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At a bustling Bangkok pet expo, where cat litter from Shandong and dog treats from Japan vie for attention, Malik Abdulbut takes to the stage ready to spread the word on an often-overlooked segment that’s set to reshape the pet food landscape.
His message is clear: halal pet food is not just a market opportunity, it’s a necessity for the soaring number of Muslim pet owners across Southeast Asia and the Middle East who demand high-quality, compliant diets for their pets.
Because the pets’ owners will handle it, halal pet food must be free of pork and its derivatives – considered haram (forbidden) in Islam – and the entire supply chain must adhere to rigorous cleanliness standards.
“The restrictions to achieving Halal certification are a challenge,” said Abdulbut, representing Thailand’s Bureau of Livestock Standards and Certification at the expo.
“With perceived extra costs and confusion over the rules … there aren’t that many pet food operators”
Yet within these challenges lies a big business opportunity. Thailand is already the world’s third-largest exporter of halal pet food, with surging demand from the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. But Southeast Asia, where young people are increasingly delaying starting families and pet ownership is booming, comes atop the export list.
In Indonesia, the number of pet cats is projected to reach 5.9 million by the end of 2026, nearly two-and-a-half times the figure from 2018. Cats reign supreme in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, accounting for 56 per cent of all pets, while dogs – often viewed as unclean in Islam – make up less than 8 per cent of the pet ownership market.