the halal meat market | France

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

In the Muslim religion, halal means anything that is permitted by Sharia law or Islamic law, opposing the haram That is, what is prohibited or impure. Among the prohibitions of the Muslim religion are the consumption of alcohol, drugs and pork (including the pork gelatin used to make candy) as well as " the blood, the dead animal or the one on which another name than God's has been invoked "(Sura 5 of the Qur'an), i.e. any meat from an animal that is not slaughtered alive

Thus, according to the Muslim rite, to be halal, the animal must be turned towards Mecca, slit and bled by a Muslim, a practice which derogates from French legislation according to which the animal must be stunned before being slaughtered.

In 2020, on a global scale, the halal food market segment represents 57.5% in volume, which makes it the largest segment of the halal market compared to other halal sectors such as cosmetics, clothing, "muslim friendly" tourism...

The halal prescription has given rise to some controversy in Europe, particularly among animal welfare associations. Moreover, there is no halal label in France, unlike kosher products which are guaranteed by the Central Consistory of the Jews of France: there are therefore different methods of certifying halal.

Despite these certification difficulties, the craze for the meat market is there, since all halal products, including meat, have experienced 14.9% growth in value in 2020 compared to 2019 and that the 1st Halal Franchise Exhibition was held in Paris in 2020. Thus, this market appears to us to be constantly increasing with a structuring of the market which tends to develop, like Isla Délice which knew a regular increase of 8 to 10% of its sales between 2010 and 2020.

In fact, the main players in the halal meat market are, on the one hand, the large groups such as Fleury Michon, Isla délice or Réghalal (part of the LDC group) and, on the other hand, we have independent shops such as butcher's shops which are smaller players