Makkah, 1 Ramadan 1447 AH (18 February 2026)

The Makkah Halal Forum 2026 marked a turning point in the development of the Kingdom's halal industry, founding a new stage of organized institutional work that moves the sector from theoretical discussion to an integrated executive system aimed at cementing Saudi leadership globally and strengthening the reliability of the national product in international markets.

The forum saw the announcement of a package of quality enablers reflecting the maturity of the Saudi experience in the sector, most notably the launch of the Halal Academy as a knowledge and training arm dedicated to building specialized talent and raising professionalism across the value chain, and the launch of the Golden Halal Mark, a high-level accreditation that gives global markets a unified reference of trust and reflects the Kingdom's commitment to the highest standards of quality and compliance.

These steps embody a strategic direction that goes beyond the traditional concept of religious oversight toward an integrated industrial and economic system that redefines halal as a comprehensive standard combining religious compliance, high quality, advanced governance and digital traceability, raising the competitiveness of Saudi exports and easing their access to global markets.

On the regulatory track, national efforts have developed advanced accreditation frameworks and digital systems that simplify licensing and traceability, strengthen transparency and support the smooth movement of products across borders, within a vision aimed at moving from international cooperation to institutional integration by unifying standards and marks and building a harmonized global halal industry.

On the investment side, efforts are directed at maximizing the Kingdom's religious and regulatory weight and turning it into an economic lever that supports the localization of value chains, attracts strategic partnerships and draws global expertise, with a focus on knowledge transfer, developing national talent and building an industrial ecosystem spanning production, logistics and digital solutions, strengthening local content and opening new export horizons.

In turning religious compliance into a competitive advantage, the Saudi model confirms that halal is no longer merely a regulatory requirement but a comprehensive quality standard. When religious compliance is paired with strict oversight, technical traceability, operational efficiency and sustainability, it becomes real added value that makes the Saudi product a preferred choice for the global consumer, through which the Kingdom exports "trust" before the product.

In advanced sectors such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, investment is directed toward building local production capacity for raw ingredients through quality partnerships and specialized factories, ensuring the integrity of the entire production chain from raw material to finished product, according to national standards and local operating capabilities that strengthen industrial sustainability and cement the Kingdom's standing as a global hub for the halal industry.

National experiences stand as practical evidence of the success of these transformations. Dr. Rasha Al Sanea, General Manager and co-founder of the Roya food products factory, said the Saudi accreditation system has become a comprehensive quality certificate that gives businesses a clear competitive advantage in foreign markets.

She said the path to accreditation passes through a rigorous series of inspections covering facility safety, manufacturing quality and compliance with international standards, ending with final auditing, which strengthens product reliability and readiness for expansion abroad.

She noted that the presence of international delegations and trade missions in Makkah on the sidelines of the forum accelerated opportunities for expansion abroad and opened direct export channels to a number of markets, affirming that pairing "Made in Saudi" with accredited halal marks, led by the Golden Mark, strengthens global consumer confidence and gives the national product a strong presence across cultures and markets.

At a Glance

  • Launch of the Halal Academy
  • Launch of the Golden Halal Mark
  • Development of advanced digital accreditation systems
  • Localizing value chains and attracting international partnerships
  • Strengthening the global competitiveness of Saudi exports