BOSTON, Massachusetts (March 11, 2012) — The Chicago-based Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) will be speaking at this year’s International Boston Seafood Show about halal seafood market opportunities in a session called Kosher and Halal Opportunities in the Seafood Industry on March 11, 2012. This annual seafood tradeshow will take place in Boston, Massachusetts, from March 11 to 13, 2012.

Each year, the International Boston Seafood Show brings together 18,000 buyers and sellers from more than 120 countries and over 900 exhibitors in Boston to do business at one of the world’s largest seafood trade events. The event features the newest fresh, frozen, and packaged seafood products and processing equipment; education sessions that help the industry stay on top of emerging consumer trends; supplier-buyer meetings; and an environment to foster important business relationships to increase seafood sales.

This year, IFANCA’s Halal Market Development Director Asma Ahad will speak on today’s global halal seafood demand. The session is called Kosher and Halal Opportunities in the Seafood Industry, and she will be presenting alongside Joel Weinberger from PS Kosher Food Works, Inc. Ahad’s talk will cover how halal certification can help seafood companies gain access to this emerging market while adhering to halal guidelines. “The time is ripe for seafood industry insiders to leverage halal foods’ exciting and emergent market category,” says Ahad. She adds that in recent years, the US market for halal foods was estimated at US$20 billion dollars. The global market for halal foods is even larger; analysts estimate it at US$ 634 billion dollars, which is approximately 16 percent of the global food demand.

Unlike kosher, the market for halal seafood reaches far beyond fresh fish: it includes certain varieties of shellfish. The potential for halal products also extends to seafood flavors, extracts, pulps, stock powder, frozen, and packaged goods. Seafood is a popular food group for local and international cuisines. “Now that globalized food trends include an increasing number of packaged and heat-and-serve seafood products in Asian and Middle-Eastern markets, halal consumers actively look for halal certification to ensure that the preparation process doesn’t include add-ons that negate their dietary guidelines,” explains Asma Ahad.

 

IFANCA®

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®) is one of the world’s leading and well-respected not-for-profit halal certification organizations. Featured in various media such as the Wall Street Journal, Prepared Foods, CNBC, and CNN, IFANCA® has been promoting halal since 1982. IFANCA® was recognized in the “Best Halal Related Service Provider Award” by the Halal Journal at World Halal Forum 2007. IFANCA® certified halal products are recognized by Indonesia (MUI), Malaysia (JAKIM), Singapore (MUIS), and the United Arab Emirates (GSM) and are sold in nearly every country of the world. IFANCA’s halal certification expertise covers all food industry categories. For more information about IFANCA®, visit www.ifanca.org.