TV show cooks up opportunities for Halal sector
A TV show highlighting opportunities for lamb and beef in the Halal market is due to hit the airwaves as part of AHDB Beef & Lamb’s commitment to support the sector.
The seven-episode series on British Muslim TV, called Healthy Kitchen, opens tonight (July 6) at 7pm with the Eid Special Feast programme, including pulled shoulder of lamb as the central showpiece. Further programmes will showcase the quality of home-produced beef and lamb, as well as new and innovative recipes.
It will also focus on production and traceability, highlighting how the Halal sector adds value throughout the supply chain.
Dr Phil Hadley, AHDB Beef & Lamb head of global supply chain development, said: “Halal is an important and growing market, with the Muslim community consuming around 20 per cent of all the sheep meat sold in England, as well as an increasing amount of beef.
“Consumption tends to peak around the Eid and Ramadan festivals. The scheduling of the Healthy Kitchen show to coincide with these festivals therefore makes perfect sense to engage with a growing consumer audience that the lamb and beef sector can capitalise on.”
The show is part of AHDB Beef & Lamb’s commitment to supporting the Halal sector, which has also this year included cookery and butchery demonstrations at the Muslim Lifestyle Show at London Olympia. It will also have a stand and cookery demonstration at the Big John’s Mela event in Birmingham on July 31.
AHDB Beef & Lamb has also commissioned consumer research to examine attitudes and decision making among Muslim customers when purchasing meat and help the organisation decide where to focus activity on supporting the sector.
“We have a vibrant and growing domestic market for Halal sheep meat. It is important that we work with the sector to maximise the opportunities presented.”
Last year AHDB Beef & Lamb produced a Halal Meat Facts booklet with information on the size of the market in the UK and overseas, and what products the Muslim community looks for. It also highlights support materials AHDB Beef & Lamb has developed for the industry to maximise carcase utilisation, such as the Lamb Cutting Guide for the Halal market, which has also been translated into French.
It is part of AHDB Beef and Lamb’s wider activity to highlight the role the Halal sector has to play in supporting the sheep meat and beef industry. Other work has included the production of a Halal farm to fork infomercial which has subsequently been translated into Arabic, French and German to support export work.
Phil added: “We undertook a significant amount of work in 2015 and our forthcoming activities underline our ongoing commitment to supporting the Halal sector.”
