The unique brand, which was kicked off this month after being trialed in Middle countries for the last 10 months, makes Australia the first country in the world with a globally-endorsed and certified Halal brand underpinned by government legislation.
MLA’s head of Middle East and Africa trade services and global Halal program, Blair Brice, said the new brand – which now appears on retail meat packs and advertisements in Islamic country supermarkets and butchers – gave MLA an enormous leg up into a growing market.
“With large natural resources the Middle East is growing at an exponential rate, and the fact that they are large meat consumers and hold up Australian sheep, lamb and beef means the market can grow from strength to strength.”
“There is massive potential, in Saudi Arabia alone the population is expected to double, a significant proportion of the population is under 24 years of age, they have large families and are very family orientated so the propensity to increase consumption of red mead is massive and we are seeing it in the figures.”
Mr Brice said with Australia’s traditional meat markets, the United States and United Kingdom already showing signs of negative growth as economic down turn grips markets, the Middle East still has enough growth and capacity to continue growing.
“The Middle East is still on track to for 6-8 per cent growth next years, and some countries close to double digit.”
With an estimated two billion Muslims around the world, MLA has predicted that the market for Halal products globally is worth $570 billion annually.
“The brand is just growing, but already we are seeing large demand in Muslim markets in the United States and know that there are over a million Muslims in Korea and a large market in Japan,” Mr Brice said.
“We know the Halal brand will not just be confided to traditional Muslim countries.”
Under Islamic law, for meat to be permissible for consumption it must be Halal, or lawful, and animals must be slaughtered by a Muslim in accordance with the Islamic “Shariah” or law.