[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Lotte Food Pasteur has obtained halal certification to export infant formula to Pakistan, the world's fifth most populous country.
Lotte Food Pasteur announced on the 13th that its export infant formula brand 'Newborn' acquired halal certification from the Korea Halal Association (KOHAS) on the 1st.
The Halal Association has an integrated certification agreement with the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), one of the world's top five halal certification bodies, and conducts halal certification reviews jointly. Therefore, obtaining KOHAS halal certification simultaneously grants IFANCA halal certification. Among domestic infant formulas, Pasteur Newborn is the first to acquire the global halal certification IFANCA halal.
Newborn is one of Lotte Food Pasteur's export infant formula brands launched in 2019. It is currently sold throughout Vietnam, and with this certification, new exports to the Islamic country Pakistan are scheduled to begin in September. Produced at the Pasteur factory located in Hoengseong, Gangwon-do, using Korea's excellent infant formula manufacturing technology, it aims to actively target Pakistan's young generation. The annual sales plan is approximately 2 billion KRW.
Pakistan has a population of 225 million, ranking fifth in the world, and has a very young population with an average age of only 23.5 years. As a young country, demand for high-quality food is expected to increase in the future, and especially recently, imported infant formula consumption has been rising, making the outlook bright. Over 97% of the population are Muslims, so all food exported to Pakistan must have halal certification.
Halal refers to products that Muslims, followers of Islam, can consume and use, meaning "permitted" in Arabic. The global Muslim population is about 1.8 billion, accounting for approximately 23% of the world's population. The halal food market size is about 2,000 trillion KRW, approaching 20% of the global food and beverage market.
A Lotte Food official said, "We are striving to obtain globally authoritative halal certification to enter Islamic countries with young population structures," adding, "Through active market development, we will make Korea's excellent food products available in more places."
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