The Halal Wave in Korea
Muslims are allowed to eat only one type of food - halal food. In Islam food is divided into two categories: halal or "permitted by Allah" and haram, "forbidden by Allah." Muslims can eat only the food certified as halal, as specified in the scriptures of Quran. A quarter of the world population is Muslim, numbering 1.8 million, and the volume of food markets in the Islamic region stands at a staggering 700 billion U.S. dollars. The halal food market is a blue ocean, brimming with business opportunities. Now Korean food companies are attempting to take a bite out of that lucrative market by getting meat, fish, and even Korea's food icon kimchi certified as halal. This episode looks at the halal wave sweeping the Korean food industry.