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Country guide
France has one of the largest Muslim populations in Western Europe and a Halal market worth several billion euros, but no law on Halal certification. Around 50 private organisations issue Halal certificates, among them the great mosques of Paris, Lyon and Évry, which each certify independently and according to their own criteria, alongside associations such as AVS and Achahada.
Slaughter without stunning is allowed for religious rites under the European Union's animal welfare rules, provided it takes place in an approved slaughterhouse. Because standards differ from one certifier to another, French and foreign buyers should check which certifier a product carries. This guide lists the institutions behind each part, with their pages on Wasabih.
Photo: Paris · Yann Caradec from Paris, France · CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
Certification bodies that certify Halal products for producers in France.
🇧🇪 Belgium
HFCE is a European halal certification body providing certification services for food products across European Union member states.
No. France has no compulsory legislation on Halal certification. Certification is done by private organisations, around 50 of them, each with its own standard.
Private bodies, including the great mosques of Paris, Lyon and Évry, which certify independently, and associations such as AVS and Achahada. Buyers should check which certifier a product carries.
Yes, for religious rites, under the derogation in EU Regulation 1099/2009, provided the slaughter takes place in an approved slaughterhouse and follows the conditions set by French law.
Because there is no national Halal standard or authority, each certifier sets its own rules, for example on stunning, controls in slaughterhouses and traceability.
Estimates vary. The Turkish Halal Accreditation Agency, for example, puts the French Halal market at about €5.5 billion, most of it food.
Companies, certifiers and associations from France with a page on Wasabih.
Part of the Halal economy in France?
Claim your organisation's page, or add it for free, to appear in this guide and in business matching.
