A GROUP of Victorian businesses are working with the Government of Brunei to develop the world’s first global halal brand.
More than 200 Victorian food manufacturers and producers are involved in the project to establish a brand for premium halal products by the middle of next year.
The project, which is being run by the Brunei Government and is being coordinated in Australia by Elders, aims to fill a gap in the halal market, which is worth about $US600 billion ($A700 billion) a year.
However, the market does not have any dedicated global brands servicing it at present.
Australia is the first country to be approached by Brunei, which represents an unprecedented opportunity for local food businesses to gain access to a growing global market, according to the chairman of Elders Victoria, Brian Norwood.
"What’s being offered to them is a new market opportunity and, what’s more, it’s going to be part of a very, very large program that’s going to be financed by somebody else," Mr Norwood said.
The project will give Australian producers access to the world’s 1.9 billion-strong Muslim population, making the potential of the brand incalculable, Mr Norwood said.
"It’s a billion dollar opportunity. How many billions I’m not sure — but there’s enough noughts there, I think, to keep people happy," he said.
A delegation of Victorian businesses attended a halal food expo in August in Brunei, where they met with members of the Government and the Sultan of Brunei himself.
One member of the delegation was Robert Radford, the managing director of Warragul company Radford’s Abattoir.
As well as providing networking opportunities, Mr Radford said, the trip opened his eyes to some market niches that do not exist in Australia.
"There’s huge opportunities overseas for offal products that, on the domestic market in Australia, is downgraded for pet food," Mr Radford said.
"We’ve just got to make every post a winner and get every value-added product out of meat processing as possible," he said.
Elders is now waiting for the Brunei Government to develop the brand and packaging, along with a set of guidelines that producers need to follow in order to be accredited, which the company expects to take place by February next year.
This allows time for the range to be ready for the halal food expo in Brunei next August.
In the meantime, Mr Norwood is keen to recruit as many Australian producers to the project as he can. "My message to them has been: ‘Here’s the size of the halal market; here’s what the Bruneians are wanting to do. If you are involved in export, or are thinking of exporting, you really need to have a think about whether or not you should be involved in halal,’ " he said.