Market Opportunities for Certified Halal Meat in the United States

By Sanchez Philocles and Manuel Garcia et.al

Certified halal represents a premium-generating attribute in meat production, comparable in commercial terms to organic, grass-fed, antibiotic-free (ABF), or kosher designations (USDA AMS, 2025). Halal certification requires that animals be processed, handled, and stored in accordance with Islamic dietary laws and traditions. This market niche is of particular interest given the significant expansion of halal food markets in the United States (US). To illustrate, Al-Mahmood (2020) showed that the number of halal food markets in the US went from 200 stores in 1998 to 2,100 in 2018, with 85% of those stores selling halal meat. Furthermore, Green and Gammon (2016) have found that halal food is important not only to the US Muslim Population but also to young non-Muslim Americans, many of whom have embraced halal food believing it to be a healthier dietary alternative. This trend creates growth opportunities for livestock operations, slaughter facilities, restaurants, and foodservice providers, in a market expected to reach $20 billion in annual sales (Halawa, 2018).

In this article, we compare retail prices for conventional and halal-certified beef, lamb, goat, and chicken. Data for this analysis comes from the 2025 weekly grocery store feature activity reports published by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). For example, in 2025, conventional ground beef was sold for an average of $5.65/lb., compared with $8.76/lb. for ABF, $8.19/lb. for USDA organic, $8.08/lb. for grass-fed, and $7.09/lb. for halal (Table 1). Similar price premium patterns were observed across other cuts and meat types.

To highlight price differences, Figure 1 presents the percentage premiums across the four main protein categories: beef, lamb, goat, and chicken. Among halal beef products, ribs were sold at a premium of 60% relative to conventional alternatives. Loin cuts commanded the highest premium (127%), while ground beef exhibited the lowest premium (25%). Halal goat products also showed substantial premiums; in particular, goat stew meat was sold at a premium of 147% in 2025. This result has important implications for US goat producers and livestock processors because most of the halal goat consumed in the US is imported from Australia. Therefore, industry stakeholders can develop targeted strategies to capture a market segment with untapped potential.