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Halal Beef Offers New Market for Alberta
Writer : 관리자 (halal@world-expo.co.kr)   Date : 18.04.26   Hit : 1776

Halal Beef Offers New Market for Alberta

 

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Province’s ministry of agriculture andforestry keen on exporting beef given Islamic seal of approval

 

The world’s halal market could be a newfrontier for the province’s cattle ranchers, according to Alberta Agricultureand Forestry. Halal, which means “permitable” according to the Qur’an, is adesignation and means of preparation that, so far, has seen little attention inAlberta’s beef industry. However, Grant Winton, unit manager with theprovince’s ministry of agriculture, says demand for halal beef, both at homeand abroad, will likely change this.

 

We’re always looking for new opportunitiesfor Albertan ranchers, producers, and exporters,” Winton says, adding that theprovince regularly sends its staff abroad to tout Alberta-made products ininternational markets. “We have quite a good reputation around the world forthe quality of our beef. This is one more way of building our profile.”

 

How much Alberta beef ends up in, say, theMiddle East, Malaysia, and Indonesia, however, comes down to a matter ofdemand. In its ideal form, getting into these markets could represent a“massive” increase in revenue for the province, Winton says.

 

In 2015, the largest buyers of Albertabeef, in order, are The United States of America (166,074 tonnes), China(29,749 tonnes), Mexico (17,836 tonnes), and Japan (9,799 tonnes).

 

In 2016, the Canadian Food Inspection Agencymandated that, in order for food to be sold with a halal label, an outsideagency with experience in the field must be present on-site to certify it, suchas the Alberta Halal Monitoring and Certification Council.

 

Imad Kaddoura, director at Edmonton’s AlRashid Mosque agrees with the department’s assessment, stating that global anddomestic halal markets grow every year, and offer a great opportunity forAlbertan and Canadian beef producers.

 

According to Kaddoura, the global marketfor halal products is around $3 trillion USD. Other sources online suggestdifferent numbers, but they all tend to be in the millions or billions.Additionally, this market includes things like candy, clothing, finance,travel, pharmaceuticals, and other goods and services one might not think of.

 

Most people think halal only relates tomeat. That could not be further from the truth,” he says.

 

The number of people who follow Islam isalso increasing both abroad and across Canada, and non-muslims are adopting thehalal standard in some ways, he says.

 

For a product to be deemed halal, it mustbe made with certain specifications. In the case of beef, this, in short, boilsdown to a set of standards surrounding how a producer kills a cow. According toKaddoura, the animals must be treated humanely, kept in a healthy and cleanenvironment, and, when it comes time for their slaughter, a clean and sharpknife must be used to minimize pain.

 

Animals should not be slaughtered in frontof other animals … They should not be abused. They should not be handledroughly,” he says. “When it comes time for slaughter, an animal should not bethirsty. It should not be hungry. The animal should never be treated in any badway, shape , or form.”

 

Similarly, there are specifications on theexact part of the cow’s throat that should be slit to reduce the amount ofblood leftover in the cow’s body, and to reduce the pain the animal feelsduring the process.

 

The person slaughtering the animal shouldalso say some verses from the Holy Qur’an, or say ‘This is in the name ofGod,’” Kaddoura says.

 

When slaughter is done with halalstandards, it is in line with Alberta’s animal welfare and traceabilityguidelines,” Winton said.

 

Around 25 years ago, when Kaddoura and hiswife first moved to Edmonton, there were only a handful of specialty shops thatsold halal meat. Now, however, most major grocers stock halal products, and thenumber of butchers that offer halal meat has increased. The same goes forrestaurants.

 

The mainstream industry is warming up andadopted halal because they can see the potential of this market,” Kaddourasays.

 

According to Thomas Lynch-Staunton,government relations manager with Alberta Beef Producers, there is indeed agrowing market for halal meat around the world, and the province is capable ofproducing enough beef to meet the demand.

 

The decision by our processors andexporters, regarding the pursuit of these opportunities, will depend on thestandards and rules of the halal certification, the extra costs needed toproduce halal beef, the actual size and strength of the halal market, and ourability to produce halal beef within our own regulations, codes of practice,and safety protocols.”

 

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