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(Info vom Baldur: halal = geschächtet - granatenmäßige Schweinerei!)
 
Halal a growing market

Australia’s Halal food export industry currently tips the scales at $18 million a year. But Australian Business Ltd’s (ABL) Halal Products Program, which winds up in January, aims to boost even further Australia’s prospects in this huge market. Paul Mitchell Reports.

With about 1.4 billion Muslims in the world the potential of the Halal food export market is significant and Australian food and beverage producers are moving to better cater for its needs.

Halal (meaning “acceptable”) relates to the manner in which animals are slaughtered and food is prepared to ensure Islamic dietary requirements are met. Islamic people are not permitted to eat pork or pork derivatives, and Halal food cannot contain alcohol.

The Halal Products Program, which began in July 2002, was NSW-based and developed with support from the Grow Employment Council. Funding was provided by the Commonwealth Government through the Regional Assistant Program, administered by the Department of Transport and Regional Services.

“The objective was to create additional employment by having manufacturers and producers move into export markets”, said Ridhwan Ibrahim-Bennett, senior manager (International Trade) with ABL. He added that there’s significant anecdotal evidence that exporters employ more people and create a more stable employment environment.

Mr Ibrahim-Bennett pointed out that to our immediate north the market for Halal food is substantial: there are about 600 million Muslims in Asia and the sub-continent. He added that the Middle East is another obvious market, but says overall the market is diverse.

“If you look at the Middle East and take the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, there are just as many Muslims in France as in those four countries, and double the number of Muslims in America,” he said.

When participants in the program’s workshops were presented with the available opportunities they were often surprised at the market’s diversity. Mr Ibrahim-Bennett said the workshops were the key way in which the export-focused program unfolded. Representatives from large scale ingredient companies, food producers and flavouring companies all participated, along with smaller producers; together learning how to become Halal-certified - and who can perform that certification.

The program’s specific outcome was to generate a directory of Halal-certified NSW-based companies. The directory will be distributed internationally by Austrade (who were aligned with the initiative) and will also be given to NSW government representatives.

“We’ll also be distributing it to chambers of commerce in countries with Islamic populations, and of course we’ll be distributing it through the Muslim community in Australia,” Mr Ibrahim-Bennett said, “which has grown by more than 235 percent in the last 10 years, and currently stands at approximately one million.”

Obviously the Halal market is significant for food companies worldwide. However, Mr Ibrahim-Bennett believes that if Australian companies are clever about how they engage with the market they can make considerable in-roads. Initiatives like the Halal Products Program are part of a push to generate a “five-star model” for Australian companies; a model he believes other countries may not be able to achieve.

“You’ll find that a lot of the Australian exporters in the food area are HACCP, ISO and AQIS certified, and then they can become Halal-certified. Then we’re bringing in the fifth point that all Australian governments, state and federal, have been pushing and that’s our ‘clean and green’ image.”

Mr Ibrahim-Bennett said “lining those little ducks up in a row” gives Australian companies a strong position which can be used in conjunction with our competitive currency.

“We know other countries can probably access HACCP, ISO and Halal, accreditation but by the time you put in our well recognised AQIS regime and our clean and green image, if Australian companies pick it up correctly and move with it, we believe it will give them a pretty strong selling point.”

To develop Halal food export potential Australian companies must approach the industry with integrity. Mr Ibrahim-Bennett says there has been a problem with Australian companies claiming to have Halal gelatine in their export products. He says while it’s positive that companies understand the importance of using Halal as a marketing tool, false marketing must be avoided.

“The major concern that 90 percent of Muslims have with Australian food products is gelatine because there’s no such thing as Halal gelatine in Australia... It’s pretty sad when major corporations have got to be mischievous.”

Bega Cheese is one company that has taken the kind of approach to Halal that Mr Ibrahim-Bennett recommends. The NSW-based manufacturer has been Halal-certified since 1991 when it began exporting to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Mr Ibrahim-Bennett is sure concerns about terrorism play a role in determining the Halal food industry’s export potential. However, he’s convinced the impact is minimal.

“At the end of the day we’re not talking about an offensive product,” he said, “we’re talking about a product that is required for Muslims’ day-to-day needs. It’s got to come from somewhere and if we’re in a position to deliver Australian quality at competitive prices, I foresee that businesses will continue to do so.”

The Halal Products Program is a template for possible further use. Mr Ibrahim-Bennett says if it proves successful the endeavour could be replicated on a national scale.