Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption has grown by 49% across the EU, reaching a total sales volume of €3.6 billion.
Pakistanis develop halal food business in South Korea
2025-05-15
It all started withHa SanBuy HalalHalalFood difficulties,Ha Sanis a Korean Pakistani who founded a business and provides13,000Many Pakistanis have pioneered halalHalalFood sales network.
Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province1997He opened a halal restaurant in 2011, three years after he settled permanently in Korea.HalalHe had to shop at a Muslim grocery store in Seoul and buy food that was halal.HalalStandard production and production of beef, lamb and poultry.
Ha,MuslimHalalFood SuppliersAone International, now imports a variety of products, mainly beef and lamb from Australia, spices from Pakistan, cooking oil from the United Arab Emirates, and butter and dates from Saudi Arabia. He also processes poultry at his own factory in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.2004EstablishedAone International。
He has since closed his restaurant to focus solely on providing halal food nationwide.Halalfood.
His company has100Several wholesalers. They are located in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Ulsan, Changwon and Gimhae, as well as small islands in South Jeolla ProvincePants, where Pakistani Muslims work in the fishing industry.
“When I opened my restaurant, it was difficult to find halal food.HalalMeat and HalalHalalChicken. That's how I started to learn about halal.HalalThe food distribution business is interested in this way,” he told The Korea Times at Petra Restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul, on Tuesday.
HaSays that fine Arabic restaurants buy food fromAone InternationalA customer there.
“I hope my company can help Koreans become familiar with halal.Halalfood and other parts of halal culture," he said, referring to the growing number of Muslims in South Korea and the growing interest in halal.HalalGrowing demand for food.
according toHaintroduce,Aone InternationalIt is the only Pakistani company approved by the Korean Muslim Federation, the halal governing body for the production and sale of food products in South Korea.
Mohammad Shafiq Haider, the South Korean counselor of the Pakistani Embassy who participated in the interview, said that Ha “is a halalHalalfood tycoon”, saying that “he strongly connected Pakistan and South Korea”.
MuslimHalal, which means "permitted" in Arabic, refers to the halal dietary rules defined by the Quran.
While Muslims are allowed to eat cows, sheep and chickens, the slaughter of these animals and the processing, packaging and distribution of the meat must follow strict halal rules. Otherwise, the food will be consideredharam, which means "forbidden" in Arabic and cannot be eaten.
The rule applies to other processed foods and everyday items, from hygiene products to cosmetics. Products that come into contact with pork-derived substances, such as pork fat, cannot be eaten because pigs are considered unsafe.
According to statistics from the Korean Muslim Federation, there are more than130,000Muslims, including35,000A Korean.
Ha is married to a Korean man. He speaks English and Korean.