Sunday, 17 September 2006

DUBAI: Food companies in the UAE should prepare for a wave of halal market competition from outside halal food producers, industry experts said.

Most food companies in the region have not understood the direction the global halal market is taking, and they may lose out on a chance to eke out a bigger share of the market if they do not adopt contemporary industry trends, said Nordin Abdullah, executive director of Malaysia-based Kaseh Dia research and consultancy group.

"Food companies in most Mideastern countries take their consumers for granted. Compared to buyers of halal food in other countries, consumers in overwhelmingly Muslim countries accept what is offered to them without much questioning," Abdullah said.