São Paulo – The second edition of the World Halal Forum Europe should take place on November 10th and 11th, in London, England. The theme of the event this year is “Halal products and services – going mainstream”, to discuss the opportunities and challenges for the sector.
The original version of the forum has been taking place for five years, in Malaysia, and, due to the expansion of the halal sector in Europe, the continent got its own edition in 2009. The word "halal" means "allowed" in Arabic, and in this case it used to describe goods and services elaborated under Islamic law.
According to figures supplied by the event organizers, the halal market has a worldwide turnover of US$ 2.3 trillion, of which US$ 69.3 billion come from Europe and US$ 820 million from Central and South America. According to the same study, Europe currently houses 52 million Muslims, a figure that should double in 20 years.
The 2009 edition of the forum took place in The Hague, Netherlands. At the occasion, it was decided, for example, that work would be done for establishment of European halal regulation and for a system for certification on the continent. The initiative should begin in the United Kingdom and should serve as a basis for the pilot project. The event received 188 delegates from 34 countries.
During the event, participants concluded that the halal concept is no longer taboo in Europe, and that awareness of the products has grown over the last few years. Advertising campaigns in the continent, certification and halal brands have also been growing in Europe, especially in France, which has a Muslim population estimated at around five million.
In the 2010 forum, participants will address matters such as purchase of halal foods by the public sector, the emergence of halal agencies in the world, and problems faced by farmers entering the halal sector, among others.
Kasehdia, the company organizing the forum, has also been working on taking representatives from important producers of halal food to the event in Malaysia, even promoting the event in Brazil. Among the other countries the organisation plans to attract are Argentina and South Africa.
Further information regarding the forum may be obtained at site http://www.worldhalalforum.org.
*Translated by Mark Ament