With the largest chunk of overseas Indian population living in the Gulf countries, the market potential for ‘halal’-certified products from India in this region continues to grow, said a senior official from India-based Marya Day Group.

Haji Shakeel Qureshi, a global promoter of ‘halal’ certification and chairman of Indian exporting major Marya Day Group, said consumers in the Gulf countries prefer ‘halal’ food and the governments in these countries have created set of ‘halal’ standards that cover everything from farm-to-fork.

He added that India is currently a fast growing economy in the world and increased awareness about ‘halal’ quality standards in the trade and business sector can provide elevated opportunity to upcoming entrepreneurs from India to export their products to more foreign countries.

Qureshi leads a global drive to create awareness on ‘halal’ trade and its hugely positive impact on the society, considering ‘halal’ is still an under-appreciated concept especially in India.

He said: “Hundreds of Indian ‘halal’-certified items ranging from food products to cosmetics and personal care products are being produced in line with the concept of ‘halal’, which is being accepted globally as a sustainable and ethical way of living.”

“In the Gulf countries, ‘halal’ mark is mandatory for all import products and is now the new benchmark for quality standards. The recent developments in ‘halal’ certification opens up opportunity to tap global food market of about two billion people in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, European Union, US and the Central Asia,” Qureshi added.

“However, the awareness on ‘halal’ is meagre in many exporting countries as this is currently being accepted as an international certification of standards and assurance of quality and purity in different parts of the world, especially in the Gulf region,” he stated.

Qureshi further noted that halal standards have become the backbone of international trade and export business, ensuring safety and quality of the products and services. The ‘halal’ mark also facilitates international trade and improves the environment in which we live in with export activities from India are growing remarkably, the Indian Government and industry bodies should make ‘halal’ mark mandatory on all products so that the export of Indian FMCG products can easily cover more international markets.

“‘halal’ labelling prevents deception and helps consumers make welfare-maximizing choices. A consumer can get the most only if he/she has accurate information about the foods under consideration. Accordingly, the goal of label information is to help consumers identify the food products that best match their preferences, thus helping consumers spend wisely,” he concluded