Muslims find more halal foods on European store shelves - Feature

Berlin - Gummi Bears are ubiquitous in Germany, where they are a beloved, fruity delight for children of all backgrounds. The squishy candy would seem like the most innocuous treat imaginable, but their gelatine base - processed from animal proteins including pork - made Gummi Bears off limits for children from observant Muslim households.

"Muslims in Germany wanted them, too, but for a long time couldn't eat them," said Engin Erguen, whose sales and distribution company Equ sells products that meet Muslim halal standards.

In 2001, candy-maker Haribo started making Gummi Bears with proteins derived from non-pork products to receive halal certification. Haribo says the production line for the halal gummy bear sold in Germany is in Turkey.

Halal products from Equ are sold at about 3,000 Turkish markets in Germany, including Haribo's iconic candy and Maggi processed foods.

"With Haribo, the subject of halal foods in Germany received the appropriate amount of publicity," said Erguen.

Germany has about 3.5 million of Western Europe's 20 million Muslims, most of whom are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants who came to the continent in the decades after World War II.

Muslims in Western Europe have long struggled to maintain their cultural and culinary practices. Evolution in the market has brought more than just halal Gummi Bears to grocery stores on the continent.

About 400 companies in Germany offer halal products, according to the European halal control and certification authority in Ruesselsheim.

"The trend is upward. The market grows about 16 per cent every year," said Mahmoud Tatari, who co-founded the halal control authority in 2001. "It currently is estimated at between 4 billion and 5 billion euros."

Tatari speaks of a proper boom in products that are halal, an Arabic word meaning legal or permitted (helal in Turkish). The opposite of halal is haram, which means forbidden or impermissible.

Generally, foods derived from plants are halal with the exception of intoxicating or poisonous products, according to the German nutrition society.

Interest is growing among companies that want to offer products for the Muslim market because trade in halal products is growing not only in Germany and Europe but worldwide, with Muslims projected to be 30 per cent of the world population by 2025.

The largest halal markets are in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East. In Europe, Germany, France and Britain are the largest.

Pork, a staple of the German diet, has been especially problematic for Muslims because Islam prohibits all contact with pigs, which are considered unclean.

The halal control authority certifies products made by many of the major European food producers, including Nestle, Langnese, Elbmilch, Pfanni, Gruenland and Ehrmann. Products made by the pharmaceuticals firms Bayer, BASF and Merck similarly carry the halal stamp.

"Food products account for about 90 per cent of the certified items," Tatari said.

Across Europe there are more than 4,000 halal products on the market. Retailers have discovered halal, giving rise to inquiries from Germany's leading discount grocery chain, Aldi.

Industry analysts estimate that food product giants such as Nestle have made more money on halal products than on organic products.

The Swiss company, which began producing halal foods in the 1980s, attributed 5 per cent of its revenue last year to halal products. Over the years, Nestle has come out with halal drinks, dairy products and chocolate and has more than 300 halal products.

"Of 456 Nestle factories worldwide, 75 have a halal certification, and among them there are more than 100 production lines," said company spokeswoman Nina Backes.

Now there are financial services offered by banks and there even are telephone cards that receive certification as complying with Muslim precepts. Tatari said this encompasses a principal of Islam: "everything that is fair, correct and good for humans."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301449,muslims-find-more-halal-foods-on-european-store-shelves--feature.html.