Consumer awareness of Fair Trade in the U.S. is around 34%–not as high as awareness of organic products, but it’s a large number considering that Fair Trade has been around in this country for less than two decades. Organic certification in the U.S. has existed since the early 1970s.
Today, the total population of the UAE has exceeded eight million with the nationals accounting for 923,000 of the total. Many UAE nationals privately dispute the figures of UAE nationals in the belief that the UAE population is less than the official estimate. A significant number of UAE nationals commute daily to the urban environments of Dubai and Abu Dhabi from the poorer emirates such Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
Google drives home the point, backed by other technology companies, that businesses across Europe need to understand a series of digital “mega-trends” if they want to be able to reap the full benefits of what the Internet can offer. Recent trends include a shift to mobile, the adoption of Cloud-based technologies and online media could all help encourage innovation.
U.S. retail sales of natural and organic foods and beverages expected to grow 103% between 2010 and 2015, with annual sales exceeding US$78B in 2015: Packaged Facts
Until recently, halal foods were defined only by ritual slaughter and mass-market production. But today’s ethical consumer trends are making the industry take a second look at what halal really means.
According to this article, if you enjoy discussing and researching food trends, you can earn thousands of dollars at home online generating and marketing ethnic food market reports on your computer and selling them for more than $3,000 each to industries.
An interview with Dinar Standard CEO Rafi-uddin Shikoh from Rushdi Siddiqui’s regular ‘Islamic Finance 2.0′ column in Business Times of Malaysia.
“We are defining the ‘emerging Muslim markets’ as the inter-connected over US$7 trillion (RM21.35 trillion) OIC member country economies, the over US$1.8 trillion (RM5.49 trillion) global Muslim consumer market, and the over US$1 trillion (RM3.05 trillion) Islamic Finance industry. There is tremendous connectivity and opportunities that exist within these three segments and we feel that collectively they are as large as any other emerging market today.”
Dinar Standard founder Rafi’uddin Shikoh comments that if the vision of Islamic Finance is a financial system that seeks profits while ensuring the religious considerations of sharing risk and returns and supporting an ethical society with a potential to serve a global audience, then the reality of today’s industry value proposition is only partially hitting the mark.
With a 1.57 billion-strong global Muslim population, and most of them coming from what we call the ‘next 11’ emerging economies, Halal is clearly a force to be reckoned with. Much has been said and written about the explosion of Halal and its immense potential, but not much about what really makes it tick and how it has become such a big cultural phenomenon.
After winning the platinum award in the technology/ICT category at the inaugural Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2010, it has now set its sight to become the top global halal portal company.
According to Euromonitor International, Middle Eastern women are more often combining their religious views with consumerism, and this is a trend that has been reflected in advertising campaigns with models wearing the hijab, or head scarf. This is an excellent article on the growing Beauty Market in the Middle East, and Halal cosmetics are the new way forward in this sector.
A pioneering research study by Ogilvy & Mather, in partnership with TNS, has revealed the emergence of the ‘New Muslim Consumer’: young, proud of their religion and emblematic of the remarkable spending power embodied by the world’s fastest-growing religion. You can read the Executive Summary here…
New data released this week indicated that more consumers are spending money at restaurants in the United States, but the average dollars spent per check continues to decline.
Euromonitor’s 2010 report on current and future trends in the food industry has many valuable lessons for Halal sector stakeholders. Particularly interesting is the news from the baby food sector, where the five top growth areas are all Asia and North African. Well worth reading…
An affluent middle class of young Muslims is driving a boom in sales of halal products, including alcohol-free sparkling wine and Islam-approved foie gras in France.
The new consumers, known as the beurgeois – a combination of bourgeois and beur, slang for a French person of North African descent – [...]
A clip from France 24 TV station, on their International news section. This is a 15-minute interview with Cedomir Nestorovic, Professor of Marketing at ESSEC Business School and Nawal Dehiri, Research Analyst with Solis. The discussion covers some interesting points from both economic and political perspectives.
You can see it here… http://www.france24.com/en/20100330-food-industry-economy-halal-islam-france
In response to consumer demand, and no doubt with an eye on the bottom line, KFC have increased the number of outlets around the UK offering a Halal menu to seventy-three locations. This is an interesting move, and one that will probably provoke a mixed response – not least because of the Halal Food Authority ruling that allows ’stun-to-stun’ prior to slaughter, a view that not all consumers are happy with. The fact that KFC have made their position and their definitions of Halal very clear on their website is a commendable move that others would do well to emulate.
There’s always a new niche market and Malaysia trying one. The state of Penang is signing an MOU with a company in Britain to become the first international Halal leather trading hub
in the world. Distinguishing pig skin from cowhide can be a consideration for Muslims, but taking it to whether it is is Halal certified? You tell us!
Islamic Finance news – IFN Today, Thursday, 17th May 2012
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