There are about 40 voluntary food product certification systems used in Russia today. However, they aren’t combined into a single network system and lack an inspection service able to confirm the quality of halal foods, Nazariy Skrypnik, head of the Federal Accreditation Service, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
To address this issue, a unified national system for halal is under development in Russia. The first service authorized to certify products in accordance with halal standards gained accreditation at the end of April. The new national standard (GOST) for halal products will come into force in June. According to Maxim Protasov, the head of Roskachestvo, these measures will increase the supply of Russian products to foreign markets by 2.5 times.
According to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian export of halal foods increased by almost 50% in 2022 compared to 2021 and amounted to 129,000 tons. 90% of the foods exported were offal and poultry. Russian manufacturers also supply halal sweets and dairy products to foreign markets.
Currently, Russia is the second-largest supplier of halal poultry to the Middle East market after Brazil, Albert Davleev, president of the consulting company Agrifood Strategies, observed. The country is the largest supplier of turkey meat to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Besides that, Russian exporters are breaking into the markets of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman and have big expectations of the Egyptian market. In addition, Russian halal foods are being promoted in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines.
This segment offers great opportunities both nationwide and globally, experts say. According to the Federal Center for the Development of Export of Agricultural Products (FGBI “Agroexport”), 25% of the world’s population is Muslim, and their number may increase to 35% in decades to come.
