This post was first published by Jamie Calvetti on LinkedIn
With the announcement of 2016’s latest food trends, words like “grass fed, natural, gluten free and ancient grains” are being replaced with “authentic, ethnic, middle eastern and chef- driven fast-casual concepts.”
As usual, we’re ahead of the trends at Innovative Food Creations, a marketing arm of James Calvetti Meats, Inc. because we’ve been focusing on these notions all along. One of our signature products is sous vide halal food, which we believe is fantastic, trendy and new.
The production of halal foods takes a certain finesse, signifying clean, fresh fare. And aside from strict adherence to Islamic Food Practices, its processing and handling are governed by the same Agriculture Department and FDA regulations that oversee all foods processed in this country – it is a truly unique food product!
For many consumers of sous vide halal foods though, it’s not about religion, but rather the freshness, sanitation, delicate flavor and tenderness. The relationship consumers have developed over the years with halal food, ensures a high quality product. Because of this excellence, true halal products benefit everyone and even as food production nationwide becomes increasingly industrialized, analysts say that halal food is nevertheless the fastest growing style of specialty food in the country.
So where would you find one of these specialty food shops? Here are our regional picks from around the nation:
California USA
Just over the mountains in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California is this gem. Family owned and operated for over 27 years, Halal Zabihah Meat boasts the best service and freshest halal food in the area. For the Northern Californians, we picked a favorite from Fremont. The Medina Halal Meat Market. They have very few details on the website, but the reviews tell us this is the place to go for your halal food needs.
Midwest USA
Chicago has many diverse food cultures and restaurants, but for the most authentic you must go to Sultan’s Market, the 2014 “Best of Halal” awardee. Well known for its falafels, this Muslim owned market serves halal certified, 100% halal ingredients and has three locations to choose from.
Northeastern USA
Madani Halal’s tagline is “Where Tradition and Culture Means Quality”. Another family owned market, this bonafide New York business has been a leader in halal meats since 1996.
Southern USA
Atlanta Halal Meat pride themselves on sourcing Halal foods from local animals providing their consumers with the freshest and most natural product available. Their halal selection includes beef, lamb, goat, chicken and sous vide foods and they deliver to the greater Atlanta area.
As halal food processors rise to the new trends, so do restaurants. We are noticing that more and more serve a full or partial halal sous vide menu. So if you care about food freshness, quality and standard, as most of us do, you can agree that this is a positive upward swing in the food industry. And like I said, halal foods do in fact, benefit everyone.