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Over the last decade recognisable markets have emerged for halal and kosher meat in a number of European countries, notably in the UK. Growing segments of these markets are now channeled through product ranges in supermarkets, with the halal market in particular experiencing a rapid increase in demand. A number of factors underpin these developments, including an increase in the Muslim population, changes in consumer behaviour, identity reinforcement, and a general increase in meat consumption. Although the expansion of the kosher market is perceptibly smaller, and the Jewish population is more or less stable, the market is far from being extinct. Kosher products have an increasing presence in supermarkets and there are a growing number of kosher labels.

This report provides an exploratory overview of the markets for halal and kosher meat in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway and Turkey. The report draws on the concept of qualification to explore the ways in which meat becomes halal and kosher through processes of certification and retailing. The report starts off with an extended study of market developments in the United Kingdom, where we find a rapidly expand- ing and diversifying halal market emerging alongside the practices of certification bodies and retailers, and a diversifying kosher market. There is little trust and transparency in the halal market and consumers generally only display trust in the relations with neighbour- hood butchers. While the kosher market is also undergoing a process of change, most kosher meat is also generally sold at the neighbourhood level. Although not centralised, the kosher market is more codified and controlled than the halal market and there is much less controversy about the qualification of products than there is in the halal market. In France, we find the most extended kosher market and the largest Muslim popula- tion in Europe; both meat markets are significant. Kosher and halal products have become increasingly visible over the last decade, but certification has only recently emerged as an issue. Unlike the UK, we see that the halal market in France is mostly based on auto- ‘certification’ procedures and that there are few independent certifiers. Although halal products have become increasingly available in mainstream outlets, much like the UK most halal meat is still sold through dedicated independent retailers. Kosher certification is mostly centralised in France, but as in the halal market, kosher meat is still mainly distributed through local butcheries and delicatessen; in both markets there are concerns over fraudulent practices and the process of qualification is not always clear. In Germany, we find a very small market for kosher meat and a young but ex