Your product is halal here, so will it be accepted as halal there?
When a halal certificate is accepted in another country, who competes in food exports to Muslim countries, and where the sector’s investment is heading.
New Zealand meat exports to the UAE have been halted for about a month, after the UAE stopped renewing on 24 September the registration of the halal body that most New Zealand plants use (Farmers Weekly, 22 October 2026).
So a halal product may not enter the market if the body behind its certificate isn’t accepted there. We start from the question of who recognises your certificate before you ship, followed by two independent sections: who competes with you in Islamic-country markets, and where investment is heading.
international halal bodies are recognised by the Saudi Halal Center, and an imported consignment that needs a halal certificate enters only with a certificate from one of them.
The certificate is accepted if the importing country recognises its body
The Food and Drug Authority requires the certificate for an imported consignment to be issued by a body recognised by the Saudi Halal Center, and other countries do the same for what enters them:
To shorten the path, the Kingdom and Malaysia signed a memorandum of mutual recognition of halal certificates in 2023, and Indonesia and Thailand joined in 2026 the Global Halal Mark alliance launched by the Saudi Halal Center.
As for ingredients of animal origin, such as gelatin, enzymes and processing aids, we will dedicate an upcoming issue to them.
The largest food exporter to Muslim countries is Brazil
In the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2025/26, Brazil led food exporters to OIC member countries in 2024, followed by China, India, the United States, then Türkiye:
The report estimates the halal food and beverage sector alone at $1.53 trillion in 2024, and expects it to reach $2.06 trillion in 2029.
The Kingdom is first in halal sector investment
According to the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development, the Kingdom leads countries in halal sector investment, followed by Malaysia then Kuwait:
Note: the same source puts the global halal market, across all its sectors, at around 7 trillion dollars in 2025, a wider definition than the food and beverage estimate (1.53 trillion), so the two figures can’t be compared.
Picks from halal news
The government extended the deadline to 18 October 2028, tying it to completing mutual recognition agreements on halal certificates.
Jakarta Post, 19 October 2026Ask about the body before the deal
Before any export deal, ask the importer for the names of halal bodies their country’s authorities accept, and make sure yours is one of them and its registration is valid.
Which market are you thinking of exporting to, and what is stopping you?
Send your question to editorial@saudifoodtech.sa, and we may dedicate an upcoming issue to it.
Sources
- Food and Drug Authority and the Saudi Halal Center, via Okaz (14 April 2025).
- GCC Accreditation Center, via Al Eqtisadiah (28 February 2025).
- Global Halal Certifiers Directory, via FoodNavigator (21 September 2026).
- DinarStandard, State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2025/26, via DatamarNews (15 July 2026) and HalalFocus.
- Saudi Food and Drug Authority, memorandum on mutual recognition of halal certificates between the Kingdom and Malaysia (2023).
- Saudi Halal Center, clarification circular on mandatory halal certificates for five categories of imported products.
- Saudi Halal Center and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development, via Arab News (16 February 2026).
- Jakarta Post (19 October 2026).
- Farmers Weekly (October 2026).
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