UK’s first Halal industry event attempts to mainstream Europe’s Halal industry

The World Halal Forum Europe, UK’s first major halal industry event, themed on mainstreaming Halal products and services, will provide insight to businesses and regulators operating in the highly lucrative, yet complex European Halal sector.

The conference will be held on November 10-11 in London’s Earls Court Conference Centre. Keynote speakers will include Special Advisor to the Muslim Council of Britain – Sir Iqbal Sacranie and Deputy Chairperson of World Halal Forum – Hajjah Jumaatun Azmi.

The conference will bring together business leaders and key drivers of global Halal industry to discuss, deliberate and provide solutions to further the industry’s potential within Europe. This will cover expanding Halal sectors such as meat production, food and drink, travel, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, toiletries and investment to name a few.

As of 2009, the Halal industry in Europe was worth $64bn. It is set to grow to cater to Europe’s fast growing Muslim community, which is expected to double from 52 million to 100 million within the next 20 years. The global halal industry is currently worth $2.3 trillion.

Deputy Chairperson of World Halal Forum Europe, Hajjah Jumaatun Azmi has emphasised the importance of Europe as a key platform for developing the global Halal industry and using it as a means of stimulating economic growth, especially in a time of recession.

“There are many Halal-related issues that are relevant for the UK and Europe, so after the first World Halal Forum Europe in The Hague in 2009, London seemed an obvious choice. We also believe that decisions and projects that are initiated in London will have a strong ripple-effect across the other Halal markets around the world, especially in the non-Muslim world,” she said.

Dubbed the “Third 1 billion” alongside China and India, the Halal industry is an emerging market which caters to 1.8 billion Muslims across the world. It also comes with its share of socio-economic issues that call for a complete understanding of the dynamics of the business. If approached correctly, the industry promises lucrative returns which would lead to a trend of multinationals and large companies offering a Halal range of products and services, as have Nestle, Quick, KFC and Tesco.

In relation to the social and consumer trends associated with the growing Halal industry, Project Director of World Halal Forum Europe Abdalhamid Evans said, “the growing Halal industry reflects the emergence of a new ethical consumer base within European Muslim communities. A new generation of European Muslims increasingly desire more authentic Halal produce whose social benefit overlaps with modern day ethical consumer practices like environmental friendliness, organic consumption and fair trade.”

The conference will also analyse the effects of recent EU meat labeling legislation on Europe’s Halal meat sector.