Eleven years ago, the recipe for the McCain Deep香蕉视频直播檔 Delicious cake 香蕉视频直播� a decades-old Canadian classic 香蕉视频直播� changed.

To many Canadians, the removal of beef gelatin from the cake香蕉视频直播檚 components may have gone unnoticed. But for Muslim shoppers used to checking the ingredients of food products, it was cause for celebration.

香蕉视频直播淚t went kind of viral within the Muslim community, like, 香蕉视频直播極h my God, we can eat this,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈�� said Salima Jivraj, account director and multicultural lead at Nourish Food Marketing.

It香蕉视频直播檚 easier than ever to find halal meat, snacks and desserts in grocery stores as the industry expands in response to Canada香蕉视频直播檚 growing Muslim population, and Jivraj said she doesn香蕉视频直播檛 expect that growth to slow anytime soon.

香蕉视频直播淭he demand just keeps growing. So it香蕉视频直播檚 a really good business to be in,香蕉视频直播� she said.

Nearly five per cent of Canadians are Muslim, according to the 2021 census, a proportion that has more than doubled since 2001, with immigration as a key driver.

Almost 19 per cent of immigrants admitted between 2011 and 2021 were Muslim, Statistics Canada data show.

香蕉视频直播淏ecause the demand is there, the industry is paying more attention, and as a result there香蕉视频直播檚 more products hitting the shelves,香蕉视频直播� said Omar Subedar, an imam as well as COO and co-founder of the Halal Monitoring Authority (HMA).

For meat to be halal, the animal needs to be slaughtered in a certain way and blessed at the time of slaughter, he explained. Muslims don香蕉视频直播檛 eat certain kinds of meat, most notably pork, and the treatment of the animal from the beginning of its life is also important, he said.

It香蕉视频直播檚 not only about meat, however. Many common grocery items include animal byproducts such as gelatin (in marshmallows, for example) or rennet (found in many cheeses), said Jivraj. But these items are also increasingly available halal, she added.

Halal consumer packaged goods or other food products also need to be free of alcohol.

The HMA launched in 2006 to address malpractice and fraud in the halal food industry, said Subedar. It certifies halal-labelled products and monitors the practices of the companies it certifies.

Mississauga, Ont.-based Maple Leaf Foods, which produces a variety of meat and other protein products, has seen rising demand for its halal offerings in recent years. The company香蕉视频直播檚 halal brand, Mina, was launched in 2013 and is certified by the HMA.

香蕉视频直播淲e expect strong growth to continue in the years to come,香蕉视频直播� Patrick Lutfy, the company香蕉视频直播檚 senior vice-president of retail marketing, said in an emailed statement.

There are significantly more options now for Muslim consumers in grocery stores and at restaurants than there were when Subedar was growing up. He remembers his mother making pizza at home with naan because he couldn香蕉视频直播檛 have pizza at a chain restaurant like many of his friends could.

香蕉视频直播淟ook at how far we香蕉视频直播檝e come,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淣ow we香蕉视频直播檝e got a multitude of different options.香蕉视频直播�

Much of the innovation in halal food can be found in smaller, independent and specialty grocery stores, not to mention an often much wider selection, said Jivraj. Those stores tend to understand their customer base better and are more nimble as well, she said.

But over time, the big retailers have also realized they need to invest more in halal products, Jivraj said.

Nourish has been conducting a regular survey of Canadian halal consumers since 2016. The 2022 study found that more and more major food companies are meeting the needs of shoppers looking for halal products, with big box stores becoming a larger part of halal consumers香蕉视频直播� grocery shopping.

The study also found that the Muslim community are savvy online shoppers, said Jivraj, which represents a challenge for independent stores 香蕉视频直播� and an opportunity for the major grocery chains, which invested heavily in e-commerce during the pandemic.

Metro Inc., one of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 largest grocers, has seen a 香蕉视频直播渃onsiderable increase香蕉视频直播� in demand for halal meat, said spokeswoman Stephanie Bonk. As a result, the grocer has dedicated more in-store space to halal products with a much larger assortment, she said, and halal products have experienced double-digit growth in recent years.

When Jivraj started blogging about halal restaurants in Toronto more than a decade ago, there were far fewer options 香蕉视频直播� and even those that called themselves halal couldn香蕉视频直播檛 always be trusted, as there was some fraud along the supply chain.

Jivraj said there香蕉视频直播檚 a lot more trust in the halal food industry today than there was when she first began blogging about it. One thing that香蕉视频直播檚 contributed to this is an increasing amount of transparency when it comes to labelling halal products, she said.

In 2016, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency started enforcing new halal labelling and advertising requirements. All halal claims must be accompanied by the name of an organization or person that certified it as halal.

Since the CFIA香蕉视频直播檚 change, more organizations have popped up to fill demand for halal certification, said Subedar. However, it香蕉视频直播檚 not a perfect system since those organizations aren香蕉视频直播檛 regulated themselves, he said.

Fraud is still a problem in the halal food industry, according to Subedar. He cautioned consumers to do their research when they see a product labelled as halal, and get to know how different organizations do their certification.

Nevertheless, this move by the CFIA has been helpful for the consumer, said Subedar.

香蕉视频直播淏efore, you can just write halal and no one can really question you,香蕉视频直播� he said. 香蕉视频直播淏ut now there香蕉视频直播檚 an authority or an organization behind it.香蕉视频直播�

Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press