Burger Fuel, the New Zealand restaurant group, is hoping its grass-fed halal meat will attract customers to a chain of outlets it plans to open in the UAE and give it an edge in the lucrative market for Sharia-compliant food.
Ayman Hanbali, the retail marketing manager for Al Khayyat Investments in Dubai, which has the UAE franchise agreement for Burger Fuel, says he hopes the chain will appeal to the Emirates' increasingly health-conscious population.
"People now are more aware and taking care of their health," Mr Hanbali says. "People would like to eat a burger but may say 'no, it might not be processed in a healthy way'.
"We are offering halal grass-fed meat, which comes from New Zealand. All the components of the sandwich also come from New Zealand, including the vegetables, and follow European standards."
Halal food is a fast-growing market, estimated to be worth more than US$650 billion (Dh2.38 trillion) globally this year, Business Monitor International says.
But it is also becoming an increasingly sophisticated market, with food producers offering grass-fed, organic and milk-fed veal to cater to discerning customers.
Darhim Hashim, the chief executive of the International Halal Integrity Alliance in Malaysia, says that as the halal retail market becomes more competitive, retailers and producers will look to differentiate themselves with gourmet and premium offerings.
This would be particularly so in a market such as the UAE, where most food offerings are already halal.
"In order to market your product you need to differentiate in other areas. So for example, you would offer organic, grass-fed, these sort of value adds," says Mr Hashim.
Ridha Khachnaoui, the UAE general manager of Prairie Halal, which supplies premium meats from Canada, says he has seen an increase in demand for its products, particularly milk-fed veal and corn-fed beef.
"They are looking for trustable sources for the halal meat, plus they are looking for better quality," Mr Khachnaoui says. "They are used to American or Australian or Brazilian meat, but now we have found a group which is going for the corn-fed beef for sweeter taste and tender beef."
Burger Fuel opened its first UAE restaurant on The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai, and plans to open another outlet on Sheikh Zayed Road early next year. The chain plans to open 15 outlets over five years. But the growing demand for halal food goes beyond Islamic countries, where it is the norm or often the law. AT Kearney, the research company, estimates halal food could already be worth an estimated $30bn to the top five retailers alone.
AT Kearney says Carrefour, the world's second-largest retailer, has quadrupled shelf space for halal food over the past four years in western Europe. Food retailers are also branching out beyond meat. Midamar, the US food retailer, is also producing halal premium pizzas. Al Islami, the Dubai halal food producer, is developing pizzas for global distribution and ready-made noodle meals for the Asian market, says Joachim Yebouet, its chief operating officer.
Demand for gourmet halal foods will grow thanks to the middle class, Mr Yebouet says. "They will look for healthier products and ask for some more gourmet types of offering, and we are ready to invest more in these high-demand products," he says.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
