Nestle is the world’s leading manufacturer of Halal food with a
turnover of €3.5 billion in 2008 and according to the company’s
executive vice President, Frits van Dijk, there is increasing market
potential for Halal products in Europe with an anticipated growth of
20-25 per cent by 2020, according to Jenny Singer from Bord Bia
Frankfurt.
The total European Halal food market is currently valued at €44 billion, the Irish food agancy says.
Germany, with a Muslim population of around four million, has a halal market worth €4 billion according to business-wissen.
Within
this figure, kebab meat accounts for €2.8 billion of the total. The
market continues to show good growth and offers potential for Irish
companies, particularly in the meat sector.
As Halal slaughtering
does not take place in Germany due to legal constraints, German Halal
certifying bodies such as Halal Control and m-haditec do not certify
German meat.
According to Das-Parlament, Holland and Denmark are two of the leading exporters of Halal meat to Germany.
Potential
contacts for Irish companies with a Halal certificate that want to
enter the German market include International Meat GmbH, an importer of
Halal meat and Mekkafood Gmbh, a leading manufacturer of frozen Halal
meat products.
Mekkafood supplies to the retail and wholesale
trade such as Toom Hypermarket (part of the Rewe Group) and Real (part
of the Metro Group).
