{"id":6185,"date":"2017-05-05T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2017-05-05T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=6185"},"modified":"2017-05-12T10:07:19","modified_gmt":"2017-05-12T16:07:19","slug":"fbn-halal-opportunities-food-allergy-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/6185\/fbn-halal-opportunities-food-allergy-market\/","title":{"rendered":"The Untapped Opportunities of Halal in the Food Allergy Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TheDespite the effort to attract young, affluent, trendy demographics with sleek new labeling, ethically-conscious production standards, and specialty-certified ingredients, one of the most exciting demographic opportunities is passing unnoticed by many companies.<\/p>\n

While the U.S. government does not collect religious affiliation numbers in its census data, fairly reliable estimates exist on the size of the American Muslim population. The estimates range as high as over 9 million, though Pew Research Center put the number at 3.3 million as of 2015 (up from 2.75 million in 2011, an increase of around 20 percent in four years). Furthermore, Pew has projected that the number of Muslim Americans residing in the United States will reach over 8 million by 2050, making up 2.1 percent of the U.S. population by that time.<\/p>\n

To put it in perspective, consider the statistics of another highly important, and better developed, specialty market. The Jewish population in the United States currently makes up around 1.8 percent of the total American population, according to Pew Research.\u00a0 As of 2014, some 41 percent of the packaged food in the United States was kosher-certified, according to data from market research group Mintel. Packaged Facts, another market research firm, put the value on product sales stemming from kosher certification itself at between $14 billion and $17 billion in 2013.<\/p>\n

Food allergy labels and package claims<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), around 4.7 percent of Americans have food allergies, while 25 percent of all food and beverage products carry allergen claims (according to Mintel). Numbers published by the journal Digestion<\/em> (International Journal of Gastroenterology<\/em>) state that only around 1 percent of Americans suffer from a diagnosed occurrence of celiac disease, yet 10 percent of products claim gluten-free status (Mintel).<\/p>\n

Further according to Mintel, around 22 percent of food and beverage products carry ethical or environmental claims regarding packaging, 19 percent make claims about additives and preservatives, and 7 percent carry ethical or environmental claims about the product itself. Clearly, a small subset of the overall American populace can have a large and beneficial economic impact on food, beverage, and other consumable products\u2019 manufacturers.<\/p>\n

The underdeveloped American Halal <\/em>market<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to a 2007 Pew Research Center report titled \u201cMuslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream\u201d, 24 percent of Muslim Americans in 2007 held a college degree, including 10 percent with graduate degrees. Forty-one percent of adult Muslim Americans reported household incomes greater than $50,000 annually; 16 percent reported $100k annual household incomes. Muslim Americans are set to become a key specialty demographic over the next five to ten years, with this growth continuing over the following decades.<\/p>\n

The pace at which this specialty demographic begins to really flex its spending power depends on the producers, distributors, and retailers more than anything else. The proper marketing and effective market research needs to be carried out to find out what really appeals to Muslim Americans of different ages and sexes, including special attention to any food allergy needs.<\/p>\n

Companies need to be highly aware of the importance of obtaining trust and transparency through the utilization of reputable third-party Halal certification bodies (HCBs), rather than stamping the word \u201cHalal\u201d on their own product and calling it a day (an ill-advised practice that can lead to loss of consumer confidence and<\/em> government fines for violations of laws involving truth in labeling). The three most important points to remember when conducting your search for a Halal certifier are as follows:<\/p>\n