One of the fastest growing segments of the worldwide food industry and currently worth $1.1 trillion globally, the international Halal food market occupies an integral part of Gulfood 2015, the landmark 20th anniversary of the world’s leading food and hospitality trade show.

In all, more than 1,000 international specialist Halal food brands and companies will convene at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from February 8 to 12 to display thousands of Halal products – from energy drinks, vegan and vegetarian foods to meat and poultry, canned goods, gourmet and fine foods – at the second annual Halal World Food to be held as part of the Gulfood.

With more than 80,000 international food industry professionals due to attend the largest edition of Gulfood to date, Halal World Food will cement its standing as the world’s biggest annual Halal food sourcing trade show.

Beyond the significant, sector-specific commercial and trading opportunities presented at the dedicated show-within-a-show concept, the inaugural Halal Investment Conference on February 10 will debut as part of the three-day Gulfood Leaders Events programme.

As worldwide food companies explore opportunities across a global Halal market predicted to reach $10 trillion by 2030 (Global Futures and Foresights Study), the Halal Investment Conference will see the food policy-shapers, government entities and major local, regional and international private sector players come together to discuss business opportunities, as well as the implementation of far-reaching standardisation and certification frameworks across a sector of increasing commercial importance.

“The global Halal food market now accounts for a fifth of the world’s food trade, and as the primary trading hub for Halal food in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, Dubai has both the ambition and world-class infrastructure to become a worldwide Halal centre,” said Trixie LohMirmand, the senior vice president, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC,  citing a Datamonitor report.

“Gulfood is one of the most important international platforms for the global food trade and the strategic enhancement of our Halal World Food initiative will ensure the show continues to play a leading role in the growth of the Halal food sector – a key enabler in realising Dubai’s vision to become the global Islamic Economy capital.”

Topics to be covered at the Halal Investment Conference include the role of Halal in Dubai’s capital of Islamic Economy vision, business opportunities in the global Halal marketplace, Halal regulation and governance in the GCC, the impact of any new Halal regulations on the global food industry, positioning Halal products in mainstream markets, successful Halal marketing, and the meaningful transformation of the Halal brand in non-Islamic countries.

Representatives from Al Ghurair Investments, Al Dahra Agriculture, Zilzar Technology, Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma), Dubai Municipality, Mondelez International, Danone, Raqam Consultancy JLT, Just Falafel and GMA Middle East will speak at the conference.

"Being an all-halal food focused manufacturer, Dubai, the main hub for the Halal food industry, is one of our primary and biggest markets," said Idris Mohammed, the director of Tilly-Sabco Bretagne, the French leaders in chicken production and slaughtering, and the title sponsor of the Halal Investment Conference.

With GCC Halal food imports projected to rise from $25.8 billion in 2010 to $53.1 billion by 2020 (Economist Intelligence Unit), the UAE is progressing a series of initiatives designed to propel its position at the forefront of the global Halal food industry.

Anticipation runs high as the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) and Dubai Municipality work to establish unified Halal standards that will, in the future, be introduced to all Islamic countries.

In addition, government officials announced in 2014 that Dubai has dedicated 6.7 million sq m of land in Dubai Industrial City for a dedicated ‘Halal Cluster’ reserved for manufacturing and logistics companies dealing in Halal products, he added.-TradeArabia News Service