TheMeatSite News Desk
Frozen Foods Success in French Halal Sector
In 2010, Symphony IRI published the findings of its first study on the impact and the development of Halal products in French hypermarkets and supermarkets, which showed an increase in sales of 25 per cent in this sector.
A year later, their latest study shows that although the pace of development has slowed, the category still has a very significant growth rate (+10.5 per cent).
Overall, annual turnover for Halal products sold in multiple retail increased by 9 per cent in 2011 to reach an estimated €157 million while the range of available products grew by 22 per cent.
The 10 per cent growth rate in the overall Halal market is clearly driven by the frozen products category. Savoury products alone total approx. €31 million (up 12 per cent). Frozen meats are one of the biggest contributors in terms of sales. However, this is at the expense of volumes in the fresh meat category.
Sales of Halal starters and frozen pizzas grew by 19 per cent, just behind the ready meals category which increased by 20 per cent.
In terms of distribution channels, Halal products have been more successful in hypermarkets, where nearly 80 per cent of sales are recorded (against 62 per cent of consumer foods on average).
Nevertheless, supermarkets have also realised the potential of this category and as a result, significantly expanded their product range in 2011 bringing them on a par with the Hard Discount sector.
With an estimated six million Muslim consumers in France, the increasing success of frozen products in the Halal sector is an interesting prospect for Irish exporters, which is advantageous in terms of distribution, as extended shelf life of frozen products can offer easier and less expensive logistics.
