Customers walking through the aisles of some Paris area supermarkets are now likely to find halal meat and processed foods. Whether it's spicy ready-to-eat chicken wings, halal pate, or mock ham made from turkey, halal products are increasingly making their way into mainstream shopping venues. It may not seem like much, but for France this marks a striking change.

This was made evident last summer when the Zakia food brand aired the first nationally broadcast television commercial for halal food. It turned enough heads to make it into French newscasts.

Halal means legal or lawful in Arabic and refers to foods that are sanctioned by Islamic authorities. Pork, blood and alcohol are not halal. Food industry observers say supermarkets and the rest of the food industry are just following the money trail.

"Five and a half billion euros are going to be spent on these kinds of products this year in France," said Abbas Bendali, the head of Solis, a market research firm specialized in ethnic niches. "There are five million potential customers. So this is more than a niche, this is a real consumer segment."

Big food chain catches on

A few years ago, halal foods could only be found in small shops in low-rent immigrant neighborhoods. Now France's second largest supermarket chain, Casino, has hired Abderrahman Bouzid to manage the halal and traditional Muslim foods sold in its 10,000 stores.

He said the market is growing thanks to a new generation of French Muslims. "Those under the age of 40 don't have any hang-ups about affirming who they are; they want to be taken into consideration," Bouzid said, explaining that Muslim consumers are perfectly aware of their buying power and will prefer retailers that offer halal products. "They're saying 'If you are dismissive of my needs, by ignoring my customs and my preferences, I won't shop in your business'," he added.

Casino has even created its own halal product line, which it markets under the name Wassila, Others in the food industry are following suit. International brands such as Knorr, Maggi, Liebig and French firms like Duc and Fleury Michon have all started selling halal options. They now compete with established halal brands such as Zakia, Isla Delice and Medina.

Courtesy Deutsche Welle