Biscuit World Spring 2016 | Page 31

Trends “The potential market for halal food is over one trillion dollars and yet there are very few dedicated halal certified food producers or manufacturers in the global market. Therefore, there is huge scope for building a global brand with halal and tayyab integrity across the value chain. In addition, integration of the halal segment with organic, genetically modified (GMO) free, and fair trade food practices are expected to find a wide consumer base during the forecast period.” Arushi Thakur, Technavio A NICHE, BUT GROWING MARKET To find out more about the halal biscuit market, Biscuit World spoke with Vijay Sarathi, research analyst at Technavio. The figures show that the halal biscuit market is very niche and is still largely at nascent stages. However, Sarathi expects a growth at a high CAGR of over 15% during the period 2015-2020. According to Technavio, the countries with a high consumption of halal biscuits are Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan. On the other hand, sales among nonMuslim countries, such as the US, Europe, China and India, have been growing strongly as most of these consumers perceive halal products to be healthier than non-halal products. “For instance, we observed that for every halal product available on the US supermarket shelves, there are almost 86 kosher certified food products, which is prompting the local Muslim population to buy these kosher certified products. Muslims in the US spend approximately USD 16 billion on overall kosher food products due to the unavailability of halal products in the country. There is a lot of scope for certified halal biscuits in the country,” explained Vijay Sarathi, research analyst at Technavio. BISCUIT WORLD • Spring 2016 Growing awareness about halal products and its apparent health benefits has emerged as a major driving factor. Over the next few years, a wider range, better quality, better packaging and consistent supply, as well as a halal certification, will be essential for the market’s growth. GLOBAL HALAL FOOD MARKET Technavio has recently launched a report covering the present scenario and growth prospects of the global halal food market for the period 2015-2019. “A key segment of the halal food market is meat and live animals. As Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) member nations import nearly 85% of their meat and live animals, the market presents a huge potential for the leading vendors of this market,” said Arushi Thakur, one of Technavio’s lead analysts for food market research. l 31