John Lever - Religion, regulation, consumption

Religion, regulation, consumption

Religion, regulation, consumption

Globalising kosher and halal markets

JOHN LEVER AND JOHAN FISCHER

Manchester University Press

Copyright John Lever and Johan Fischer 2018

The right of John Lever and Johan Fischer to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

ISBN 978 1 5261 0364 2 hardback

First published 2018

The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Typeset by Out of House Publishing

Over the last two decades or so the global markets for kosher and halal food, particularly meat, have grown rapidly. Kosher is a Hebrew term meaning fit or proper and halal is an Arabic word that literally means permissible or lawful. This book explores the emergence and expansion of global kosher and halal markets with a particular focus on the UK and Denmark. This is the first book of its kind drawing on contemporary empirical material to explore kosher and halal comparatively at different levels of the social scale, such as individual consumption, the marketplace, religious organisations and the state. During this period, kosher and halal markets have become global in scope, and states, manufacturers, restaurants, shops, certifiers and consumers around the world are faced with ever stricter and more complex kosher and halal requirements most clearly exemplified by Jewish and Muslim groups call for kosher and halal certification by third-party certification bodies. Hundreds of kosher and halal certifiers have emerged around the world and thousands of manufacturers, restaurants, shops and products have been certified. While kosher and halal requirements are comparable there are also many differences, and the book discusses how these similarities and differences affect consumption, production and regulation. The book is based on extended periods of research carried out among manufacturers, shops, Jewish/Muslim organizations, certifiers and consumers in the UK and Denmark, where kosher and halal are of particular significance. Empirically, the book compares the major markets for kosher/halal in the UK with those in Denmark, where kosher/halal are important to smaller groups of religious consumers. While religious slaughter without stunning is permitted in the UK, this is not the case in Denmark. Moreover, we explore linkages between the two countries with respect to exports of meat as well as non-meat products; for example, during fieldwork in Manchester we found Danish kosher butter on sale. In addition to the contemporary empirical material, we also draw on and update materials the authors have collected over many years.

Since the end of World War II, the kosher market has consolidated in many places within the Jewish diaspora, as new generations of migrants have sought to maintain traditional practices in new locations (Lytton ) and despite widespread acceptance of common practices there are many kosher certification and standard-setting bodies. The Orthodox Union (OU) is perhaps the best-known global kosher certification body, but there are many other national, regional and local rabbinical authorities and Jewish courts of law offering kashrut (Jewish religious dietary laws) services.

The market for halal food has also grown rapidly over recent decades. The value of the halal food market alone has been estimated at around US$632 billion annually (see Bergeaud-Blackler et al. ).

The continuing expansion of the halal market over the last decade has created many opportunities for non-Muslim counties to export halal meat into Muslim countries (Lever and Miele ) and this has led to a proliferation of certifying bodies to assure Muslim consumers. At the same time, governments in a number of other Muslim countries have started to offer certification and accreditation services, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia: significantly, many of these large, state-run bodies do not recognise each other. This continues to create tension, and certification and accreditation for the export of raw materials into Muslim countries is now often overseen by large private-sector accreditation bodies, including, most notably, the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) and its sister company, the Halal Food Council of Europe (HFCE).