Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the world, has reached over two billion people- more than 25% of the world’s population. These people navigate almost all aspects of their daily lives between the boundaries of halal and haram. With the increasing number of Muslims, the demand for halal products has increased rapidly, allowing the halal industry to flourish worldwide. It is estimated that the global halal market will increase by trillions of dollars over the next five years, making it one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
Halal food in Australia is now a multi-billion dollar business. The demand for halal food is on the increase and is now widely accepted even by non-Muslims. Halal-certified food in Australia has met an international standard for food safety. Potential halal food manufacturers must understand the actual requirements for halal certification to capture the growing market.
Australia is currently one of the four top exporters of halal food and beverages to Muslim countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei as well as MENA region and OIC countries.
What makes Australia so great with so much potential to be the number one halal exporter in the world is that Australia is the planet’s sixth largest country after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil. At 7 692 024 km2, it accounts for just five percent of the world’s land area of 149 450 000 km2, and although it is the smallest continental land mass, it is the world’s largest island.
Australia is a unique place in that most of its food is grown and produced there. It produces enough food to feed 75 million people. That is enough to feed its entire population three times over. Australia has a very safe, reliable, and efficient food supply chain. Australia has 369 million hectares of agricultural land and 87,800 agricultural businesses.
Around 72% of agricultural production in Australia is exported. A big percentage of that export goes to Muslim countries. In 2022, a record 9.8% of the value of Australian agricultural, fisheries, and forestry exports went to the MENA region. Malaysia imported goods from Australia worth US$6.15 billion in 2022, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
One of the reasons why the halal industry is increasing in this country is that the Muslim population in Australia is also rapidly expanding, consisting of 813,392 people, 3.5 percent of the Australian population. It has seen around a 50% increase since 2011. Immigration and high birth rates have contributed to this growth.
Muslims in Australia and around the world believe that the consumption of halal foods and goods is compulsory for all Muslims. Sometimes lack of knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the halal concept among Muslims and non-Muslims may cause a loss of appreciation for halal. Islam advises all human beings, not just Muslims, to seek the halal for their benefit. One should understand that halal food requires preparation most hygienically, meeting international food safety standards, and should not be viewed as offensive to any religious belief. The basic issue in halal food production is cleanliness, free from ‘contamination’, and safe healthy food as defined in the Quran.
Australian food safety standards are amongst the best in the world. They place obligations on Australian food businesses to produce food that is safe and suitable to eat, and food handlers have health and hygiene obligations placed on them. These standards go hand in hand with halal food standards.
Consumer preference for health and wellness also drives the halal industry in Australia. For non-Muslim consumers, halal food products are fast becoming synonymous with food safety, hygiene, and health. This has led to a rise in demand for certified halal products, free from chemicals and other harmful substances.
The growing popularity of social media and the sheer number of active users on social platforms have played a big role in the growth of the beauty industry including halal cosmetics and personal hygiene. Australia has great potential to grow the halal industry. including the areas of halal cosmetics, personal hygiene, and halal pharmaceutical products.
Dr. Bekim Hasani is a prominent Muslim Scholar, author, and community Activist. He is one of the best halal experts in Australia who has written more than forty articles on Halal Food. He has completed more than twenty courses from GAC, JAKIM, MUI, and MUIS as well as courses about food safety in Australia.