The halal meat market - Spain

1.1 Definition and presentation

In the Muslim religion, halal refers to everything authorized by Sharia, or Islamic law, as opposed to haram, which is prohibited or impure. The prohibitions of the Muslim religion include the consumption of alcohol, drugs and pork (including the pork gelatin used to make sweets), as well as " blood, the dead beast or the beast on which one has eaten. ( Sura 5 of the Koran), i.e. any meat from an animal that has not been slaughtered alive.

Thus, according to Muslim rites, to be halal, the animal must be turned towards Mecca, its throat cut and bled by a Muslim who pronounces sacred words. In Spain, as in the rest of the European Union, legislation requires animals to be stunned before slaughter. However, derogations are possible.

In 2020, on a global scale, the halal food market segment represented 57.8% by volume, making it the largest halal market segment in comparison with other halal sectors such as cosmetics, clothing, "muslim-friendly" tourism... With over 1.7 billion Muslims worldwide, the halal meat market is set to continue growing in the years ahead.

while the percentage of Muslims in Spain is 2.3% of the country's minority religions, far ahead of the Catholic religion which accounts for around 68.4% of the total population, the halal meat market is growing well beyond that. On the one hand, Spain's meat industry is highly recognized internationally, exporting part of its production to Muslim countries. On the other hand, Muslim tourism accounts for 11.2% of total spending, and Spain is a veritable hub of European tourism.