Major Chicken Supplier in Norway Halal Certified

In Norway, the food company Norsk Kylling has been certified by the Islamic Council and now proudly boasts being a halal chicken producer. The chairman of the Islamic Council is jubilant.

A couple of weeks ago, Norsk Kylling announced in a press release that they are starting certified halal production.

“As a major player in the Norwegian chicken market, it is our goal to make chicken with better animal welfare available to more people. Now that we are certified to expand with our own halal production, we can also offer ECC-certified chicken to a larger part of the population,” says Hilde Talseth, CEO of Norsk Kylling.

The company will start halal production as soon as practically possible. To ensure that halal requirements are met, the production of halal chicken will be separate from Norsk Kylling’s normal production.

Products delivered by Norsk Kylling to the grocery chain REMA 1000 will continue as before and are said not to be affected by the new certification.

Norsk Kylling estimates that the market for halal production is between 3,000 and 4,000 tons of chicken and sees this as “an exciting market with great potential.”

At the same time as halal production starts with whole chicken, Talseth reveals that the company is simultaneously working on its own brand for halal chicken, with different categories of processed chicken products.

Islamic Council Gives Thumbs Up

Masoom Zubair, chairman of the Islamic Council in Norway, is said to be impressed by Norsk Kylling’s commitment to what they call responsible food production and is very pleased that a large and solid player is certified as a halal producer.

“Chicken is an important part of the diet for many Muslims, and this certification helps us to provide an even better range of halal-produced chicken in Norway,” says Zubair.

He says that it has been important for the Islamic Council in Norway to have a new certified halal chicken producer in place because there is a high demand for halal-certified chicken and a limited supply in the Norwegian market.