Figures vary considerably with industry estimates for the global Halal food market ranging from €110bn to €560bn. Estimates on the size of the European Halal food market also vary, but in 2006 the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service suggested a conservative figure of €15bn.

Other sources suggest that Europe is home to over 50 million Muslims and Europe’s Muslim population has grown by more than 140% in the last decade.

Muslims across Europe have far higher consumer spending power than those in the Middle East and North Africa with 2nd and 3rd generation European Muslims seeking out convenience and looking for products such as Halal pizzas, lasagne and hot dogs.

France has the largest population of Muslims in Europe – EuroIslam.Info reports that there are more than 4 million Muslims in France, while the USDA (in 2006) suggests that the French Halal market is worth €3bn. Younger Muslims, under the age of 30, account for about 80% of France’s Halal purchases.

Germany is also home to a considerable number of Muslims. EuroIslam.Info estimates 3.5 million Germans are Muslim.

It is worth noting that, while the majority of Muslims in the UK come from Pakistan and Bangladesh, other European Muslims tend to come from different parts of the world. The majority of Muslims in France, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia tend to originate from North Africa, while the Muslim population in Germany tends to hail from Turkey. The implications of these differences should be seriously considered in planning any Halal exports to mainland Europe.