The Swiss are the biggest producers of processed halal food
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/sep2008/gb20080915_959266.htm?chan=globalbiz_europe+in [2008-10-7]
Tag : preserved plum
The dough preserved with potassium sorbate smells "slightly more cheesy,"says Walter Leisi, 63, a jolly Swiss man wearing a purpleshort-sleeved shirt and a gold watch. Leisi is the director of aNestlé plant in the Swiss town of Wangen bei Olten. He isalso the inventor of Leisi-Quick, the world's first ready-made puffpastry, which is packaged on baking paper and sold in refrigerated,but not frozen, form and is thus ready for baking. The factoryproduces more than 41,000 tons of freshly made dough a year, anenormous quantity.
But in the case of Leisi-Quick, the real issue is not taste orsmell, but God's will.
More and more Muslims are choosing a devout lifestyle, and thisincludes strict observance of the dietary restrictions in theKoran, which classify food as being either "halal" or "haram,"allowed or forbidden. Pork, blood and alcohol are haram. Thissounds straightforward enough, but in an era of modern foodproduction, observing these restrictions is anything but easy.Forbidden foods are hidden in products like bouillon, gelatin andspice mixtures. Many preservatives are made with alcohol, the glueused in packaging can contain animal fats and pig bristles can turnup in production equipment. The alcohol used in puff pastry isharam, and although it evaporates during baking, a small residue isleft behind.
Many Islamic countries have strict rules requiring the use of halalfood products, and they have even become a global trend in recentyears. The current market is valued at an estimated €350billion ($508 billion). Muslims make up one-fifth of the earth'spopulation, and as their purchasing power grows, so does theirreligious self-confidence.
Islamic countries, especially Malaysia, are fueling the demand.It's now even possible to get mineral water and rice that is halal.Entire research institutes are dealing with the question of whetherthe additives E100, E407 and E418 are permitted for devout Muslims.Lipstick, medications and skin creams can also be haram. This isabout religion, undoubtedly, but even more about business.
As a result, anything that is not halal could soon no longer beglobal. This explains why Nestlé, the world's largest foodcorporation, with €64.9 billion ($94 billion) in sales lastyear, now adheres to rules that date back to the 7th century in 75of its 480 factories worldwide. The Swiss are the biggest producersof processed halal food, mainly for Southeast Asia and the MiddleEast, earning €2.4 billion ($3.5 billion) from sales of suchproducts last year—more than with organic food, the other,Western trend. To keep it that way, products are tested, certifiedand regularly inspected by "Islamologists" working with high-techanalysis equipment.
Even Europe is gradually adjusting, as the demand for halalproducts grows in the double-digit percentage range each year. Lastyear, when McDonald's opened its first European restaurant withhalal burgers on the menu—in London—sales roseimmediately. The British supermarket chains Tesco and Sainsbury'shave installed separate halal shelving and are targeting Muslimcustomers in their advertising. And for the past two yearsNestlé has eliminated pork, blood and alcohol from theproduction process in seven European factories, including a sausageplant in France, a Nescafé plant in Germany and a powderedmilk plant in Spain.
Because Nestlé has discovered that puff pastry is a strongseller among Muslims, globalization has now reached Wangen beiOlten, a town of 4,983 inhabitants that recently fought a heatedbut ultimately unsuccessful battle against the construction of amosque minaret. Walter Leisi, whose father began producingready-made cake dough and puff pastry in 1938, and whose childhoodbedroom was once next to the kneading machine, now writes termslike "Quality Monitoring Scheme" on a white board and has acertificate issue by the Muslim Institute of the Paris Mosque for"Pâte à tarte sans Alcool (halal)."
Much has changed since the invention of Leisi-Quick. The formerfamily-owned business has since been sold to Nestlé, and thedemand for puff pastry is no longer determined by the French plumharvest, but by Ramadan.
The company sells most of its puff pastry to France, the land ofthe quiche. If the halal version is successful, Nestlé plansto offer more halal products soon, including shortcrust pastry andpizza dough. "Nowadays," says Leisi, "this is part of having awell-rounded product line."
He puts on a white coat and a cap and begins a tour of the factory,past shiny chrome-plated kneading machines and conveyor beltstraveling in every direction, 24 hours a day, carrying dough invarious forms: flattened, in small mounds and rolled up.
Halal or not halal, the differences are not visible. The machinesare the same. They have to be cleaned regularly with alcohol, whichevaporates after 15 minutes. Then, in accordance with theIslamologist's instructions, another batch of halal puff pastry canbe produced. "It's really quite simple," says Walter Leisi, andsmiles.
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
Provided by Spiegel Online —Read the latest from Europe's largest newsmagazine
The dough preserved with potassium sorbate smells "slightly more cheesy,"says Walter Leisi, 63, a jolly Swiss man wearing a purpleshort-sleeved shirt and a gold watch. Leisi is the director of aNestlé plant in the Swiss town of Wangen bei Olten. He isalso the inventor of Leisi-Quick, the world's first ready-made puffpastry, which is packaged on baking paper and sold in refrigerated,but not frozen, form and is thus ready for baking. The factoryproduces more than 41,000 tons of freshly made dough a year, anenormous quantity.
But in the case of Leisi-Quick, the real issue is not taste orsmell, but God's will.
More and more Muslims are choosing a devout lifestyle, and thisincludes strict observance of the dietary restrictions in theKoran, which classify food as being either "halal" or "haram,"allowed or forbidden. Pork, blood and alcohol are haram. Thissounds straightforward enough, but in an era of modern foodproduction, observing these restrictions is anything but easy.Forbidden foods are hidden in products like bouillon, gelatin andspice mixtures. Many preservatives are made with alcohol, the glueused in packaging can contain animal fats and pig bristles can turnup in production equipment. The alcohol used in puff pastry isharam, and although it evaporates during baking, a small residue isleft behind.
Many Islamic countries have strict rules requiring the use of halalfood products, and they have even become a global trend in recentyears. The current market is valued at an estimated €350billion ($508 billion). Muslims make up one-fifth of the earth'spopulation, and as their purchasing power grows, so does theirreligious self-confidence.
Islamic countries, especially Malaysia, are fueling the demand.It's now even possible to get mineral water and rice that is halal.Entire research institutes are dealing with the question of whetherthe additives E100, E407 and E418 are permitted for devout Muslims.Lipstick, medications and skin creams can also be haram. This isabout religion, undoubtedly, but even more about business.
As a result, anything that is not halal could soon no longer beglobal. This explains why Nestlé, the world's largest foodcorporation, with €64.9 billion ($94 billion) in sales lastyear, now adheres to rules that date back to the 7th century in 75of its 480 factories worldwide. The Swiss are the biggest producersof processed halal food, mainly for Southeast Asia and the MiddleEast, earning €2.4 billion ($3.5 billion) from sales of suchproducts last year—more than with organic food, the other,Western trend. To keep it that way, products are tested, certifiedand regularly inspected by "Islamologists" working with high-techanalysis equipment.
Even Europe is gradually adjusting, as the demand for halalproducts grows in the double-digit percentage range each year. Lastyear, when McDonald's opened its first European restaurant withhalal burgers on the menu—in London—sales roseimmediately. The British supermarket chains Tesco and Sainsbury'shave installed separate halal shelving and are targeting Muslimcustomers in their advertising. And for the past two yearsNestlé has eliminated pork, blood and alcohol from theproduction process in seven European factories, including a sausageplant in France, a Nescafé plant in Germany and a powderedmilk plant in Spain.
Because Nestlé has discovered that puff pastry is a strongseller among Muslims, globalization has now reached Wangen beiOlten, a town of 4,983 inhabitants that recently fought a heatedbut ultimately unsuccessful battle against the construction of amosque minaret. Walter Leisi, whose father began producingready-made cake dough and puff pastry in 1938, and whose childhoodbedroom was once next to the kneading machine, now writes termslike "Quality Monitoring Scheme" on a white board and has acertificate issue by the Muslim Institute of the Paris Mosque for"Pâte à tarte sans Alcool (halal)."
Much has changed since the invention of Leisi-Quick. The formerfamily-owned business has since been sold to Nestlé, and thedemand for puff pastry is no longer determined by the French plumharvest, but by Ramadan.
The company sells most of its puff pastry to France, the land ofthe quiche. If the halal version is successful, Nestlé plansto offer more halal products soon, including shortcrust pastry andpizza dough. "Nowadays," says Leisi, "this is part of having awell-rounded product line."
He puts on a white coat and a cap and begins a tour of the factory,past shiny chrome-plated kneading machines and conveyor beltstraveling in every direction, 24 hours a day, carrying dough invarious forms: flattened, in small mounds and rolled up.
Halal or not halal, the differences are not visible. The machinesare the same. They have to be cleaned regularly with alcohol, whichevaporates after 15 minutes. Then, in accordance with theIslamologist's instructions, another batch of halal puff pastry canbe produced. "It's really quite simple," says Walter Leisi, andsmiles.
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
Provided by Spiegel Online —Read the latest from Europe's largest newsmagazine
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