Canada Holds 1st Halal Food Festival

The first ever halal food festival in Canada has drawn record-breaking crowds, showing the diversity of the marketplace in a major North American city.

"Halal Food Fest TO is dedicated to the halal food scene, and hopes to showcase the variety and diversity that makes Toronto what it is," Salima Jivraj, Marketing Director of the Halal Food Fest, told OnIslam.net.

"We're hoping that the food festival inspires and encourages more businesses to look into halal alternatives - it's also a way for us to educate the general public about halal food."

The festival, held at the International Center in Toronto, was overwhelmed by thousands of visitors who came from the Greater Toronto Area, as well as from cities across Canada, and from as far as the US.

According to On Islam and quoted by MINA, lineups wrapped around the 100,000 square foot facility as attendees had to wait as long as 2 hours on Saturday to gain admittance to the festival. “I am very pleased to see a flourishing halal food industry in Ontario,” said Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, in an official message to the festival.

 “Its growth has supported local farmers and businesses, and given consumers more choice.

“Beyond that, halal food is an expression of the vibrant multicultural society that we have built together,” Wynne said.

The two-day event showcased over 60 food booths in a well-planned Sample City and attendees had a chance to try a wide variety of cuisines from around the world.

Visitors also enjoyed seminars, demonstrations and competitions at a Community Stage and were able to take part in cheese-tasting seminars hosted throughout the festival by the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

There were interactive exhibits, a Street Fest with more food booths, a large children’s area and another outdoor stage where chefs provided cooking demonstrations with halal food products.

“We are so proud to sponsor the first Canadian Halal Food Festival and support the diverse needs of Canadians with a variety of wholesome, high quality, hand slaughtered halal chicken that our consumers can enjoy,” says Pam Kellogg, Sr. Marketing Director of Mina Foods.

Visitors also had the chance to give back to the community by donating non-perishable items to a local charity, Muslim Welfare Center.

Growing Industry

The idea of holding the festival grew out of the experience of founder Salima Jivraj while she was doing reviews of halal food establishments in Toronto.

"For the past two years, I've operated a website, halalfoodie.ca, dedicated to providing reviews for halal restaurants and products in the Greater Toronto Area," said Jivraj.

"Our reviews are well-received and I've noticed that more and more Muslims want more variety in their choices of halal food.

“Gone are the days when halal food meant shawarma or biryani,” she added.  “Now you can get halal Italian cuisine and even Japanese dishes.” Jivraj hopes that the festival will help promote the halal industry in Canada.