Saffron Road's Ramadan campaign drives halal food awareness, sales

When Whole Foods Market partnered with Saffron Road, a premium halal food company based in Stamford, Conn., to promote Ramadan earlier this year, it marked the first time in the U.S. that a grocery retailer has reached out and acknowledged Muslim consumers on a nationwide level.

While this campaign may herald the future of advertising to Muslim Americans, Muslim consumers already are acknowledged in Europe, France, Southeast Asia and Indonesia, the largest population of Muslims on earth.

Saffron Road's sales grew 300 percent across its retail partners during Ramadan, from August 1 to 29, as a result of a price promotion at Whole Foods and other retailers, a partnership with blogger Yvonne Maffei of My Halal Kitchen and savvy social media use to engage Muslim consumers. Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims, is a time for reflection, community and fasting (from dawn to sunset). Muslims still eat two meals a day, breaking the fast with iftar after sunset.

While retail promotions for holidays and seasons are not new, Saffron Road and Whole Foods' nationwide promotion drew some unwanted attention from right-wing, anti-Muslim bloggers. But it wasn't until press incorrectly reported on the situation that consumers became concerned. Media said Whole Foods was pulling the Ramadan promotion, which it wasn't.

"The perception was they [Whole Foods] were allowing themselves to be swayed by right-wing activists," said Jack Acree, executive vice president of Saffron Road. "That's not what happened. Whole Foods said they don't promote any holiday as much as they do create an awareness of it." Saffron Road and Whole Foods followed up with reassurance through their social media channels that the price promotion would last throughout Ramadan.

In addition to raising awareness among Muslim consumers about Saffron Road and Whole Foods' halal products, the campaign also highlighted the tenets of Halal and how they overlap with those of core naturals consumers, Acree said. "Eighty-five percent of our products are certified gluten free, another key call-out in the natural channel," he said, noting that 70 percent of Saffron Road's consumer base is non-Muslim.

What is Halal?

In Arabic, halal means "permitted," so halal foods are those that are permitted for a Muslim diet. Halal not only takes into account the life cycle of an animal—humane treatment, antibiotic-free diets and minimizing pain during slaughter, for example—but also prohibits eating foods that are unnatural, such as those that contain artificial colors and ingredients. Saffron Road's frozen entrees, chicken nuggets and broths are certified Halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, the leading halal-food certification organization in North America.