report is dependent on the source of data, which is usually the customs authority in the exporting country or the importing country (mirror statistics). This report uses more mirror data than direct statistics by virtue of the fact that many OIC member states do not have consistent and reliable data available on the ITC Trade Map. Therefore, trade information between non-reporting countries may not be accurately reflected in this analysis. The authors have used the appropriate HS codes for the various food and beverage categories. As there are no specific codes for halal products, we have used the generic HS codes and subtracted out figures for porcine-related products, as well as alcohol and tobacco. Consequently, certain assumptions have been made in order to derive trade figures and flows for halal products. For example, it is assumed that all products that are imported into or exported from OIC member countries will be halal, and this has been used as the basis for estimating trade data in the halal product categories. Defining, monitoring and tracking the trade in halal products is itself a work in progress. This report sets out to present a snapshot of this evolving process, and to provide readers with some useful background information to facilitate their further engagement in this exciting and rapidly developing market.