THE INFANCA RULE HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR CONSUUOUR EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO HALAL EDUCATION | So Good News

International consumer research from IFACA provides unique insights into the environment Halal food among health conscious consumers

DES PLAINES, Ill., Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As consumers become more aware of food health and safety, halal-approved foods are becoming popular. As the global non-profit leader in halal certification, IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America) recently launched an international consumer survey* to increase awareness and transparency of halal food, identify opportunities for consumer education, and understand misconceptions about halal- approved medicine.

Inspired by IFANCA’s vision to ensure that everyone has access to halal products and services that enable them to live a safe, fulfilling life, IFANCA’s consumer survey found that despite the rapid growth and positive attitudes toward halal shopping, more than half of Americans who are familiar with halal. (52 percent) and 72 percent of those who regularly eat halal-approved foods say they face problems when buying halal-approved foods.

“IFANCA is committed to ensuring that everyone has halal food and products that allow them to live a safe, fulfilling life,” says Dr. Muhammad Chaudry, President of IFACA. “The survey data shows us that we need to continue to do more in the food industry – from marketing to food – to better educate and serve halal consumers.”

In 2021, the global market for halal food was worth more than $1.9 billion and includes halal food suppliers such as traditional retailers, supermarkets, restaurants, food, etc. Although the number of halal fusion restaurants is increasing, research studies show that there is a gap in consumer knowledge about halal food. Almost two-thirds of people who know about halal answered that they do not eat halal food ‘sometimes’ or ‘rarely’ because they either do not follow Islam (64%), or they do not know enough about halal-approved food (61%).

Some of the notable findings of this study are:

• Halal-conscious Americans believe that halal-certified foods are more popular (44%), fresher (42%), and healthier (41%) than non-halal-certified foods.
• Consumers with knowledge of halal guidelines are more likely to look for healthy foods than those with less knowledge (81% vs. 74%) and transparency (76% vs. 62%) when purchasing food.

With 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide, in addition to an increasing number of non-Muslim consumers, the already strong market for halal products continues to grow rapidly. In 2022 Halal Food Market Report produced by Future Market Insights predicts that the halal food market will increase at an annual growth rate of 9.7% until 2032.

What is Halal & Halal Certification?

Halal is a set of standards under Islamic law that apply to all areas of life – food and drink, banking and finance, tourism, services, medicine, technology, cosmetics, travel, and more. In terms of food, products with halal certification must be produced in accordance with the planning and integration of halal lifestyle. Since 1982, IFANCA has ensured compliance with international halal standards and requirements, helping to optimize the halal certification process.

These guidelines extend from the farm to the point of delivery and include procurement, preparation, hygiene, storage, and handling. Consumers rely on independent certification to ensure that food meets their needs. Food companies turn to third-party certifications such as IFANCA to help source halal ingredients and bring authentic, reliable products to market.

*15-minute online survey among n=1,000 US nationally representative US Census respondents by age, gender, region, urban/rural, race/ethnicity, education, and household income. The survey was conducted in English by Ipsos September 9 – September 19, 2022with a confidence interval of +/- 3.8% at 95% confidence.

About IFACA

A non-profit organization based out of Chicago, Illinois, IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America) is a global leader in halal certification, consulting, and education. They are featured in various media such as Wall Street Journal, Processed FoodsCNBC, and CNN, IFANCA has been promoting halal since 1982. IFANCA was awarded the “Best Halal Service Support Award” by the Halal Journal at the World Halal Forum 2007 and the Islamic Economy Award for Compliance and Standardization by the Global Islamic Economy Summit (GIES®) 2013. IFACA is recognized by many countries and organizations, including MUI (Indonesia), JAKIM (Malaysia), MUIS (Singaporeand GSM (United Arab Emirates), and products certified by IFACA halal are sold in almost all countries. IFACA’s halal certification technology covers all sectors of the food industry. For more information, visit www.ifanca.org.

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