Boom for halal mozzarella cheese, 24% produced by Muslims

(ANSAmed) - NAPLES, AUGUST 2 - The market for certified halal mozzarella cheese from Campania has been booming with one in four mozzarella cheeses produced according to Islamic law.
    In 2016, according to the consortium of Campania producers of buffalo mozzarella cheese DOP, 10,660,231 kilos of halal mozzarella cheese have been produced, or 24% of the total. The number of certified producers has also been growing and today they represent 20% of members of the Consortium that preserves the area's DOP production, including Campania, some areas of Lazio, Puglia and Molise.
    The success, producers inform, comes on the one hand from new markets in Muslim-majority countries, like the Arab Emirates, and on the other hand the growing demand for DOP mozzarella cheese coming from Muslim consumers across Europe, who are offered a tailor-made product.
    Halal mozzarella cheese is produced according to the rules set by Islam, for example cleaning products for machines are without alcohol and rennet of animal origin is certified as halal. Members of the Islamic community in particular verify that procedures follow the rules and the absence of substances that could make the product not halal.
    ''The growing trend for halal buffalo mozzarella cheese confirms global appreciation for our product from every type of consumer'', said the president of the Consortium, Domenico Raimondo.
    ''According to the report Euromonitor, consumers of certified halal products - he stressed - are a market of some two billion people and by 2030 they will make up 26% of world consumption.
    For some Islamic countries, the halal certification is necessary for the import and commercialization of products. The sector of DOP mozzarella cheese has taken up the challenge and playing the lead role''.(ANSAmed).