The global halal food market was valued at USD 2.8 trillion in 2025, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report, with Muslim-majority countries and diaspora markets across Southeast Asia, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe driving compound annual growth of 9.4 percent. GCC nations — positioned at the intersection of Islamic finance, trade connectivity, and food security investment — are moving aggressively to capture a larger share of the global halal food export market, with a combined target of USD 700 billion in annual export value by 2030.
UAE as the GCC’s Halal Food Export Hub
The UAE has positioned itself as the GCC’s primary halal food trading hub, leveraging Jebel Ali Free Zone’s logistics infrastructure, the Emirates SkyCargo cold chain network, and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) Halal Product Certification programme. UAE halal food re-exports reached AED 28 billion in 2025, with top destination markets including Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria.
DMCC’s Halal Centre — the world’s only commodity-focused halal assurance body — issued 4,200 certifications in 2025, covering food products from 85 countries. For international food manufacturers seeking distribution in Muslim-majority markets, DMCC Halal Certification is increasingly recognised as the gold standard — accepted by regulators in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Saudi Arabia’s Halal Food Manufacturing Push
Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in domestic halal food manufacturing through the Halal Products Development Company (HPDC), a subsidiary of the Saudi National Development Fund. The HPDC has committed SAR 8.2 billion (approximately USD 2.2 billion) to build six dedicated halal food industrial parks across the Kingdom, targeting processed meats, dairy, confectionery, and ready meals for export to African and Asian markets.
The Kingdom’s strategic advantage in halal food exports lies in its existing distribution relationships across Islamic world institutions — the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Islamic Development Bank, and the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saudi food brands benefit from implicit trust in markets where consumers equate Saudi Arabian origin with authentic Islamic compliance, a brand equity that takes decades for other exporters to build.
B2B Opportunities in GCC Halal Food
For businesses targeting GCC halal food growth, three categories offer the strongest near-term opportunity. Plant-based halal alternatives — a segment growing at 31 percent annually in the UAE — offer opportunities for food technology companies developing products that satisfy halal certification requirements without traditional animal protein. Halal nutraceuticals and supplements represent a largely untapped GCC export opportunity, with the global Muslim-consumer supplements market estimated at USD 45 billion. Third, halal e-commerce logistics — temperature-controlled, segregated halal handling protocols for last-mile delivery — is a specialised logistics service that major GCC carriers including Aramex and logistics startups are investing in to meet growing regulatory requirements.
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