Nourish Food Marketing's 2022 Halal Study shows growth of online and DTC grocery services amongst halal consumers in Canada

Nourish Food Marketing, Canada's only full-service marketing agency specializing in food, beverage, and agriculture, recently concluded its latest Halal Shopper Study. With over 1,000 participants across Canada, Nourish conducts the study to better understand the Canadian halal Grocery Shopper - Muslim individuals and families that regularly purchase halal food.

The 2022 edition included a focus on tracking shifts in consumer behaviour due to COVID within the Canadian Muslim community.

"The immediate flag for us when reviewing results from this year's Halal Shopper Study was the opportunity highlighted for online grocery shopping," says Salima Jivraj, head of Nourish Multicultural and Account Director at Nourish Food Marketing. "With such growth in the platforms and interest from this shopper group, it's important that halal brands are represented on retailers' e-commerce platforms."

Seventy-two per cent of respondents said they do their shopping online compared to only about 53% of the general population when asked the same question. This difference in shopper behaviour shows a gap retailers can take advantage of to better service the halal shopper.

With limited retail shelf space, both grocery stores and manufacturers can reap the benefits of direct-to-consumer and online shopping channels to get their halal products to these eager consumers faster.

Fifty per cent of respondents rated companies as "good" or "very good" when asked if major food companies meet their needs for halal products. That figure is up from 32% in 2019 and is the highest reported since 2014. Although this is a major step in the right direction, the implication is there is still room for improvement, and not all shoppers feel their needs are being met.

"Due to the rise of COVID-19 in the past two years, it is clear that social channels have become a primary source for consumers to find out about new halal products," Says Jo-Ann McArthur, President of Nourish Food Marketing. "Television has also been a source of entertainment and knowledge due to the amount of time people spent at home during the pandemic."

The Halal Shopper Study has been used as a tool for many of Nourish Food Marketing's food and beverage clients. The study offers key insights into specific segments such as regional grocery store preferences, halal brand preference, and which certifying body consumers look to for verifying their halal products.

To access this year's Nourish Halal Study, please reach out directly to Salima Jivraj: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Nourish Food Marketing: Nourish Food Marketing is Canada's only full-service marketing agency exclusively working with clients in the food and beverage industry, with offices in Toronto, Montreal and Guelph.