Ready-to-eat halal meals are increasingly growing popular among Muslims travellers, UAE shopkeepers said.
Many outbound travellers now carry a can of lamb curry or ground beef during short trips to non-Muslim nations, where it's hard to find halal meat that comes from animals slaughtered according to Islamic rules.
"I think I'll go with haleem (a paste of meat, rice and lentils) this time," said Mudasir, a shopper at the Pakistan Supermarket Sharjah (PSS).
These "heat and eat" (microwavable) meals are exclusively sold in the dozen or so Pakistani community stores scattered across the UAE. They are made in Pakistan, where foodstuff brands like Ahmad and Sundip are household names.
"Some Muslim tourists to Europe may not want to survive on vegetables alone. So, they take along a few cans of halal meat dishes," said Shaji Rahmullah, PSS Store Manager.
"Besides people going abroad, many bachelors here also buy them," he added.
A can costs between Dh7 and Dh13 depending on the cuisine, but the serving size is fixed at 210 grams. Contents stay good for two years from the production date and don't need to be refrigerated, unless opened.
The packaging does not mention any preservatives or artificial flavours. It does, however, break down the nutrition information based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day. "They're cooked home-style," said Shareef Asghar from Al Hajaj Grocery, another Pakistani retailer.
Asghar buys the halal tins from S.B. & Company, the UAE agent for the Ahmad brand.
An S.B. official said the main export market was the US and Southeast Asia.
