K-BBQ brand Mapo Galmaegi signs agreement to get halal certification

South Korean food service enterprise Didim E&F said on Monday that its Korean barbecue brand Mapo Galmaegi signed a business agreement with a Korean seasoning food producer Natural Foods, which was certified by the LPPOM Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), one of the world's top-three halal certification institutions.

Pakistan's import policy sets out the requirements for businesses to obtain halal certifications for their goods and services. Under the law, all foods that enter, circulate, and are traded in Pakistan must be halal-certified.

Under the agreement, Natural Foods will produce halal sauce for use in Mapo Galmaegi's first Pakistani restaurant, which will open in February.

The restaurant, to be located in Karachi, will present beef dishes to target customers there due to the religious restriction on eating pork.

"Starting with the opening of Pakistan's first store, Didim will expand halal food businesses in Muslim countries. Next year, we will focus on the Southwest Asian market with emphasis on Pakistan," said a Mapo Galmaegi official.

According to IMARC, a global market research firm, the halal food market, will grow 11.2% annually, from 2,553 trillion won ($2 trillion) last year to 5,000 trillion won by 2027.

Write to Jiyoon Yang at yang@hankyung.com