I was at my local grocery store the other day and headed to the halal meats section. It was an ordinary day just like any other; I was a typical hungry Muslim looking for some meat happily walking through the doors of Food Basics, a major grocery chain in Canada. When I got there, to my surprise, I found branded ‘halal’ banners all around the halal meat shelves.
Now I realize this might not sound like a big deal but this simple act of marketing speaks volumes. It’s one thing to sell halal meat (most major supermarkets in Canada already do) but it’s a completely different thing to incorporate it into your brand. Food Basics has sold halal meat for years but this is the first time they’ve focused their marketing around it. Not only that but they’ve branded it like all the other signs in their store that read “always more for less”. So not only are they making a conscious effort to market ‘halal’ but they are incorporating it into their company’s identity. It’s clear that Food Basics recognizes that there is a significant Muslim population out there, enough so that they branded themselves to appeal to it.
Now it’s not like Food Basics has gone all Halal, removed all it’s pork and placed shrimp in a new section called “Mashbooh?” with question marks all around it. It’s far from that. But this small act of marketing shows that product developers are starting to consider Muslim market demands. I personally think this will be the first example of many inshAllah.
What do you think? Have you seen any similar marketing for halal products where you live? Is anyone as excited as I am!?
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17 Responses
Assalamu aleikum. Just happened to land here from Google. Great article Tareq! Please visit http://www.zabiha.com for more information.
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tareq Reply:
8.16.2009
Thanks for the comment Ahmed! Glad you liked the article. Have you noticed ‘Halal’ being advertised and marketed in your neighborhood?
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Thanks for sharing this act of muslim marketing! On this fine first day of Ramadan, I was assembling a grocery list for iftar. While browsing through online flyers of local grocery stores, I came across another act of muslim marketing by the very same Food Basics. A dedicated flyer section for iftar and suhoor ingredients with a warm “Ramadan Karim” header. Here’s the link: http://www.foodbasics.ca/en/circulaire.html?idFlyer=34&flyerPage=2&imgSize=0
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I don’t know If I said it already but …I’m so glad I found this site…Keep up the good work I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog. Thanks,
A definite great read..Tony Brown
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This is very nice. Is this in Ottawa?
After reading Ahmed’s comment I had to pause. I have been buying the Maple Leaf products for a while. I did not realize they were not hand-slaughtered though. That is a real shame and I hope that more education is presented to both grocers, shoppers, and the companies that produce these goods.
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I live in Mississauga and my nearest grocery store is Sobey’s. They are following in the footsteps of Food Basics and have incorporated halal products in their brand. I have noticed a much bigger section in Sobey’s with many products, labeled under sobey’s brand. Most of their frozen meat products arrived from New Zealed with very competitive prices. I recently found out that No Frills also is beginning to advertise for their halal products.
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Zabiha halaal by Maple Lodge has problems. It is not halaal at all. I would encourage everyone to stay away from Maple Lodge.
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Muhammad Abduhu Reply:
10.11.2009
I don’t think we should make accusations like that unless they are backed up by compelling evidence.
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Ali Reply:
10.12.2009
assalamu alaikum
Maple Lodge uses mechanical slaughter, and they pronounce the tasmiyah at start of the conveyor belt and do it continuously during production, and not on each separate chicken.
You can see their own video here: http://www.zabihahalal.com/halalvideo2.html
Fatwa on use of mechanical slaughter with the context of mass production: http://hma.jucanada.org/mechanical_slaughter.aspx/user_submission_system/machine-slaughtered_meat
You can also talk to Maulana Omer Subedar in Makki Masjid, Brampton, who is one of the individuals behind the Halal Monitoring Authority project regarding Maple Lodge.
And Allah knows best.
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Muhammad Abduhu Reply:
2.17.2010
Thank you for the links.
Ahmed Reply:
11.23.2009
If you visit http://www.zabiha.com it provides you with all the links that answer your questions!
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As Adnan mentioned, Food Basics isn’t the only Canadian grocery chain to start marketing halal meat during Ramadan time. A couple days after Tareq posted this article I received a Price Chopper flyer in the mail at my Kitchener home with an entire section devoted to Ramadan specials and halal meat. The flyer had, in huge writing, written on the front “Ramadan Kareem!” and pointed to a Ramadan specials section of the flyer. I was so amazed to see this that I decided to go to the store to see what other Muslim-directed advertising Price Chopper had deployed. In store, the advertising was similar to Food Basics, as Tareq described. One thing that did catch my attention was the addition of halal beef to the lineup of halal meat products. I’ve been seeing halal meat in grocery stores for some time, but this was the first time I’d seen the more expensive beef product. Looks like these chains are sprucing up their product lineup to add some punch to their marketing initiatives.
Over the past few months I’ve noticed halal meat pop up at all sorts of places. In fact, the Walmart Super Store by my house has started selling Al Safa and Maple Lodge halal products as well. In a region with a small Muslim population compared to the GTA for example, this is very exciting. At the same time, however, it raises some concerns that Muslims in larger cities like Mississauga and Toronto have been facing for some time. The concern is of false advertising and marketing.
Until more recently, Ontario has not had any type of halal regulatory board to make sure those businesses who claim to be halal are actually halal. We all wish we could give these businesses the benefit of the doubt, but the fact is many so called halal meat stores are not selling halal meat at all. Recently in Brampton Ontario a new initiative called the Halal Monitoring Authority (HMA) was launched. The HMA is based off of a UK based halal meat regulator board model and is currently working with businesses around the GTA to ensure advertised halal meat is indeed halal. For more information, a list of certified halal meat sources, and discussion on hand-slaughter vs. machine slaughter, visit their website:
http://hma.jucanada.org/
-Kashif
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My friend Zohair told me about this:
http://www.eidmubarak.ca/
(I wonder if they were the first to register that domain name).
It’s not a ‘halal’ product that they’re offering but I think it fits in will with the theme of this post – that a major corporation “recognizes that there is a significant Muslim population out there enough so that they branded themselves to appeal to it.”
The real kicker:
“Rogers Home Phone customers can enjoy 24 hours of free calling between from September 19th at 8pm to September 20th at 8:00pm to the UK, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia!
Simply pick up the phone and dial direct to your family and friends back home. It’s our way of wishing you, your family, and your friends Eid Mubarak!”
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Kashif Umer Reply:
10.11.2009
I’m actually working at Rogers right now for a co-op term.
I’ve had two other Ramadans where I was working a co-op job and it’s interesting to contrast the different ways different companies treat their Muslim employees during Ramadan. Some of them don’t even know that it’s Ramadan, but at Rogers it was pretty different. It seemed most people knew it was Ramadan and that Muslims are fasting, so when they had meetings with food or something they would always apologize because they forgot.
We (Muslims at Rogers) even had an Eid party/breakfast for the entire company on the third day of Eid. Idunno, maybe it’s the sheer number of Muslims that work there (quite a few, we have 2 jummuahs and a wudu area) that create this sort of awareness…anyway I’ve gone off topic enough
-Kashif
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Aatif Reply:
2.24.2010
WHHAAATTT!!!
That Roger’s Eid phone deal blows my mind with awesomeness!
Funny (/ignorant) that I use to make fun of rogers for being evil
Muslim population is growing, but more importantly, I appreciate how Canada is a compassionate secular society (to the point where I don’t even think I can call it “secular”). Not only when I see halal food in grocery stores, but others. There is a LARGE kosher section at a grocery store in Ottawa and I love that it’s there. Even if you have your reservations about kosher food, the idea that religion still has great influence on our stigmatized inconsiderate West is encouraging. This cooperation of various people and accepted inputs into society is a part of Canada, and I think has allowed me/us potential to have a great Muslim living here.
Now I say compassionate society, but you may say it’s just a marketing campaign to greatly exemplify the capitalist life here to hit up anyone to make money. The fact is, the products released are reflective of our society. So if our society is cool with it, that is what makes me feel great to live here.
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What do I think? I think this is hilarious:
“Now it’s not like Food Basics has gone all Halal, removed all it’s pork and placed shrimp in a new section called “Mashbooh?” with question marks all around it.”
HAHAHAAHHAHAAAAA
Thanks for the links, Ali.
And Aatif, where is that grocery store with LARGE Kosher section in Ottawa?
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i want to make awareness of halal products in india with its purity & benifits to indian markets (India Operation ) how can we go with
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