Americas
Sales of Halal turkey picking up in Washington
By
Nov 27, 2006, 10:19

WASHINGTON: At American Halal Meats, sales of its specialty turkeys — prepared according to Islamic law — were so brisk this week that office manager Sarah Wali struggled to keep up with orders.

The wholesaler, located in the Washington suburb of Springfield, Virginia, distributes to about 150 stores from Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia, and sold about 1,400 turkeys as the region prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday, Wali said. Over the years, it has benefited as the Muslim population has grown in its region.

"Turkeys are really selling now. It's a much bigger market," she said.

Wali's father, Omar Wali, an Egyptian immigrant, launched the business 17 years ago. At the time, the niche holiday turkey market had not taken off. But the growth in the area's Muslim population changed that.

"Everyone has something to be thankful for," Sarah Wali said. "Everybody enjoys being with their family and enjoys a good meal. So you might see a Middle Eastern dish next to a turkey, but we still celebrate Thanksgiving the same way."

In order for meat to be "halal," or permissible under Islamic law, a prayer must be said before the animal's throat is slit with a razor-sharp knife by a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew — followers of the three monotheistic faiths referred to in the Quran.

So far, the appetite for halal turkeys has not been strong enough to draw the attention of big distributors, experts said.

Al Safa Halal, a Cambridge, Ontario-based supplier that is one of the largest sellers of halal products in the United States, discontinued sales of whole turkeys in 2002, after reaping too little profit. But Steve Hahn, the company's vice president and chief operating officer, said that does not mean there is no future in the specialty turkeys.

Halal products have begun to rival the big kosher food market, generating an estimated $12 billion (€9.26 billion) in business each year. Eventually, halal turkeys should be big Thanksgiving sellers, Hahn said.

"I see it as the future, especially as Muslim families are integrating into North America," Hahn said. "As children of mixed families begin to settle more into the culture, at some point down the road, there will be a whole turkey on the table along with lamb."

In the Washington area, demand for halal turkeys is stronger, but there is also more competition among merchants.

Until recently, Bismillah Halal Meat Market in Langley Park, Maryland, had the corner on the area's halal turkey market. But Bismillah's sales are starting to slip because the number of stores offering the turkeys has increased to serve the rapidly expanding Muslim population in Maryland, northern Virginia and the District of Columbia.

"The trend is still there in halal, but the competition is getting stronger," said Javed Malik, Bismillah's owner.


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