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.
China aims to re-examine HALAL (Part 3)
2025-05-15
Butt says history is on China's side, with its history of connecting with the Muslim world through trade and migration dating back to the Prophet Muhammad. This, combined with the rich Muslim history of China's civilizational development, is portrayed as a positive sign of connection for today's Muslims. But first, there are practical issues to address. For starters, China has yet to develop a standardized certification process. Currently, local ethnic minority affairs committees handle certification matters according to provincial and regional regulations. As a result, each region has its own laws and symbols, which can be confusing for consumers. Radil Abla, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also raises questions about whether certification will be accepted beyond China's borders.
"While China has great potential for food exports, without a national standard, no exporter can catch up to Asian leaders like Malaysia, which have globally recognized halal food standards." Halal standards developed in China's Ningxia region are only accepted by seven countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Australia, and Malaysia—far from enough to dominate the world. However, before the certification and labeling issues can be resolved, the country must first codify laws governing the halal food industry, a proposal that has been discussed for several years.
As of October 2012, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, has committed to "urging the State Council to promptly promulgate the Halal Food Regulations," but has not provided a clear implementation timeline. "They need to empower a central agency to oversee the development of the Halal industry and Halal certification and address these issues," Butt said.