Home-grown lamb production and the value it adds to the Halal market has been showcased at a major event in Manchester.
AHDB Beef & Lamb ran live cooking and butchery demonstrations at the Muslim Lifestyle Expo, on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October, showing thousands of consumers the wide variety of lamb cuts and recipes available. The organisation also highlighted the range of resources it produces, such as cutting specifications and information booklets, to help the sector understand the benefits of using domestically produced sheep meat and beef.
This activity is just one element of AHDB Beef & Lamb’s year-round focus on supporting the Halal market. Recently this included running a competition where Halal butchers were asked to demonstrate their use of new butchery ideas and recipes that are suited to modern Muslim shoppers. The winner was judged by their uptake of AHDB information, such as utilising new cuts.
The competition was won by Halal butchers and wholesalers, Mullaco Ltd, who have been using AHDB materials and trialing non-traditional Halal cuts in their shops to good effect. Yousuf Mulla, Managing Director of Mullaco, has welcomed the new support available from AHDB and continues to develop the range of cuts and recipes available for their customers to help increase sales.
The growing domestic market for Halal sheep meat presents a significant opportunity for the sheep industry. Muslim consumers purchase around 20 per cent of all sheep meat available in England, with consumption peaking around the Eid festivals and Qurbani.
Mike Richardson, AHDB Beef & Lamb Independent Sector Retail Manager, said: “The domestic Halal market is increasing in size and huge opportunities exist for the trade to further increase sales by offering products that better suit the needs of the modern Muslim shopper. These include products such as the mini roasting joints which are being promoted as part of our current advertising campaign.
“We continue to conduct consumer research to examine attitudes and decision making among Muslim customers when purchasing meat. This will help us focus future activity on supporting the sector, underlining our commitment to developing opportunities for Halal and maximising opportunities for the entire supply chain.”
AHDB Beef & Lamb works closely with the Halal sector and provides a range of support materials for the industry to maximise carcase utilisation, such as the Lamb Cutting Guide for the Halal market. Butchers’ kits for the Halal sector are also available to order online at www.qsmbeefandlamb.co.uk/pos or by calling Mike Richardson on 07790 173625.
Further information on Halal recipes can be found in the recipes section of www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk.
