Hong Kong food producers are capitalising on the growing demand for halal cuisine, with some firms developing certified pre-packed products for tourists in the city and Chinese restaurants in the Middle East.
Advertisement
Some industry insiders told the Post recently that the current number of halal-certified restaurants was still falling short of meeting local demand.
“We have seen a rapid growth in halal certification applications in recent years,” Leo Yuen Chung-on, the founding chairman of the Hong Kong Food Science and Technology Association, said last Friday.
“But it’s far from meeting the existing demand, especially during Muslim holidays when there is a surge in tourists from Muslim countries and local Muslims go out for celebrations.”
Hong Kong is pursuing new sources of inbound tourists, including those from the Middle East, to help boost its economy.
Advertisement
To promote halal certification among restaurants, the Hong Kong Tourism Board partnered with the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong to encourage applications as part of government efforts to diversify visitor sources.