For a long time the Halal market has been observed with great interest, multiple studies show its very promising growth figures, which look even more auspicious if we project them in the medium and long term. This is reflected, for example, in the behavior of the main multinational food companies, which have adapted part of their offer to meet the requirements that consumers and in many cases government authorities impose as entry barriers in Muslim countries.

Given this background, it seems to me that it may be interesting to try to answer the following questions: what is the Halal market? Where do we locate it geographically? What are those figures that excite those seeking new trade opportunities so much? What requirements must be met to obtain the Halal seal?

To answer what the Halal market is, it is necessary to link it with the precepts of Islam and understand that these are universally obeyed by the faithful, that is, regardless of their nationality or geographical location.

Halal is a concept that is contemplated in the Koran and is defined as the set of practices, goods and services that are suitable to be performed or consumed by Muslims. Perhaps more important is to understand the opposite concept, the Haram, that is, what is prohibited, because everything that is not expressly indicated as Haram in Sharia or Islamic law is assumed as Halal. Having this clearly understood we can say that the Halal market is one that demands that the products and / or services offered comply with such condition,To prove compliance with this requirement, it is necessary that the products are certified as Halal and that the entity that grants the seal or certification is duly recognized by the competent authorities or that it has the confidence of consumers when there is no official body that regulates the origin of the certification

Is the Halal market attributable only to a geographical area? While it is true we can clearly identify the regions of the globe where the population is predominantly Muslim, we cannot confine the Halal market to a certain area or continent. The Middle East and Southeast Asia are regions with a significant Muslim population, but the number of Muslims in Africa, Europe, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent or even in America cannot be ignored.

Some of the relevant figures of the Halal market:

• 1.6 billion potential consumers distributed as follows:

The figures have approximated

• In the West, the non-Muslim population grows between 0.9 and 0.6%, while the Muslim population grows at 1.7%. This explains why Muslims are expected to represent 26.4% of the world's population by 2030. According to data from the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2016/2017, prepared by Thomson Reuters and the Dubay Islamic Economy Development Center, the value The total of the Islamic economy reached 1.9 trillion dollars in 2015 and by 2021 this figure is expected to have grown by 8%, reaching 3 trillion dollars. Beyond banking, the agri-food sector is the main driver of this growth, representing a value of 1,173 billion dollars and is expected to grow to 1,914 billion by 2021. For their part, the tourism, clothing, media and recreation sectors,Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are growing in the same order, with a total profit in the Halal food segment estimated at 415 billion in 2015.

Finally, to respond to what requirements must be met to obtain the Halal seal, it is essential to be clear about the products prohibited by Islam.

Pork, animals whose consumption is allowed, but which have been slaughtered in a non-Islamic way and alcohol are absolutely prohibited by Sharia. For this reason, the certifying bodies are required to accredit, through a careful study of the production or slaughter processes, that the finally certified products are free of these substances or that they comply with the sanitary requirements and the sacrifice ritual in the case of the meat industry. Undoubtedly, this process is much more complex than determining the existence of these three elements and the rigor in demanding compliance with traceability will depend on the country of destination, currently there are concrete efforts to establish uniform and global standards in the protocols that must follow the certifying bodies,being the authorities of Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates the main promoters to achieve this end. At the end of the day, what every Islamic consumer is looking for is that the Halal status of the product is accredited from when it was on the farm until it reaches its fork.