Halal Meat: A Niche Product in the Food Market K. Nakyinsige 1,6 , Y. B. Che Man 1,2+ A. Q. Sazili 1,3 , I. Zulkifli 1,4 and A. B. Fatimah 1,5 1 Halal Products Research Institute 2 Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology 3 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, 4 Institute of Tropical Agriculture 5 Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdand, Selangor, Malaysia. 6 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Islamic University In Uganda, 2555, Mbale, Uganda Abstract. Religion is a fundamental factor in determining food avoidance, taboos and special regulation with respect to meat. A quarter of the world population is made up Muslims. Muslims have unique dietary requirements and are very keen to uphold the tenets of their religion. This group of consumers is scattered around all countries of the world and have a high purchasing power estimated at US$ 2.1 trillion. In order to tap into this lucrative market, the food industry must understand the Muslim requirements for halal food, particularly meat and meat products. Unlike other consumer groups whose purchasing decision is guided by aspects of lifestyle, culture, diet and health concerns, the purchasing decision of Muslims is normally guided by the halal status of the meat. Many Muslims may check for the halal logo of the product before even checking the expiry date. Although the halal status of meat is often believed to be equivalent to the application of halal slaughter, practically it is much more than that. The production of halal meat consists of many critical control points from farm to table in order to ensure that the meat is produced in the acceptable manner and there is no cross contamination with non-halal materials at all unit operations. Unfortunately, the food industry is often unaware of the requirements of the Muslim consumer or often indulges in adulteration for monetary benefits. Halal certifying authorities need robust analytical techniques in areas where fraud is most likely to occur. This paper sets out to highlight the requirements of the halal food chain as well as give an overview of the methods used to authenticate halal meat products. Key words: Meat, Halal, Muslim consumers, Authenticity 1. Introduction Islam is a comprehensive religion that guides the lives of its followers through a set of rules (shariah law) governing moral, social and economic aspects. The primary sources of Islamic law are the Holy Quran and Hadith (the practice of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). These basic principles of the Islamic law remain definite and unaltered. However, their interpretation and application may change according to two other sources of jurisprudence, namely Ijma (a consensus of legal opinion) and Qiyas (reasoning by analogy) to suit the time, place, and circumstances (Regenstein et al., 2003) [1]. For Muslims, eating is an act of worship and it is the obligation of every Muslim to obtain halal food. Meat is one of the major sources of proteins in the diet and it is a medium rich in social meaning due to its association with cultural habits and rituals, both religious and secular (Fiddes, 1992) [2]. The consumers’ one of the major sources of proteins in the diet and it is a medium rich in social meaning due to its association with cultural habits and rituals, both religious and secular (Fiddes, 1992) [2]. The consumers’ decision to purchase meat is often guided by the perception of healthiness, safety and such sensory traits such as colour, tenderness, juiciness and aroma or flavor. However, from the Muslims’ point of view, decision to purchase meat does not depend on any other factor except its halal status. + Corresponding author. Halal Products Research Institute, University Putra Malaysia, 43400, Selangor, Malaysia. Tel.: +603 89430405; Fax: +60389439745. E-mail address: yaakobcm@gmail.com. 167 2012 2 nd International Conference on Economics, Trade and Development IPEDR vol.36 (2012) © (2012) IACSIT Press, Singapore