For decades, halal certification has been defined by fragmentation, with exporters navigating a patchwork of national standards, competing certification bodies and differing interpretations of religious requirements.
But a new push led by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to harmonize halal rules could mark the beginning of a broader transformation.
The question is whether the industry is finally moving towards a single, more holistic global standard, or whether national differences will continue to shape international food trade.
The Global Halal Mark alliance, launched by the Saudi Halal Center in December 2025, is seemingly gathering momentum. International recognition of the Kingdom’s halal framework is growing, with Indonesia and Thailand joining the initiative since the start of 2026, while the Saudi Halal Center expects the alliance to expand to 10 participating countries by the end of the year.
There is a vast commercial prize at stake. The global halal market is currently valued at more than US$7t and is projected to reach US$10t by 2030, according to the American Halal Foundation, citing analyst reports.
The Global Halal Certifiers Directory tracks 192 halal certification bodies across 73 countries, many of which operate under different national regulations, religious interpretations and accreditation requirements.
According to the Saudi Halal Center, the new framework aims to bring all halal products under a single umbrella, consequently facilitating global trade in halal products, and helping companies expand exports. Naturally, the initiative will also strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a leading global halal hub.
Too many standards, too many interests
Yet despite the initiative’s ambition, many industry stakeholders question whether it can achieve truly global reach, arguing that countries are unlikely to abandon their own halal standards and certification systems anytime soon.
The efforts of the Gulf countries to harmonise halal standards are unlikely to have a major impact on the global halal food market, Miran Ismael, lead auditor at the European Certification Center for Halal, commented.
“The global halal food industry is significantly larger than the Middle Eastern market alone,” Ismael says, adding that there is no unity even on halal standards among the Gulf countries.
“Each Gulf state currently maintains its own halal standard, which also serves as part of its regulatory and economic framework. As a result, achieving harmonisation among these countries will not be straightforward,” Ismael adds.
For food manufacturers, the present halal-certification landscape can be costly and administratively complex, comments Nandini Roy Choudhury, senior analyst with Future Market Insights, a think tank.
“A product accepted in one country may require additional certification, audits or documentation before entering another market,” Choudhury explains.
Greater alignment, even across the Gulf, could reduce duplicate audits, shorten market-entry timelines, and make Saudi Arabia a more influential gateway for halal products entering the wider Middle East, according to Choudhury.
However, the declared goals of aligning the existing halal standards are too ambitious, and may face stiff resistance in many markets.
“Differences in religious interpretation, slaughter requirements, accreditation systems and national regulation will remain,” Choudhury says.
There are considerable differences between halal standards, particularly regarding stunning methods, slaughter procedures, and certification requirements.
“In Europe, the primary focus is on animal welfare, with strict legislation governing stunning and slaughtering practices,” Ismael says. “Major European retailers increasingly require poultry to meet high animal welfare standards, while veterinary regulations can make it challenging to comply simultaneously with every halal standard”.
On top of that, the halal certification issue has political and religious dimensions. Some analysts argue that Saudi Arabia’s model could face recognition challenges in markets where different religious authorities oversee halal certification.
In addition, Ismael pointed out that Indonesia and Malaysia each consider themselves leading authorities in the global halal certification industry.
“Before any meaningful technical harmonization can take place, political alignment between these major halal markets will be necessary,” Ismael adds.
A standard built for the export race
Even without universal recognition, Saudi Arabia’s halal mark could become an important tool for companies looking to expand into the Middle East, where halal certification is increasingly a prerequisite for market access.
“We do expect the Saudi Halal Mark to have an effect on the American market, as a majority of halal food and supplement production aimed at the Middle East and Saudi Arabia happens in the U.S,” comments Azmi Anees, chief of staff at American Halal Foundation.
“If the regulation pushes for all Saudi-bound exports to carry the standardized logo, it may lead to additional regulatory and labelling legwork for American manufacturers,” Anees adds.
In exporting countries such as the US, the fragmented halal landscape has created a paradoxical situation: rather than choosing a certification based on a single global standard, companies often select a halal certifier based on their target markets and the requirements of their intended export destinations.
The differences are particularly pronounced in meat and poultry, where certification requirements can vary significantly between markets, Anees said.
“Take, for instance, the halal standards expected by JAKIM from Malaysia, one of the oldest halal authorities. There are only a select few halal certifiers in North America who meet their standards for meat and poultry,” Anees said.
One key area of divergence between halal standards is the use of stunning in beef production. While some international halal standards prohibit stunning, certain halal bodies certify facilities using more permissive interpretations. These differences can have major implications for exporters, which must ensure that their chosen certifier is recognised by the Muslim-majority markets they want to serve.
The Saudi initiative is also notable for another reason: it expands the traditional scope of halal certification by adding ESG principles, potentially turning halal compliance into a broader tool for sustainability and market access.
“Historically, halal certification has concentrated primarily on ingredients, processing, slaughter and the prevention of contamination with prohibited substances,” Choudhury says.
“The emerging model is more closely connected with the wider concept of halal and tayyib – products that are not only permissible but also wholesome, safe, responsibly produced and ethically managed,” Choudhury adds.
Observers believe that the addition of ESG principles could further strengthen the appeal of the Saudi halal mark among international exporters, though the Saudi Halal Center should be careful with this tool. “Without clear auditing and disclosure, adding ESG language could increase complexity or create concerns about greenwashing,” Choudhury adds.
Finding common ground in a divided market
While a single global halal standard may remain difficult to achieve, analysts believe the industry could move towards greater alignment in the coming years as trade links deepen, international recognition grows, and exporters seek simpler certification pathways. Saudi Arabia’s new initiatives could become an important catalyst for this process, even if they do not ultimately set the rules for the entire global halal industry.
“Theoretically, halal should be one for all countries,” Anees says. “There cannot literally be something that is less halal or more halal.”
However, major work still needs to be done on the path towards halal certification that would be accepted by most players.
“For the halal industry to move towards a widely accepted standard, the halal certification regulatory authorities as well as the certifiers will need to develop a halal standard that is acceptable to all major halal consumer segments rather than only some,” Anees says. “Once that is done, one accepted system can be established, which I personally believe will happen but will take time”.
The most realistic outcome is a layered model, Choudhury says, explaining that under this model, internationally referenced technical standards, regional frameworks such as those used across the Gulf, and national authorities retain control over certification recognition and market access.
“Nevertheless, complete unification remains difficult,” Choudhury admits. “Governments may also view halal accreditation as an issue of religious authority, food regulation and national sovereignty”.
According to Choudhury, the outcome will be determined by several practical factors: whether regulators agree on core technical requirements; whether major importing countries recognise one another’s certification bodies; whether digital systems can verify certificates and supply-chain records; and whether harmonisation produces real savings for manufacturers.
“Consumer trust will be equally important,” Choudhury says. “A unified mark will gain traction only if Muslim consumers believe that consistency has been improved without weakening religious requirements.”
Still, some industry stakeholders argue that the differences between halal systems remain too deep to be overcome in the near team.
“In my opinion, the establishment of a single global halal standard is unlikely in the near future. There are substantial theological and jurisprudential differences within the Muslim community itself,” Ismael says. “Similar to kosher certification, no single religious certification system satisfies every group of consumers”.
Observers also admit that the success of Saudi Arabia’s vision will depend on how much political capital, resources and diplomatic effort the Kingdom is willing to invest in building international support. Whether it can turn its halal mark into a widely recognised global benchmark remains an open question.
