Australia's halal pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries have grown at almost twice the pace of the global average over the past five years and are expected to maintain that momentum, emerging as a key driver of Australia's increasingly sophisticated Islamic economy.

The finding is among the headline insights of The State and Future of the Australian Islamic Economy, the first report of its kind launched today in Sydney by Salaam and DinarStandard, with Salaam Gateway as media partner.

The report finds that Australia's Islamic economy has evolved well beyond its traditional reliance on halal food exports to become a strategically important part of the country's domestic economy and international trade ambitions.

While halal food remains Australia's largest Islamic economy sector, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmetics have emerged as some of its fastest-growing industries. According to the report, these sectors demonstrate Australia's ability to compete in increasingly sophisticated global halal markets while laying the foundations for broader growth across finance, technology, tourism, education and other Islamic economy sectors.

Islamic Finance and Investment Association, CEO, Dean Gillespie says, “The Australian Islamic economy is no longer a peripheral conversation. It is a measurable, growing and strategically relevant part of Australia’s domestic market and export landscape.”

The halal-economy is forecast to exceed A$10 billion, a small drop in the ocean compared to the global US$5 trillion market. However, the report concludes that Australia’s growth trajectories in certain industries outpaces global comparisons thanks to demographic growth and increasing demand for Aussie made products that reflect ethical sourcing, transparency, sustainability and trust.

As halal increasingly intersects with ESG principles and impact investing, Salaam, Head of Investments and Product Mas Harris says, “There is clear demand for a broader range of halal-compliant offerings across all sectors and Australia is well positioned to deliver on this demand already having internationally recognised manufacturing standards, robust regulatory systems, strong traceability and world-class research capability, supported by a young, entrepreneurial and digitally connected Muslim community.

These strengths are particularly evident in Australia's pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors. Over the past decade, Australian manufacturers have established themselves among the world's leading producers of halal-certified health and wellness products, successfully navigating complex international certification requirements while exporting to high-growth Muslim consumer markets across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Australian vitamin and supplement manufacturers have led much of this expansion.

Blackmores, for example, has secured halal certification from Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM), one of the world's most recognised halal authorities, enabling greater access to Southeast Asian markets and demonstrating Australia's ability to meet stringent international halal standards.

Australia's manufacturing capability is also attracting overseas investment. Global supplement companies are increasingly using Australia as a production base for halal-certified pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and wellness products, drawn by the country's regulatory credibility, advanced manufacturing expertise and established export infrastructure. Together, these strengths position Australia as a potential regional hub for halal health and wellness manufacturing.

A similar trend is emerging across Australia's cosmetics industry. Halal-certified skincare and personal care brands are benefiting from growing consumer demand for products that prioritise ethical sourcing, ingredient transparency and clean manufacturing. Increasingly, halal certification is resonating with consumers beyond Muslim communities, reflecting broader purchasing trends centred on quality, trust and responsible production.

For Mariam El Houli, Founder of Eve's Skin, that shift is already evident.

"Halal is now seen beyond religious context, it represents trust, purity and quality.”

Her experience reflects one of the report's central findings, halal certification is increasingly viewed as a mark of quality assurance as much as religious compliance, broadening its appeal across mainstream consumer markets.

The report argues that Australian businesses should therefore move beyond viewing halal as simply a compliance requirement. Instead, it should be integrated into broader strategies focused on long-term value creation, ethical production and international competitiveness. This diversification will further strengthen Australia's long-term competitiveness by building expertise, attracting investment and creating new export opportunities across multiple sectors.

However, the report cautions that Australia's competitive advantage cannot be taken for granted.

As countries compete for leadership in the global Islamic economy, those that align government policy, industry capability, branding, investment and regulation will be best placed to capture future growth. For Australia, one issue remains central to achieving that ambition: consist, uniform halal certification.

Despite Australian exporters' success in international markets, the domestic halal certification landscape remains fragmented. Multiple certifying bodies, inconsistent standards and limited regulatory oversight continue to create complexity for manufacturers and uncertainty for international buyers.

El Houli believes this remains one of the industry's biggest barriers to future growth, describing Australia's certification landscape as "fragmented, with limited government oversight and inconsistent standards."

The challenge comes as exporters face rising freight costs, higher tariffs and tightening margins. For many small and medium-sized businesses, navigating multiple certification systems across different export markets adds significant cost and administrative burden.

The State and Future of the Australian Islamic Economy, report concludes that Australia's halal cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries have demonstrated the country's capacity to compete at the highest levels of the global Islamic economy. However, unlocking the next phase of growth will require a more coordinated, internationally recognised and strategically aligned halal certification framework.

Rather than being viewed solely as a compliance obligation, halal certification must become a strategic national capability if Australia is to strengthen its position as a trusted global producer of halal products and services.

The State and Future of Australia’s Islamic Economy can be downloaded at www.salaam.com.au 

Vietnam made a decisive move earlier this year when Decree 127 came into effect, giving the country its first comprehensive legal framework for halal certification, labelling, and traceability. At the centre of that effort is HALCERT, the government body tasked with building Vietnam's halal industry and securing international market access by 2030. 



Salaam Gateway spoke with HALCERT Director Ramlan Osman about the sectors driving Vietnam's halal export push, the infrastructure gaps that still need to be closed, and how the country is positioning itself as a credible halal hub in Southeast Asia.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is HALCERT's role within Vietnam's broader halal ecosystem, and how does its certification scheme align with international standards to ensure Vietnamese halal products gain cross-border acceptance? 

Osman: HalCert was established on 24 April 2024 as a government body under the Ministry of Trade, based on decision (10/QD - FT), dated February 14, 2023.  The objective behind the creation of HalCert is to strengthen international cooperation, and to build and develop Vietnam's Halal Industry by 2030. As for alignment with other certifications and standards, Decree 127 provides the emphasis on prioritising references to OIC/SMIIC and from widely recognised international standards such as Jakim, BPJBP etc. This is important for Vietnamese products in gaining international acceptance.

What are the main sectors driving Vietnam's halal export ambitions, and what gaps currently exist in infrastructure, supply chain, or producer awareness that HALCERT is working to address?

Osman: The three key areas that need to be focused are agriculture, top 20 producers meeting the OIC importation needs, food manufacturing (ready-to-eat snack ingredients), and Muslim-friendly services (accommodation, tour sites, service providers, and agents).

There are also improvements needed in the infrastructure to accommodate halal requirements such as qualified manpower, structured learning programmes, development centre, and grassroots programmes.  As for supply chain, we need to build halal logistics capabilities including trace and trace from farm to fork.

Some other areas where work still needs to be done:
Coordination with colleges on learning and development for halal and manufacturing courses;  coordination with provinces on introducing certified halal courses to logistics provider companies as a start and working on having more players embrace halal at coastal ports in order to take on a bigger role in halal logistics.

What is Vietnam's strategic vision for positioning itself in the global halal economy, and how is HALCERT collaborating with government bodies, foreign certification authorities, and industry players to build a credible and competitive halal hub in Southeast Asia?

Osman: 18 Memorandums of understanding (MOUs)s have been signed, including a G2G with Brunei, Singapore, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahrain, and Turkiye. Furthermore, Vietnam is now also a member of the ASEAN halal Council and is hosting a conference in Vietnam from 8 -9 July on "An Emerging Destination for Halal Tourism." We are also discussing with SMIIC to be an observer member during SMIIC general meetings, and finally, we are in talks with local developers and manufacturing entrepreneurs to develop a halal manufacturing zone at the port city of Hai Phong, which would be spread over an area comprising 30 hectares of land.
 

Although Vietnam is not a Muslim-majority country, its strategic location connecting China, ASEAN, and the Pacific is part of its value proposition to halal markets. How is HALCERT building credibility with Muslim-majority importing countries?

Osman: Although Vietnam's Muslim population is estimated at 50,000 to 60,000 out of 1.2 million, making it a minority Muslim nation, similar in profile to Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, the country has bigger ambitions of positioning Vietnam as a regional — and ultimately global — halal food hub. As a result, HALCERT is pursuing an international partnership strategy, signing memorandums of understanding with the UAE's MOIAT, Saudi Arabia's SASO, and the GCC's GAC. 

What are some of the structural bottlenecks that HALCERT sees as preventing Vietnam from expanding its halal industry? 

Osman: Two challenges continue to hamper halal commercialisation in Vietnam. The first is a lack of awareness. Despite HALCERT having presented its work to close to ten provinces from north to south, many provincial authorities are not doing enough to help farmers and rural communities adopt halal standards in a commercially meaningful way. The second challenge is of cost: many micro-enterprises and SMEs find the $1,000 certification and audit process difficult to absorb. Decree 127, however, has begun to address this directly, instructing the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Environment, and Culture, Sports and Tourism to provide financial assistance to help businesses obtain halal certification, achieve Muslim-friendly status, and participate in overseas halal trade expos.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved a project in February 2023 to strengthen international cooperation and develop Vietnam's halal industry through 2030. With Decree 127 now in effect, how does HALCERT measure progress, and are the 2030 targets still realistic?

Osman: Halcert started on April 24, 2024, one year after the Prime Minister’s declaration on the setting up of halal development and the promotion of halal economy and commercialisation of agriculture, aquaculture, and food manufacturing in the country. Since the inception of Halcert, we have travelled across the country to promote halal and Muslim-friendly activities to more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, exporters, government officials, university students, academicians, and the public over the last two years. 

Ministry of Science and Technology has been given a central role under Decree 127 in coordinating the halal sector by setting quality standards, shaping development policy, and ensuring that exporters, traders, researchers, trainers, and consultants operate in line with both domestic law and internationally recognised halal standards. Based on the number of events organised across different provinces over the past year — with strong involvement from both the public and private sectors — I am confident that Vietnam's halal Vision 2030 targets are not only achievable but could well be surpassed.

Sidr & Stone was carved out of a need to honour centuries-old prophetic remedies. Nigella Sativa, named in Sunnah as a powerful healing tool, and widely overlooked in modern medicine for years, has gained ground in recent years for its antioxidant and immune-supporting properties. 

We speak with Yusuf Elsayed, founder of Sidr & Stone, on the underlying need to create the enterprise, and his overarching intent to converge traditional healing with modern technique. 

Salaam Gateway: What inspired you to launch Sidr & Stone, and what market gap were you aiming to fill?
 

Elsayed: I came to this from a tech sales career, and as an Imam I'd long been struck by how seriously our tradition takes certain natural foods — black seed, olive oil, honey — and how poorly the modern market serves them.

The gap was trust. The category is full of bold claims and very little proof; brands talk about potency but almost none publish an independently verified figure. I wanted to build a brand around the foods of the Sunnah, held to modern quality standards — taking something 1,400 years old seriously enough to lab-test it.

Salaam Gateway: How do you source and verify the quality of your ingredients?
 

Elsayed: Sourcing first, then proof. For our black seed oil I personally evaluated more than 36 suppliers across several countries before settling on cold-pressed Ethiopian Nigella sativa, widely regarded as a high-quality seed source.

We then commissioned independent European laboratory testing rather than relying on a supplier's word — our oil is verified at 2.67% thymoquinone (the active compound used to judge black seed oil), and we publish the certificate of analysis openly on our quality assurance page. We keep it cold-pressed and unfiltered so the natural compounds aren't stripped out.

Salaam Gateway:The wellness market is crowded and often criticised for weak regulation. How do you build trust with consumers?

Elsayed: By being verifiable rather than loud. We don't chase the biggest number — we publish only what we can evidence. The certificate of analysis is the heart of it: a customer doesn't have to take our word on potency, they can see the independent lab result. I'd rather state an honest, verified 2.67% thymoquinone than an unverifiable higher figure. In a category criticised for weak regulation, transparency is the product.

Salaam Gateway: Where do you see Sidr & Stone in the next three to five years regarding product expansion, markets, or partnerships?
 

Elsayed: We began with cold-pressed black seed oil and olive oil; sidr honey and oregano oil are next — all within the same thesis of traditional, minimally-processed foods.

We serve the UK, EU and US and want to deepen those markets rather than spread too thin. On partnerships, I'm most interested in retailers and platforms that value third-party verification, and in continuing to publish our testing openly so the whole category is pushed toward proof over marketing.

Muslims comprise just 16% of Singapore’s population, yet halal products and services have become increasingly mainstream across the city-state. From multinational restaurant chains securing certifications to digital halal verification systems, the country is positioning itself as a gateway for the global halal economy.

“Singapore has moved beyond niche market appeal to become a credible, trusted hub,” Dewi Suratty, founder and CEO of Singapore-based halal consultancy Dawn Horizon tells Salaam Gateway. 

Singapore’s food service industry offers perhaps the clearest evidence of the halal sector’s growing appeal – more than 4,000 of Singapore’s 23,600 food establishments are halal-certified, growing at roughly 10% annually.

Major fast-food chains including McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Subway operate halal-certified outlets across the island, while delivery platforms such as GrabFood and Foodpanda offer halal search filters.

In February, Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons and South Korean bakery-café giant Paris Baguette secured halal certification for 17 and 20 Singaporean outlets, respectively. Singapore’s only halal-certified Filipino eatery, Nanay’s Kitchen, opened its fourth outlet in April, while Gyusei Gyukatsu Wagyu-Steakhouse introduced the country’s first halal A5 wagyu katsu earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, local meat importer and processor Lim Traders recently launched a direct-to-consumer platform, The Halal Meat Specialist, further expanding the local halal retail landscape.

Convenience retail is also evolving. In late 2025, 7-Eleven rolled out halal-certified Korean snacks nationwide, while Thai restaurant Pratunam Plus by Soi Thai Soi Nice became halal-certified nearly a decade after first opening. 

For consumers, the change reflects a dramatic expansion of choice. “Halal doesn’t mean just traditional Malay or Indian Muslim food anymore,” says Suratty. 

“We’ve got halal-certified Japanese, Chinese, Western, even fine dining. That diversity has removed a lot of friction from consumer choice. You can access halal food at a hawker for four dollars or at an eighty-dollar fine dining establishment. That’s inclusive access across economic segments.”

Building cross-border trust through regulation

Singapore began developing its halal governance framework in 1978 through the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, also known as MUIS, which oversees halal certification and Muslim affairs under the Administration of Muslim Law Act. 

That foundation is becoming more important as Southeast Asian nations seek to strengthen cross-border halal cooperation. A recent report by Indonesia’s halal inspection body highlighted collaboration between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore as a major opportunity to establish ASEAN as a global halal hub.

“When a product carries the MUIS halal stamp, traders in the GCC, Malaysia and Indonesia know exactly what they’re getting,” says Suratty.

Singapore is also modernising its certification systems through digital halal certificates introduced by MUIS last October, enabling consumers to instantly verify certifications via their mobile devices.  

“The amendment grants MUIS robust legal authority to govern its foreign halal certification bodies (FHCB) recognition scheme, enabling it to impose recognition conditions, prosecute certificate forgery, and establish a structured appeals process,” says Muhammad Faizal bin Othman, director of halal development at MUIS.

The move reflects a wider effort to strengthen the integrity of imported halal products, which is critical given Singapore’s reliance on food imports.

Alongside the digital certification rollout, MUIS launched an online portal for its enhanced FHCB recognition framework, streamlining the application and renewal process for overseas certification bodies. To date, the scheme has onboarded 88 recognised FHCBs from across the globe.

MUIS has also introduced the comprehensive halal risk management framework, replacing a one-size-fits-all approach with a more targeted risk-based methodology.

“Establishments are assessed across three dimensions - the nature and scope of certification, the robustness of controls in place, and their compliance track record,” explains Othman.

“Higher-risk establishments are subject to more frequent inspections, while those with strong compliance records qualify for extended certification validity of three to five years.” 

The framework directly links regulatory scrutiny to performance, encouraging businesses to maintain high standards while rewarding strong compliance.

Singapore-based companies are also expanding their halal manufacturing footprint beyond borders to meet growing regional demand. Food manufacturing group OTS Holdings opened a new $9.7 million facility in Malaysia last October that is expected to triple its halal production capacity from 60 tonnes to 200 tonnes per month.

“With two food manufacturing facilities in Singapore and one in Malaysia, we are contributing to the expansion of Singapore’s halal economy through improved efficiency and halal production capacity,” says Ong Shiya, senior manager for group corporate marketing at OTS Holdings. 

For many manufacturers, Singapore’s appeal extends beyond domestic demand.

“A company manufacturing specialty food in Singapore can reach Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the GCC with confidence that MUIS certification will be recognised,” says Suratty. 

The market outlook remains strong -  Singapore’s halal meat market was valued at more than $6.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $7.7 billion by 2027, according to Straits Research. 

Food security drives next phase of growth

While consumer demand remains strong, Suratty believes a more pressing force is shaping the future of halal across the region.

“What’s really accelerating halal sector growth across Asia now is something more pressing: food security imperatives,” explains Suratty. “Covid-19 and recent geopolitical tensions have made supply chain diversification impossible to ignore.”

Innovations such as vertical farming, aquaculture, plant-based proteins, precision fermentation, and cultivated meat are increasingly intersecting with halal standards. “The halal angle makes these innovations market-ready not just locally, but regionally,” she adds.

The true test of any thriving society is its impartial treatment of all who call it home and its ability to evolve and adapt over time in line with the needs of its people. Sometimes, these needs can be as mundane as everyday feeding decisions, which, under extreme situations, can require breakthrough solutions. 

In war zones and disaster areas, food can become a serious problem for Muslim soldiers and refugees. The US Military's packaged, ready-to-eat meals (MREs) were a huge success when they were first introduced during the Second World War. They were built to last a long time without going bad.

But as more people of different faiths, specifically Muslims, joined the armed forces, the question of a lack of halal-certified meat or chicken options in the standard MREs became an issue.
 

The US military tried to fix this by offering "pork-free" versions, thinking that would solve the problem. But it didn't because the underlying issues weren't being addressed. Even the vegetarian meals caused issues, because they contained ingredients that Muslims aren't allowed to eat — things like additives made from animals, artificial flavors with questionable sources, and food made in facilities where everything gets mixed together.

For Muslim service members, refugees, and people of faith, every meal became a difficult choice between staying fed and staying true to their beliefs. In the past, Muslims stuck in these tough situations could fall back on an Islamic rule called Darurah, which basically means "extreme necessity." This rule allows a Muslim to eat forbidden food if they are literally in danger of starving. 

But the rule was meant for extreme situations and raised another dilemma: should a soldier or anyone serving their country, or a person fleeing a disaster, really have to break their religious rules just to survive? Or go without food for a long time?

The answer was clearly no. It was obvious that the rule of Darurah wasn't a permanent solution. For a long-term solution, there had to be a way to create a proper, fully certified halal meal that could survive on a battlefield or in a disaster zone. And once that was achieved, then to convince the government to buy and use it.

This was too big a goal for any single entity or individual to achieve on its own. It took a historic team effort between a forward-thinking food entrepreneur, My Own Meals, Inc. (MOM), and a religious and scientific organization, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).
 

A bold idea: Mary Anne Jackson and ‘My Own Meals’

Military labs are all about finding quick stop-gap solutions; they don't have the bandwidth or the deep technical knowledge that is required to formulate a solution for a halal MRE. Instead, it was the foresight and enterprise of a regular civilian businesswoman. In the 1980s, Mary Anne Jackson, who had previously worked as a senior food industry executive, started a company called My Own Meals, Inc. (MOM), along with its halal division, J&M Food Products Company.

Jackson was ahead of her time. She adopted technology used by the US military — a process in which food is sealed in flexible foil pouches and cooked under high pressure so it lasts for years without needing a fridge — and applied it to create everyday meals for consumers. Over time, she added foil pouches and individual plastic meal trays to her product range. This type of long-lasting, no-fridge-needed meal didn't yet exist in regular American stores, so Jackson had to work hard to convince people that this new packaging was safe to eat.

As conflicts and wars began to escalate in the early 1990s, the US Defense Logistics Agency — the part of the military that handles supplies — was struggling to find enough meals that met religious dietary requirements. Instead of waiting around for the military to lower its standards or force Muslim soldiers to compromise, Jackson decided to act.

She had the vision to understand that real halal food couldn't just be a label slapped on a package — it had to be truly and completely halal, from top to bottom. 

To make something that Muslim soldiers and refugees could eat with full confidence in their faith, she knew she needed expert religious guidance. So she reached out to IFANCA.

The hard part: Making a meal that's both long-lasting and truly halal

While all the pieces were now in place, the partnership between J&M Food Products and IFANCA still faced a massive challenge. Making a halal MRE meant going through every single part of the meal-making process and checking it against Islamic food rules — right down to the tiniest ingredients.

To make a meal that could last five years in extreme conditions like deserts or war zones, IFANCA and Jackson's team had to solve several big problems:

• Getting rid of questionable ingredients: The high-heat cooking process used to preserve MREs destroys many plant-based ingredients, which normally forces manufacturers to use additives derived from animals — such as certain fats, gels, and enzymes. All of these had to be carefully swapped out for plant-based versions or thoroughly checked against synthetic alternatives that could survive the intense heat without breaking down.
   
• Keeping the equipment clean and separate: MREs are made in huge factories that run nonstop. IFANCA, being well aware of the sensitive nature of the task at hand, put strict rules in place to make sure the giant pressure cookers and sealing machines used for halal meals were completely separated from the machines used for non-halal meals. This was to make sure there was zero chance — not even a tiny amount — of cross-contamination or mixing between halal and non-halal food.
   
• Checking everything in the package: IFANCA didn't cut corners or focus only on the big picture by looking at the main meal alone. They checked every single item inside the sealed MRE bag — the drink powders, the small accessory packets, and even the industrial oils used on the packaging machines — to ensure everything met Islamic standards.

A historic achievement

Thanks to Jackson's careful engineering and IFANCA's deep knowledge of Islamic law applied to modern food science, the final result was a historic achievement that cannot be overstated. J&M Food Products successfully created meat-based combat meals that met strict halal slaughter standards, as well as vegetarian meals that earned a rare double certification — both fully halal (certified by IFANCA) and fully kosher at the same time.

This breakthrough changed military food supply worldwide. The US military now had proper, long-lasting halal MREs for Muslim soldiers serving abroad. And beyond the military, these meals set the standard for disaster relief too — whenever a natural disaster or conflict forces Muslim communities from their homes, these fully certified meals can be sent in right away, giving people both the food they need to survive and the peace of mind that comes from knowing their faith is respected.
 

A legacy that goes beyond emergency rules

The story of the halal MRE shows what can happen when a bold business leader and a knowledgeable religious organization work together with purpose. Mary Anne Jackson understood the power of faith and how properly prepared meals can nourish and feed people, bring people together, and make a nation stronger and more united.

So, to achieve her goal, she actively sought out the religious expertise needed to make it something Muslims could truly trust.

Together, MOM and IFANCA proved that Islamic food laws don't have to be a roadblock to modern technology. By cracking the challenge of long-lasting food preservation, they made sure that even in the toughest places on Earth, a Muslim soldier or refugee never has to choose between staying alive and staying true to their faith.

Even though it is a predominantly Catholic country of approximately 113 million, of which Muslim households made up around 6.4%, the Philippine government has intensified its policy and institutional support for the global halal market since 2024.

Two major initiatives represent a shift from ambition to organized execution: the Philippine Halal Industry Development Strategic Plan 2024–2028 and the National Halal Industry and Development Office (NHIDO).

The policy framework
The strategic plan, unveiled in 2024, sets targets to double the number of halal-certified products and services from around 3,000 to 6,000, create 120,000 jobs, and attract P230 billion (roughly $4 billion) in investment across the four-year plan period to 2028. 
 

To ensure that halal development is treated as a cross-cutting economic project rather than a single ministry's brief, a nine-agency task force oversees it, with NHIDO serving as the implementation body.

The office serves as the central coordinating body for all halal development work across the country, simplifying certification for micro, small, and medium enterprises, building halal trade hubs across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, partnering with local government units on halal-compliant infrastructure, and managing a comprehensive halal industry database. Certification bottlenecks have historically been one of the biggest barriers for small Filipino producers entering the halal market. NHIDO's explicit mandate to tackle this is one of the more practically important elements of the agenda as a whole.

The scope of both initiatives deliberately extends beyond food. Halal-compliant tourism, Islamic finance, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and modest fashion are all named as part of the framework, though the degree of implementation varies across these sectors.

The broader framing is a deliberate policy choice: it repositions halal from a niche of religious compliance into an economy-wide growth sector, driven by international buyers who associate halal certification with safety, hygiene, and ethical production standards.

From strategy to street level
The Manila Halal Festival in March 2026 was a litmus test, illustrating how the policy is beginning to translate into ground-level commercial activity. Around 100 vendors, most specializing in food, snacks, sweets, and supplements, gathered in the capital for a three-day event co-organized by the city government, the Department of Tourism, and the DTI. The exhibitor list included producers of halal pastillas, the Philippines' first certified halal ice cream, beauty products, and food supplies, alongside certification bodies, government agencies, and international pavilions from Indonesia and Canada.

The festival made visible how halal certification is already functioning as a market entry credential for small Filipino producers. Vendors at the event reported gaining new customer segments in the Gulf specifically because of certification, families buying to bring products to Qatar or Saudi Arabia, and export orders to the UAE that began with a single overseas inquiry. The pattern was consistent across food categories: certification opens a door that was previously closed, and Gulf demand is pulling Filipino products through it.

These were small businesses, not export-ready multinationals. But that was precisely the point the 2024–2028 plan is built around: if certification infrastructure is accessible and internationally recognized, SMEs can compete in Gulf markets without the scale that currently makes it difficult. 

"The Philippine halal industry is now aggressively developing its place in a trillion-dollar global industry — building the full halal ecosystem from farm to plate," said Ismail Abaya, Founder and President of 1Halal Global Inc. and Executive Vice President of MASLAHA Halal Certification Board Inc.

The same sentiment was later echoed by Grace Aguilar, Founder and President of Halal Expo Philippines, in an interview with Salaam Gateway. "The Philippines is emerging as one of Southeast Asia's most promising halal markets, driven by strong government support, growing consumer awareness, and increasing interest from both local and international investors. With its strategic location, young population, and commitment to becoming a global halal hub, the country offers tremendous opportunities across food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and Islamic finance. Halal Expo Philippines was created to serve as the platform that connects businesses, fosters partnerships, and accelerates the growth of the halal ecosystem in the Philippines and beyond, " she said. 

The sectoral depth
Beyond food, the government is simultaneously building out the halal ecosystem in several directions. The Department of Tourism has accredited over 42 Muslim-friendly accommodation establishments, including major hotel groups and resorts. Infrastructure investments include the Marhaba Boracay Cove, an 800-square-meter beach area designed for Muslim travelers, with similar facilities planned for Bohol and Cebu. A QR-code-based Muslim-friendly travel log is in development to help visitors locate halal food, prayer spaces, and services.

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority is creating dedicated halal economic zones, and the central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, is strengthening the Islamic banking sector to provide the financial infrastructure the wider halal industry requires. A collaboration with Turkey on halal-certified poultry production is also underway, to develop a regional hub that leverages Turkish expertise in animal-byproduct-free feed.

On the trade side, the Philippines has been promoting its halal sector at expos in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Canada, and has reported export deals from its international halal promotion campaigns. However, the exact figures have not been corroborated by a single primary source.

Officials are also pursuing mutual recognition arrangements with Muslim-majority countries to ease market access for Philippine products, a critical step given that international recognition of certification bodies is often the deciding factor in whether export opportunities open up.

The challenge is execution at scale
The policy framework is more coherent than anything the Philippines has attempted in this space before. The combination of a four-year plan, a dedicated coordinating office, MSME support infrastructure, tourism investment, and export promotion is a genuine strategy rather than a collection of disconnected announcements.

The Philippines still has a relatively small certified product base — 3,000 products is modest against regional competitors — and the certification system needs to expand and gain broader international recognition quickly enough to meet the 2028 targets. The domestic Muslim population provides a domestic market foundation, but the harder task is building export supply chains, securing recognition of standards, and developing production capacity to compete internationally.

There’s a particular relief in finding a snack you can eat without checking every ingredient. The growth of halal snack brands reflects that demand. This list focuses on some of the popular snack brands among Muslim consumers globally.

Mamee-Double Decker — Malaysia

Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Melaka, Mamee-Double Decker is among the most widely distributed dedicated halal snack brands in the world.The brand's snack portfolio includes Mister Potato chips, Corntoz corn snacks, and Double Decker biscuits.

Halal certification: JAKIM (Malaysia) — Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development.

Saffron Road (Chickpea snacks line) — United States

Founded in 2009 by Adnan Durrani and based in Connecticut, the brand positioned itself as a premium, ethical, world cuisine snack and frozen food company. The brand appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in 2015 and 2016.

Halal certification: IFANCA — the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America.

Al Rifai — Lebanon

Founded in Beirut in 1948 as a home-based roasted nut operation, the company has grown into what it describes as the largest snacking nut retailer in the Middle East, with around 40 percent market share in Lebanon. 

Halal certification: Products are composed of inherently permissible ingredients (nuts, dried fruits, plant-based snacks); no pork derivatives or alcohol in the core range. 

National Food Industries — UAE 

Founded in 1977 with a single packing machine in Dubai, National Food Industries has grown into one of the leading snack manufacturers in the Middle East. Its brand portfolio includes Mr Krisps, Emirates Pofaki, Mr Pofak, Doodles, Bakeman's, and Sinbad. According to the company's own website, NFI has expanded to over 35 countries. 

Halal certification: HACCP and Halal certified, as confirmed on the brand's own website and its Dubai Exports accreditation.

Ülker — Turkiye

Ülker is Turkiye's dominant biscuit, chocolate, and confectionery brand, founded in 1944 in Istanbul. According to its Wikipedia entry and its parent company Pladis's brand page, Ülker products are exported to 110 countries. 

Halal certification: All production adheres to halal food standards per Pladis/Ülker's own published statements; Turkiye's domestic food production is governed by standards consistent with halal requirements.

Munchy's — Malaysia

Munchy's has been producing biscuits, wafers, and crackers out of Malaysia since 1991. Its core range — butter cookies, cream-filled wafers, chocolate biscuits, and oat-based crackers — fills supermarket shelves across Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, and Thailand, while export operations extend to the Middle East, the UK, and Australia.

Halal certification: JAKIM (Malaysia).

Hunter Foods — UAE 

Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone, Hunter Foods exports to over 60 countries. Its brand portfolio spans Hunter's Gourmet, Hunter, Safari, Aladin, and Ali Baba, covering hand-cooked potato chips, vegetable chips, quinoa chips, and organic superfoods. The Hunter's Gourmet premium range — known for its truffle and specialty flavours — is stocked in airline minibars, luxury hotel chains, and premium retailers across its export markets. 

Halal certification: Halal-certified since 2017, alongside HACCP and ISO 22000, as confirmed on the brand's website.

Chips Oman (Ali Shaihani Food Industries) — Oman 

Chips Oman traces its origins to 1989, when Al Jufair Food Industries emerged from the bifurcation of Ali Shaihani Food Industries. Its flagship product — chilli-flavoured potato chips — has become one of the most recognisable snacks across Oman and the wider Gulf, instantly identifiable by its red-and-blue packaging. Distribution spans the GCC, with diaspora reach into international markets through specialist retailers. 

Halal certification: Produced in Oman under GCC food safety regulations, which embed halal compliance as a baseline standard for domestic food manufacturing.
 

Al Rifai Arabia — Kuwait / Saudi Arabia

Not to be confused with Lebanon's Al Rifai, Al Rifai Arabia is a separate Gulf-based brand — originally Kuwaiti-operated — that has been producing roasted nuts, seeds, and dried fruits for the Gulf market for decades. It operates retail outlets across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, and its products are available through international shipping. 

Halal certification: Inherently halal product range (roasted nuts, seeds, dried fruits) produced under GCC food safety regulations.

Ziba Foods — United States

Ziba Foods occupies a specific and increasingly popular corner of the halal snack market: premium, clean-label dried fruit and nut snacks with an Afghan and Central Asian provenance. Founded by a partnership of American and Afghan entrepreneurs, the brand produces dried pomegranate arils, figs, nut mixes, and fruit-and-nut packs sourced from Afghan farms, with no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives.

Halal certification: Vegan-certified; products are inherently permissible by ingredient composition but do not currently carry a published third-party halal certificate.

 

Methodology

To build a credible and reproducible list, this article uses a hierarchy of publicly verifiable signals.

• Countries of retail distribution (primary metric): The clearest available measure of a snack brand's global reach is the number of national markets in which its products physically appear. This is verifiable through brand websites, stockist pages, and distributor announcements, though it is worth noting that companies do not all use the same counting standards. A brand present in 100 countries through one large distributor is not the same as one embedded in 100 national retail networks. The metric is directional, not precise.
   
• Number of confirmed retail stockist locations (secondary metric): Where publicly confirmed figures are available — for instance, a brand documented as stocking in over 5,000 shops or 20,000 retail locations — this helps differentiate brands with similar geographic spread.
   
• Credibility and duration of halal certification (tertiary metric): Brands with documented third-party halal certification from recognised bodies rank above brands where certification is self-declared, implicit, or absent. The certification body for each brand is cited from its own public documentation. 
   

• A small number of entries on this list consist entirely of plant-based ingredients — nuts, dried fruits, seeds — that are inherently permissible under Islamic law regardless of whether a formal certificate has been issued. This is a recognised category in Islamic food jurisprudence and is distinct from vegan certification, which carries no Islamic legal weight on its own. Brands in this sub-category are included only where they are meaningfully embedded in Muslim food culture — through founder background, primary market, or cultural use — not simply because their ingredient list happens to be permissible. Each such entry notes the absence of third-party certification explicitly.

* Note: For this list, “snack brand” is used broadly to include packaged sweet and savoury snacks, crisps, biscuits, crackers, snack bars, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, popcorn, and confectionery. Brands whose relevant halal range is mainly frozen meals, cooking sauces, staples, or pantry ingredients are excluded unless they also have a distinct packaged snack line with meaningful retail distribution.

A legal shift regarding the slaughter of animals on religious grounds is underway across Europe, one that could reshape the future of halal meat production. 

While EU law still contains a derogation for ritual slaughter, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in 2020 that member states may require reversible pre-stunning in the name of animal welfare. Then, in February 2024, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the Belgian regional bans and accepted animal welfare as part of “public morality” that can justify limits on religious manifestation. 

While those rulings did not impose a continent-wide ban, taken together, they have lowered the legal risk for countries that want one, shifting the debate from pure law to politics.

What the rulings actually changed

Belgium became the key test case. The regions of Flanders and Wallonia introduced rules requiring animals to be stunned before slaughter while allowing reversible stunning that does not kill the animal outright. Jewish and Muslim groups argued that the law interfered with their religious practices.

The European Court of Human Rights disagreed. Judges concluded that the Belgian authorities were entitled to prioritise animal welfare within the framework of European human rights law. Governments, the court said, have a margin of appreciation when balancing competing interests such as religious freedom and ethical concerns about animal suffering.

The decision established a powerful precedent, one that allowed European states not to ban ritual slaughter outright, but to require pre-stunning and present it as a welfare measure that still leaves room for religious accommodation.

That legal formula now sits in the background of national debates across the continent.

Will other European countries follow suit?

That has opened the door to other governments attempting similar measures, although the ground reality of it happening so far has been mixed.

The Netherlands illustrates how the debate could evolve. Ritual slaughter remains legal without stunning, yet a legislative proposal backed by the Party for the Animals seeks to require reversible stunning. The Dutch Council of State has already suggested that animal welfare may now carry greater weight when governments balance it against religious freedom.

Developments elsewhere suggest a slower pace. Brussels rejected a comparable ban. Britain debated the subject in parliament in 2025 and confirmed that religious exemptions would remain in place. Germany continues to grant exemptions under its Animal Welfare Act where slaughter without stunning is necessary for religious communities.

Europe, therefore, appears headed toward a patchwork rather than a unified policy. Countries with strong animal welfare movements and lower political costs may consider tighter rules, while others are likely to proceed with caution.

That uncertainty is reflected in how experts interpret the current legal moment. Awal Fuseini, senior halal manager at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, points out that the rulings have created space for action without setting a single direction of travel.

“EU Regulation 1099 allows member states to permit slaughter without stunning for religious reasons, and there is no EU-wide ban. Some stunning methods, such as head-only electrical stunning, are already accepted within parts of the Muslim community. The concern is that once countries realise they have the legal space to restrict non-stun slaughter, it could lead to a wider domino effect across Europe.”

Britain’s contrasting approach

The British debate perhaps highlights a different policy route in which governments may tighten oversight or improve transparency without moving directly to a ban. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (the RSPCA), 88% of halal slaughter in the UK is stunned. Furthermore, according to an analysis by the Halal Food Information Centre, non-stun slaughter (halal and kosher) accounts for 2.9% of animals in the UK, well below the 7% Muslim and Jewish population. This makes an important case of whether imposing the ban is about animal welfare or more about optics.

It wasn't a surprise when, in June 2025, British members of parliament revisited the question of non-stun slaughter, deciding against removing religious exemptions. Ministers emphasised existing slaughterhouse regulation, trained operators, and veterinary supervision. Several MPs expressed interest in clearer labelling rather than prohibition.

The argument for tighter bans

The European Court of Human Rights emphasised that democratic societies attach increasing importance to animal welfare. European institutions have also begun reviewing broader animal welfare legislation, indicating that the regulatory framework is still evolving.

Advocates of reform also argue that religious freedom has limits. Liberal democracies place boundaries around religious practices when public interests are involved. In their view, slaughter practices fall within that category.

The argument against bans

Opponents of bans accept the need to protect animal welfare. Their concern lies with proportionality and consistency.

Critics argue that ritual slaughter has become a highly visible target while other welfare issues attract less scrutiny. Industrial slaughter errors and transport stress raise serious welfare questions, yet they rarely dominate political debate in the same way.

European Commission coordinator Katharina von Schnurbein warned several years ago that ritual slaughter debates can push Jewish and Muslim communities into defensive positions. 

Industry voices raise practical concerns as well. Rizvan Khalid, managing director of Euro Quality Lambs Ltd, describes the current approach as “a sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut approach rather than a more nuanced approach to assess welfare against religious rights.”

He argues that stunning is not a panacea, adding that “mis-stuns, which are very painful, routinely occur.” Blanket bans may also drive demand toward imported meat produced outside the EU, potentially under weaker welfare conditions.

Khalid also points to a gap in policy thinking. Electric head-only stunning is accepted by some halal authorities, while gas or captive-bolt stunning remains controversial. Greater investment in identifying compatible methods could improve welfare without excluding religious practices.

A debate far from settled

Context matters, and the conflict, while often framed as a technical dispute about slaughter methods, points to a deeper question of how far European communities are willing to accommodate religious difference when it conflicts with secular ethical norms. 

A gradual shift toward stricter regulation appears likely in some countries. Others may favour incremental reforms such as improved labelling, tighter oversight, or research into reversible stunning.

More than slaughterhouse policy, the outcome will influence how European states reconcile animal welfare with religious freedom in increasingly diverse societies.